LED decisions SUCK!

WetWhistle · Oct 29, 2015

jasonandsarah said:
But what are the other 2? Kinda important to your point [emoji3][/QUOTE

Sorry about that. The other two are not on the list but they are Maxspect R420R and EverGrow D2120. Both of these do work just not as good as the Hydra 52 for me. I went from the Maxspect R420R on my 180 to my Hydra and noticed a difference very quickly. (I changed nothing else)

WetWhistle · Oct 29, 2015

To add to before. I have the LED on an assortment of tanks. The Maxspect I have a few of and they are on my frag tank that is SPS dominant with a mixture of LPS. The second Maxspect is on my Bow front that has my BTA and a mix of zoas and LPS like chalice and flower pot coral. The EverGrow is on my soft and LPS dominant with some SPS tank. All except the BTA tank are plumbed into my sump so they have the same water parameters as my DT. So I get a good indication on growth rates amongst different LED.

I think the OP would be happy with the xr30w pro or the Hydra 26HD. Those are the ones I would stick to. I myself didn't want to pay the price of the xr30w pro so I got the Hydra and I don't regret it at all.

Wankell · Oct 29, 2015

No more dilly-dallying, picked up a G3 XR30Pro!

AllSignsPointToFish · Oct 29, 2015

Wankell said:
No more dilly-dallying, picked up a G3 XR30Pro!

Must be nice! I need at least three of them, so I have to be much more deliberate about my purchases :)

jasonandsarah · Oct 29, 2015

Wankell said:
No more dilly-dallying, picked up a G3 XR30Pro!

You won't regret it! If your goal is to grow corals as fast as possible and keep good color I'd suggest getting wide angle Tir lenses and keeping them at 8" off the water. With your dimensions that'll be perfect for any corals you can think of imo.

Wankell · Oct 29, 2015

AllSignsPointToFIsh said:
Must be nice! I need at least three of them, so I have to be much more deliberate about my purchases :)

Believe me, if I needed 3 of them it wouldn't even be an option!

jasonandsarah · Oct 29, 2015

AllSignsPointToFIsh said:
Must be nice! I need at least three of them, so I have to be much more deliberate about my purchases :)

The new Orphek V3 may be a good option for you? I've always wanted to try a Orphek led.
Getting 3 gen 2 pro's would be a viable option as well. They're getting cheaper and cheaper. Wait till the Radion gen 4 HD comes out! [emoji12]

AllSignsPointToFish · Oct 29, 2015

jasonandsarah said:
The new Orphek V3 may be a good option for you? I've always wanted to try a Orphek led.
Getting 3 gen 2 pro's would be a viable option as well. They're getting cheaper and cheaper. Wait till the Radion gen 4 HD comes out! [emoji12]

That's actually a very good idea! I don't need them right at this second, so if I hold out until i have to make a selection, I might be able to get a better deal.

Does anyone have an idea as to how to mount these lights inside of a canopy?

klesel · Oct 29, 2015

Got a kessil 150 over my 29 got quite a few sps and growing like crazy great color I'm a kessil fan !

Wankell · Oct 29, 2015

klesel said:
Got a kessil 150 over my 29 got quite a few sps and growing like crazy great color I'm a kessil fan !

Never liked the kessils, AP700 might be good, but only time will tell.

jasonandsarah · Oct 29, 2015

Wankell said:
Never liked the kessils, AP700 might be good, but only time will tell.

Bought them and returned them! Great for frag tanks imo but not displays.

jasonandsarah · Oct 29, 2015

AllSignsPointToFIsh said:
That's actually a very good idea! I don't need them right at this second, so if I hold out until i have to make a selection, I might be able to get a better deal.

Does anyone have an idea as to how to mount these lights inside of a canopy?

They have at least 2 different options right from the factory I believe. Asking Scott from Orphek is your best bet imo.

Wankell · Oct 29, 2015

You know what looks promising is the Triton Lani PRO, but they are super expensive!

Thle009 · Oct 31, 2015

JOSE CASAS said:
Xr30w pro ...........diff a beast of a light and now that i have been running for 1+ year its diff one of the best lights out. I good very good growth, colors and spread. Love the functionality!

How's the coloration on your corals? Mine seems to have one side shaded and therefore don't color well on that spot. That's something I noticed with LED vs T5

Dtackett · Oct 31, 2015

AllSignsPointToFIsh said:
How does one get pricing or delivery options for SB Reef Lights if they don't have Facebook?

They just started a webpage.
https://sbreeflights.com/

Mark426 · Oct 31, 2015

I have owned AI and Radions. Both are nice units but I just love my GHL Mitras 6200.

JOSE CASAS · Nov 1, 2015

Thle009 said:
How's the coloration on your corals? Mine seems to have one side shaded and therefore don't color well on that spot. That's something I noticed with LED vs T5

Yes that's is the only thing I can say I don't like. The shadowing but I could fixed that by adding another light and angling both. Not that big is an issue for me now so I have left it that way.

AllSignsPointToFish · Nov 2, 2015

OP, I feel your pain. I was leaning toward a Kessil/T5HO hybrid, but Kessils can't be dimmed to simulate moonlight. I'm really at a loss as to how to go about this. It just seems like I can't get exactly what I want without having to do something more or trading off something I really want/need. I would like to invest in an Apex controller from the beginning, but the lighting issue really sucks. If I go with Radions, I would spend a LOT more than with Kessils just due to the number of XR30W Pros I would need for my tank.

Does anyone know if the Kessil AP700 has the same flickering issue at low output like the other Kessil lights? Since the AP700 looks like two A360s in one housing, I'd assume it has the same drawback. Can anyone confirm?

rlman41299 · Nov 2, 2015

I am totally biased on radian less since I am using 6 of them but recently a local reefer which I have bought spa frags from before had good color and growth on his spa and guess what led he has in his tank? Ocean Revive t247 and he grows his sps like crazy. recently a friend also switched to ocean revive and he said that his corals have been responding very good also.

AllSignsPointToFish · Nov 2, 2015

rlman41299 said:
I am totally biased on radian less since I am using 6 of them but recently a local reefer which I have bought spa frags from before had good color and growth on his spa and guess what led he has in his tank? Ocean Revive t247 and he grows his sps like crazy. recently a friend also switched to ocean revive and he said that his corals have been responding very good also.

Is the T247 Apex compatible? I had a hard time finding out on the Ocean Revive website.