Orphek Atlantik V4 or Radion XR30W G4 Pro or Hydra 52HD

Hair Algae Wizard · Sep 7, 2019

Folks,

Figuring out the lighting for my tank is turning into the most difficult piece of my new build. I'm hoping the group can assist with some guidance and ideas on which of the the fixtures below would be best for my reef.

Orphek Atlantik V4
Radion XR30W G4 Pro
Hydra 52HD

My tank is as follows:

Waterbox Peninsula 7226 (72″ L x 26″ W x 24″ H)
Tank will be SPS dominate

I really prefer LED over T5 or Metal Halide, having used both of them in the past. The Radion cost is daunting, and I suspect I would need 4-5 fixtures for proper coverage, but they also have a slick mounting arm that spans the tank, which visually looks great. The Hydra's do as well. The Orphek relies on a ceiling mounting kit, which I'm not thrilled with, but could manage to get use to if needed.

Any advice on which fixture? If this was your build, what would you use?

Thanks in advance!

-B

Wen · Sep 7, 2019

I’d buy the Orpheks.

(I have no experience with Radions.)

Had Orpheks for 6 years, then decided to join the hydra 52HD craze.
Have been using 4 hydras about 3 years (no problems with them and app is easy to navigate), but I miss the light quality of the Orpheks. There is something about the water shimmer and clarity of color that the hydras can’t touch.

Planning to buy Orpheks and sell the 52 HDs. (Tank is 72” x 28” tall x 18” wide)

Good luck with your choices.

sstanley223 · Sep 7, 2019

Hi! I went with 4 xr15's on my newest build (a 6' 125g) on the very cool rms mounting track. Coverage is very good, and I think they are awesome! I catch myself staring in awe at the colors of my fish and corals. My lfs uses 4 xr30's over an 8' × 3' frag tank and they are more than enough. However, they do perform as a single point light source. More people in our area club are buying Orpheks lately. The coverage is more uniform due to the spread of the Leds. The colors are as good if not better than the Radions. Best thing the Hydras have going is they do not need a separate controller. My next tank will be along the size of yours so I'm sizing up the Orpheks as well! I'd love to try the Orpheks but the Radions seem to be an industry standard right now. Good luck, no bad choice here.

special-ops-s2k · Sep 23, 2019

Same tank.

I went with AL T5 Hybrid and 4x xr30 g3 pro's...

I will say the Orphek Atlantik V4 were my only other considered option and I was literally back and forth. I think if the Orphek were as easy to control via the Apex I would have gotten them... However the connectivity sold me and I went with Radions

melanotaenia · Sep 24, 2019

I would agree with @special-ops-s2k and do some sort of T5/LED combination setup.

Hersheyb · Sep 24, 2019

if ur only choosing the xr30 over oprheks because of the mounting arms.. you might need to reconsider, Orpheks has their own mounting arms now, and they are pretty heavy duty, I'm currently running 2 full Orpheks V4 over my 62" long tank. The spreak on the Orpheks is so much better than the Xr30. I have owned radions in the past and don't get me wrong they are great light but you'll need multiple units to provide decent coverage.