Question about lighting

[tdam]

Hi, so I'm running some really old AI sol blues over my LPS tank. I'm not sure how old they are, since I bought them used. They do the job, since I just mostly run blues. I also have an orphek blue bar.

I am thinking about upgrading to some G5 radions. But will spending the money make any sense? Will the radions make my corals pop more? Or be better for growth? Again, it's just an LPS system with zoas and torches. What your opinion?

 

[mattdg]

In my experience, nothing makes coral pop the way those old Sol Blue fixtures used to. I still have an sol blue nano, that works fine. The sols had excellent heat transfer, which keeps the LED's healthy. If you are having luck with the older lights, I'd say skip the Radions. I'm saying this as a Radion G5, Kessil and AI Hydra 64 owner. You hear a lot about how great the Radions are for coral farms growth / color and such, but consider the skill of the staff running those farms. You can have great success with any LED fixture with enough power and correct spectrum, if you focus on water quality, flow and all of the fundamentals. Stability is king, when it comes to color and growth.

 

[tdam]

In my experience, nothing makes coral pop the way those old Sol Blue fixtures used to. I still have an sol blue nano, that works fine. The sols had excellent heat transfer, which keeps the LED's healthy. If you are having luck with the older lights, I'd say skip the Radions. I'm saying this as a Radion G5, Kessil and AI Hydra 64 owner. You hear a lot about how great the Radions are for coral farms growth / color and such, but consider the skill of the staff running those farms. You can have great success with any LED fixture with enough power and correct spectrum, if you focus on water quality, flow and all of the fundamentals. Stability is king, when it comes to color and growth.

thanks for the reply. my question is if the radions have better color spectrum that will bring out more colors on the corals. Like, the ai's just have blue and royal blue. But the radions have cyan and violet spectrums.

 

[mattdg]

Funny you ask. I have dialed down most of the cyan and violet. Personally feel they wash out the coral color, but some people enjoy it. Suppose it is up to your taste. Like I said, I found those old AI Sol's REALLY made the fluorescent pigments in coral pop, once they were healthy and settled in. Obviously pinks / blues / yellows get a bit lost, but same with the G5's in the blue spectrum. One thing you'll get with the G5's are better options in the whiter spectrum, especially with the pro, if whiter light is your jam.

 

[RedoubtReef]

If it was me, I'd ditch the Radions and go with 6 bulb T5 fixture and buy a bunch of cool stuff with the money saved.

 

[oreo54]

Hi, so I'm running some really old AI sol blues over my LPS tank. I'm not sure how old they are, since I bought them used. They do the job, since I just mostly run blues. I also have an orphek blue bar.

I am thinking about upgrading to some G5 radions. But will spending the money make any sense? Will the radions make my corals pop more? Or be better for growth? Again, it's just an LPS system with zoas and torches. What your opinion?

Aqua Illumination Sol Blue Question

The short and simple of it: Are AI Sol Blues still worth running or are they so far obsolete at this point that they aren't? I have a 29 gallon Oceanic Biocube and a buddy just gave me an AI Sol Blue with controller. I have been wanting to switch over to LEDs but haven't taken the plunge yet...

www.reef2reef.com

Seems few have "growth issues" with the Sols..
As to color.. Which colors? Visual or florescent do you feel is lacking??

 

[tdam]

Aqua Illumination Sol Blue Question

The short and simple of it: Are AI Sol Blues still worth running or are they so far obsolete at this point that they aren't? I have a 29 gallon Oceanic Biocube and a buddy just gave me an AI Sol Blue with controller. I have been wanting to switch over to LEDs but haven't taken the plunge yet...

www.reef2reef.com

Seems few have "growth issues" with the Sols..
As to color.. Which colors? Visual or florescent do you feel is lacking??

Not that I feel that it's lacking color, as I have always been a fan of the royal blue lighting. More like looking to enhance some colors. For example, I bought an hg torch which is lacking some yellow. It basically looks like a green torch. I didn't know if a better spectrum of colors might bring out some of the yellow. Just for the visual effect.