radion, kessil, hydra 52 HD

[garra671]

as the title says. Currently I have a 55gallon L tank 48L x 20H x 13W. My dilemma is right now on 3 spereate sets of lights, I want to have the ability to grow strong SPS corals as well as LPS clams softies etc etc, I must stick with LED so these are the only 3 lights i mainly want to choose from. please give me your opinions on these lights and how modules of each of them i will need?

1) if possible how many xr15 pro's would i need over my tank? or should i just go with 2 xr30's/pro's or would 1 xr30 pro suffice?

2) kessils new Ap700 seems promisisng does anyone have some decent info on it?

3) i like the new hydra 52 HD but i think i would need 3 modules for my tank? and i cant have that many light sets.

 

[DMan]

I voted xr15pro. But I think you would need 3 of them. You could get away with one xr30pro but it would have to be mounted higher and possibly with the wide lens. Two xr30pro would be ideal but maybe a bit to much. I have a Ap700 over my 90 (48x18x24)I've had it for about a month now and although I've blasted it in other post becauase of the faulty programming I must say I'm liking it better. The Kessils reflector does what they claim. It provides even coverage with less shadowing. And the corals are really responding to the light well so I can't really argue with that. If Kessil ever gets the bugs worked out it will be one killer light. I also have a xr15pro over a Red Sea 130d and I love it as well. The color of the coral is unreal and I will always have at least one Radion over a tank. I didn't want both tanks looking the same so I went with the AP700 for the other one. I regretted it the first week but it is growing on me.

 

[DMan]

Here are some shots with the AP700. Camera was an Ipad so not the best.

This tank is only about 4 months old now. And the corals that came from the old tank were pretty browned out (lots of nutrients). But like I said the coral is responding well and coloring back up after only a month. A lower bio load probably helps to.

Here are some shots of the Red Sea with the xr15pro. You can see the color difference.

 

[billwill]

You need two lights to span 48", or the Kessil 700. I think two Hydra 26HD's would be perfect for that tank myself.

 

[DMan]

On a side note this is how I have the xr15 mounted. I came this close to getting the xr30pros for the 90g just because of this. I really like the mounting rail system Ecotech has. The tank is euro braced so I would have had to use the long rail but I like the sleek look and the fact you can slide the units to the side for cleaning. I had to modify the Kessil brackets to fit the goosenecks with the 90degree arms. And have it mounted about 15" above the water. Which is nice because it's not in the way at all for cleaning.

 

[DMan]

sorry heres the pic

 

[garra671]

sorry heres the pic

Are the blues deeper and make the corals more fluorescent on the kessil ap700? What are your cons and pros of the ap700 vs 30pro?

 

[DMan]

I wouldn't say the blues are deeper, just different. The Radion uses 2 different types of blue I believe while the Kessil has thier own proprietary blend. Both create nice fluorescence. For me the blues werent a factor it was the other colors actually. One of the reasons I wanted to try the AP700 was because they claimed it had full control of the color channels. I wanted to see if I could get that same vibrant color I get with the XR15pro using the different colors of the AP700. So that is where the cons start for the Ap700- Cons
-No full control of colors (yet)
-App has had bugs ( update has fixed some issues)
-Effects aren't very good
-No mounting solution yet

AP700- Pros
- great coverage
-great shimmer (reminds me of when i scuba dive)
-corals and clam are responding well

Radion xr15pro- Cons
-None ( I really cant think of anything I dont like)

Radion xr15pro- Pros
-great coral color
-great coral growth
-really nice mounting system
-nice effects

The only other thing I can say about the color difference is that the xr15 produces vibrant color, while the Kessil still looks a little washed out. Almost like the difference between High Def television and Standard. I'm hoping once Kessil gets the kinks worked out that will change.

 

[garra671]

I wouldn't say the blues are deeper, just different. The Radion uses 2 different types of blue I believe while the Kessil has thier own proprietary blend. Both create nice fluorescence. For me the blues werent a factor it was the other colors actually. One of the reasons I wanted to try the AP700 was because they claimed it had full control of the color channels. I wanted to see if I could get that same vibrant color I get with the XR15pro using the different colors of the AP700. So that is where the cons start for the Ap700- Cons
-No full control of colors (yet)
-App has had bugs ( update has fixed some issues)
-Effects aren't very good
-No mounting solution yet

AP700- Pros
- great coverage
-great shimmer (reminds me of when i scuba dive)
-corals and clam are responding well

Radion xr15pro- Cons
-None ( I really cant think of anything I dont like)

Radion xr15pro- Pros
-great coral color
-great coral growth
-really nice mounting system
-nice effects

The only other thing I can say about the color difference is that the xr15 produces vibrant color, while the Kessil still looks a little washed out. Almost like the difference between High Def television and Standard. I'm hoping once Kessil gets the kinks worked out that will change.

Do you know what difference between the 30 and 30pro are? I feel the pro may be overkill for my system if the normal can grow SPS as well. There is a post on here somewhere of a guy with the pro on his 90 and it's starting to brown the corals it looked like.

 

[billwill]

Dman, beautiful tank! Are you running pretty low intensities on it? I run my kessils at 100% for my sps, and I can't keep blastos or brains unless they are fully shaded. It's a bummer because I love the lps too

 

[DMan]

Dman, beautiful tank! Are you running pretty low intensities on it? I run my kessils at 100% for my sps, and I can't keep blastos or brains unless they are fully shaded. It's a bummer because I love the lps too

I run the XR-15pro on the Radiance mode ( i think its called) at 80% max. But during the 3 highest peak points I have the cloud setting at 10%, 30% , and 20% respectively. I tried the "High Growth" but a few of the corals didn't like the intensity.
The Kessil I'm still ramping up and it's currently at max 60%. But from messing with it Im pretty sure I'll end up at around 80% max.

 

[DMan]

Do you know what difference between the 30 and 30pro are? I feel the pro may be overkill for my system if the normal can grow SPS as well. There is a post on here somewhere of a guy with the pro on his 90 and it's starting to brown the corals it looked like.

I know the pros have uv lamps. The browning could be a number of reasons, like high nitrate. Maybe his lighting period is to long and to intense. Who knows? But if your not concerned with spending the extra get the pro, you can control all the color channels. And there does seem to a consensus that uv is very benificial for coral.

 

[garra671]

I know the pros have uv lamps. The browning could be a number of reasons, like high nitrate. Maybe his lighting period is to long and to intense. Who knows? But if your not concerned with spending the extra get the pro, you can control all the color channels. And there does seem to a consensus that uv is very benificial for coral.

Can the non pro grow SPS?

 

[flyingfish]

pretty clowns BTW, what are they?

 

[mfinn]

I would go with 2 gen 3 ( non-pro ) Radions.

 

[SaltyHandz]

I voted xr15pro. But I think you would need 3 of them. You could get away with one xr30pro but it would have to be mounted higher and possibly with the wide lens. Two xr30pro would be ideal but maybe a bit to much. I have a Ap700 over my 90 (48x18x24)I've had it for about a month now and although I've blasted it in other post becauase of the faulty programming I must say I'm liking it better. The Kessils reflector does what they claim. It provides even coverage with less shadowing. And the corals are really responding to the light well so I can't really argue with that. If Kessil ever gets the bugs worked out it will be one killer light. I also have a xr15pro over a Red Sea 130d and I love it as well. The color of the coral is unreal and I will always have at least one Radion over a tank. I didn't want both tanks looking the same so I went with the AP700 for the other one. I regretted it the first week but it is growing on me.

How do you like your ap700 now that you have had it for some time? I am a click away from ordering but have heard about programming bugs. Any tipsni should be aware of? Thanks!

 

[Frop]

You need two lights to span 48", or the Kessil 700. I think two Hydra 26HD's would be perfect for that tank myself.

+1

I voted for the 52HD but I would have just 2. If not then the 26s instead.

 

[DMan]

How do you like your ap700 now that you have had it for some time? I am a click away from ordering but have heard about programming bugs. Any tipsni should be aware of? Thanks!

Kessil has definitely improved the light. A couple of firmware updates and a better smartphone app (still in beta btw) have greatly improved the programming.
I do like it much better, but I still like the Radions. But if it is a question of whether to get 2 xr30gen4 or one ap700 and budget is an issue. Then you won't be disappointed with the ap700.
Only thing that might stop me from getting the ap700 at this point is it is going on 2years old. There have been a few releases since then that look very interesting.