Radion or hydra

[reefhobby]

This is my tank and I have the Kessil a160 on it now but i don't think it is enough for my tank so I wanna upgrade lights. I was worth looking at the hydra 26 or radion xr15. My tank is 24x24x18. LxHxW

 

[josh.j.avila]

I think you're going to need more than an XR15 to cover that tank footprint.

 

[reefaboo]

i see mostly lps only .. why do you think kessil a160 is not enough ?

 

[Tahoe61]

Radion.

 

[1stNoel]

i see mostly lps only .. why do you think kessil a160 is not enough ?

I was going to ask the same thing. What are you not liking about the light?

I have 360WEs over my 30" tall tank, with some LPS mounted about 24 inches deep. Here are a few pictures of some new frags (right one arrived with black but is recovering):

 

[RareEarthCorals]

Radion is great and so is the Hydra both owned by the same company and using same/similar LEDs. Hydra 26 is best for cube tanks 24x24 and as deep as 24.

I will say it and many will agree. Two spectrum pucks will always be better than one, unless you get the xr30 pro. I will also tell you that many Kessil users drop their Kessils and buy Hydras. Just look at this post,

https://www.reef2reef.com/index.php?threads/AI-Hydra-52-HD-and-SPS.217593/


Pick the light you like the best and meets your needs. I can try to sway you one way or another but truth is you have to be happy with it.

 

[gar732]

I have the same tank and have the hydra 52 for it. I don't think the 26 would do it. As a matter of fact I want to add a couple of T5s to the 52 just to balance things out.

 

[NanaReefer]

Radion is great and so is the Hydra both owned by the same company and using same/similar LEDs. Hydra 26 is best for cube tanks 24x24 and as deep as 24.

I will say it and many will agree. Two spectrum pucks will always be better than one, unless you get the xr30 pro. I will also tell you that many Kessil users drop their Kessils and buy Hydras. Just look at this post,

https://www.reef2reef.com/index.php?threads/AI-Hydra-52-HD-and-SPS.217593/


Pick the light you like the best and meets your needs. I can try to sway you one way or another but truth is you have to be happy with it.

Wait a minute! EchoTech and Aqua Illumination are one in the same?!!

 

[1stNoel]

I can't voice an opinion on anything besides Radions and Kessils, as those were the only two I've seen in person and strongly considered.

I ended up buying Kessils because I didn't want to spend the extra cash on the XR30s and didn't think the XR15s would provide enough coverage for me.

I love the Kessils. I know everyone says it, but it's hard to explain the "pop" of that shimmer effect. IMO, other tanks look stale in comparison...almost like comparing a running waterfall to a still lake. If you're going to buy Kessils, I would go with the AP-700 as the added color control should get rid of that "too blue" effect that I've heard others complain about.

It's just too bad there aren't one of everything at the local LFSs for a true hands-on comparison.

 

[glweek]

...your phone is almost dead

 

[RareEarthCorals]

Wait a minute! EchoTech and Aqua Illumination are one in the same?!!

http://ecotechmarine.com/news/ecotech-marine-aqua-illumination-ai-announce-merger

This was back when Hydra and the xR gen3 came out so its been a couple of years now.

 

[Mattrg02]

Radion.

Don't you use hydra?

 

[Tahoe61]

Yup.




JBJ 30: 23.6" x 19.7" x 16.5"
Hydra AI 52.

It's a great light, but I have seen tanks under the Radion that would have been my first choice.

 

[Mattrg02]

Yup.




JBJ 30: 23.6" x 19.7" x 16.5"
Hydra AI 52.

It's a great light, but I have seen tanks under the Radion that would have been my first choice.

Can't get much better than that, can it? What's the radion got on the hydra?

 

[Tahoe61]

Can't get much better than that, can it? What's the radion got on the hydra?

Thanks. :-)

Just a tad more spread and some better colors. Hydra's price is fair for the light, Radion is just a little better.

I have not recently compared PAR.

Basically I could not be happier with LED's. Either is a great choice.

 

[Mattrg02]

Thanks. :)

Just a tad more spread and some better colors. Hydra's price is fair for the light, Radion is just a little better.

I have not recently compared PAR.

Basically I could not be happier with LED's. Either is a great choice.

So radion just has some more color than hydra, right?

How far away is your hydra from your corals?

 

[Tahoe61]

Yeah, it might just be a personal preference. ;)

Fourteen inches, running at 70% intensity. It's taken me a long time to work up to that intensity.

 

[Mattrg02]

Yeah, it might just be a personal preference. ;)

Fourteen inches, running at 70% intensity. It's taken me a long time to work up to that intensity.

Looks like the radion has some yellow LEDs that hydra doesn't. I wonder how much that actually does?

 

[Tahoe61]

In a shallow small tank you can get some disco affect going with Hydra if you do not mount it high enough, I have not seen that with the Radion.

 

[TriggerThis]

Radion