Radion vs. Hydra 52

[SaltwaterConcepts]

That's weird lol I have one hydra 26 over my 24in tank with good coverage no shadowing anywhere. But I know with bigger tanks it could cause issues. I'm getting ready to upgrade to a cadlights 70 and I'm hoping that two hydra 26 will cover it

It wasn't so much shadowing. The back sides of my sps were not coloring up like I expected.

 

[11f150]

Real proof...post growth pics

 

[steventaylor702]

Real proof...post growth pics

They are still new on my tank(only one week) and my corals have not fully acclimated to them. I'm taking the slow and easy approach so I don't shock anything I currently have them on less then 30% all around and them also going through an acclimation mode dropping them another 40%. The biggest mistake from what I had read and seen is ramping up the LEDs to quickly and causing your corals to burn up and bleach out because of it. I have been told UV and voilet are especially bad to ramp up quickly because most light don't emit as much in those spectrums and corals can't handle the immediate increase causing major loss in the system. But I will be taking pic and recording growth as this pergress

 

[frankm88]

so after a lot of research and a lot of listening to all of the posts on here i went with the Hydra. My wife had bought me a kessil a360we for christmas and i will admit i loved the color and shimmer but was not impressed with the control. I really like the growth color and functionality of my brother in laws tank with the hydra and decided to stick to what i know returned the kessil and pulled the trigger. I did not opt for the hydra 52 as the 26 offered a better solution for my tank. The director should be on my front door when i get home from work today. Below is a picture with the kessil and hydra

 

[steventaylor702]

That's a good choice I don't think you will be disappointed

 

[frankm88]

Definitely very happy with it...now i get to dabble in some SPS! ha i really like how customizable it is with the director

 

[steventaylor702]

Yes its great I love all the control options coming from an t5 fixture its great

 

[newe70]

Here are my new three Hydra 52s

 

[jborlace]

I ordered a hydra 52 and a director today. Did I read that they have an acclimation program ?

 

[steventaylor702]

I ordered a hydra 52 and a director today. Did I read that they have an acclimation program ?

Yes it does

 

[Reefpro]

Here are my new three Hydra 52s

What size is your tank?

 

[ReefLEDLights]

Here is what my Radion is putting out at 45% intensity on Radiant Color mode...or at least this is what I am told...

These things are pretty powerful, I am just ramping mine up at the moment.

Sanjay recommends a min PAR of 100 on the Sand Bed...

Personally I like to see 200 for my Red Carpet Anemone and my tank is 30" deep...

Keep slowly dialing that Puppy up. Maybe then it can compete with the Big Dogs... Worse case your SPS colour up with protective pigments.

Bill

 

[Reefcrazed417]

Here are my new three Hydra 52s

What did you use specifically to mount them?

 

[newe70]

What did you use specifically to mount them?

I used a 2x1 piece of wood and mounted to the back of the stand.

 

[newe70]

What size is your tank?

It is a Cadlights Artisan II 100g.

 

[Mester320]

I use 2 radions over my 120G and will be using 3 over my 220G upgrade. I am having trouble getting them dialed in to my liking. I thought I would share my mounting though. Bought it from reeflo on eBay.

 

[hart24601]

Since someone asked for proof with pics...

I can give a couple of growth pics under hydra 26s since I have had them a while. I posted this elsewhere too, but if anyone missed it I will put it here too.

The 1st photo, side by side, were under reefbreeder value fixtures. The photo after that is 2 months growth after switching to AI hydra 26s.

 

[tankaholic]

What would work best on a petco 40 gallon breeder? And also a 75 gal tank?
And how many would be needed?

thanks in advance

 

[frankm88]

so 8 months later coral growth is insane...i have a few montis and acros that are growing like weeds. I had to completely remove the GSP that was on my rocks as it was spreading like crazy suffocating other coral. I removed a huge chunk and put it in the sandbed isolated so it cant invade my corals. I am at the point where everything grew to where there is no more room in my tank...i tried rescaping a bit to make some more room but i think its time for an upgrade.

 

[Reefcrazed417]

Do you have updated pictures Frank? It's nice to see comparatives after months.