Best led light for a reef aquarium

[twentyleagues]

Thanks a lot for this, I appreciate that. I like the first 30sec (blue colored one).

What do you think about Radion XR30 G6 Blue? Will it look better in blue color (than Kessil AP9X) and do you think that 1x of them will be enough for my tank?

The other option mentioned is Reefi Uno 2.0 Pro. Have you seen (and checked in detail) that one?

Note: Thanks for your replies to all of my questions above. That really helps.

IMO the kessil looks a lot better than the Radion in any color you choose. But, I really like Kessils shimmer and "crispness". It was between Kessils and the Reefi when I was looking for lights. For the price and coverage I went with Reefi and do not regret it. Reefi are more flat than Kessils but still have some shimmer and none of the shadowing you'll get from Kessils. But with the ap9x some of the shadowing will be mitigated by the lights design. The two lights in the ap9x have a different "lens" then their standard a360x, it "stretches" the light output more.
Radions just remind me of T5 very flat. Great coverage, good for growth but bland.

 

[billyocean]

following! this is very informative! not to distract from the topic, but is there something to watch out for if one would try to find used lights? or is it not even worth getting used? some of these price tags are mindboggling for new

You can find used lights that are still fone.

 

[AquaLogic]

IMO the kessil looks a lot better than the Radion in any color you choose. But, I really like Kessils shimmer and "crispness". It was between Kessils and the Reefi when I was looking for lights. For the price and coverage I went with Reefi and do not regret it. Reefi are more flat than Kessils but still have some shimmer and none of the shadowing you'll get from Kessils. But with the ap9x some of the shadowing will be mitigated by the lights design. The two lights in the ap9x have a different "lens" then their standard a360x, it "stretches" the light output more.
Radions just remind me of T5 very flat. Great coverage, good for growth but bland.

I use a Kessil a500x and love it. However, I bought a Noo-Psyche k7 Mini for my coral quarantine tank because it's the only good light under 100$ with app control. I am actually shocked by how nice it looks. The shimmer is really good and it has no disco-balling. It doesn't look quite as good as a Kessil, but it looks better than anything else I have seen other than a Kessil.

The app is janky, but it works. I'm going to pick up a K7 Pro III as a backup for my a500X.

I think there are only 3 lights that make sense. 1 Kessil if you want that kessil shimmer, although it is way expensive and you are paying for the aesthetic. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone other than those trying to match that metal halide shimmer 2. K7 mini or K7 pro III if your power needs are lower than a Reefi 3. Reefi uno pro 2 if you need a lot of power.

Radion, Orphek, Prime etc. all over priced and pointless in my opinion. (Kessil is also overpriced, but like I said, paying for the shimmer). Personally I think Radion's look awful, and are so pointless when your have Reefi or Noo-Psyche to choose from.

 

[X-37B]

I use a Kessil a500x and love it. However, I bought a Noo-Psyche k7 Mini for my coral quarantine tank because it's the only good light under 100$ with app control. I am actually shocked by how nice it looks. The shimmer is really good and it has no disco-balling. It doesn't look quite as good as a Kessil, but it looks better than anything else I have seen other than a Kessil.

The app is janky, but it works. I'm going to pick up a K7 Pro III as a backup for my a500X.

I think there are only 3 lights that make sense. 1 Kessil if you want that kessil shimmer, although it is way expensive and you are paying for the aesthetic. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone other than those trying to match that metal halide shimmer 2. K7 mini or K7 pro III if your power needs are lower than a Reefi 3. Reefi uno pro 2 if you need a lot of power.

Radion, Orphek, Prime etc. all over priced and pointless in my opinion. (Kessil is also overpriced, but like I said, paying for the shimmer). Personally I think Radion's look awful, and are so pointless when your have Reefi or Noo-Psyche to choose from.

Its funny how some people hate the look of different lights.
I came from halides.
Started with 16hds, great light.
Went to xr15 gen 5 blue and love the look, lol.
Still have a noop k7 V3. Really liked the color. Its sitting in the garage. I could easily run them over radions but I have xr15's ×5.
Running 2 Reef Breeder 50's over my 30" wide new system. I can easily get 400 par on the bottom.
I have 5 xr15 gen 5 blue and will run 2 or 3 over my frag system.
What is is that you did not like about the Radions?
My 80 running 4 xr15's. They gave me great color and growth running full ab+ @100%.
I also bought all used for around $300 each so I saved $'s over new.

 

[JNalley]

It was between Kessils and the Reefi when I was looking for lights. For the price and coverage I went with Reefi and do not regret it. Reefi are more flat than Kessils but still have some shimmer and none of the shadowing you'll get from Kessils.

So, the ReeFi Uno Pro 2's LEDs look further spaced than on the AI Primes and Hydras. Is that a true statement? If it is, my concern with it would be the Disco Ball effect, which is why I didn't even bother trying them out. On the AI's, which have frosted lenses to help with color blend, the disco ball effect was totally obvious; I'd see shimmer lines with lime green, hot pink, red, etc. It was just not ideal. That's because the LEDs are too far-spaced apart to blend correctly, so I went with Kessil, which has tightly packed micro LEDs that produce a uniform and blended spectrum; my shimmer lines all look white or whatever the predominant color of the spectrum is at the time it's running. Also, the price of 2 ReeFI Uno Pro 2.0's with mounts is $1070, the price of a Kessil AP9X with a mounting solution doesn't exceed $1000.00 (it's only $910 all in if you do the wire suspension kit). So, I see no benefit in going with something like the Uno Pro 2.0. Or am I missing something?

I think there are only 3 lights that make sense. 1 Kessil if you want that kessil shimmer, although it is way expensive and you are paying for the aesthetic. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone other than those trying to match that metal halide shimmer.

But you're paying for more than aesthetics... They are also the easiest lights to use out of the bunch, especially for newcomers to the hobby. You can seriously screw up the spectrum on all of the other lights because you have individual control over all channels. Kessil has made it convenient and user-friendly by putting the coral first and the user second with Kessil Logic... It will always output the Tuna Blue Spectrum and add the user preference for color on top of it, rather than giving the user full control over the base spectrum, so no matter what coloration your eyes prefer on the Kessil, the corals are getting everything they need... Whereas on something like a Prime/Hydra or a Radeon, someone could completely eliminate Cyan/Blue or even RoyalBlue or reduce them to levels that just don't make sense, all in the name of what looks good to their eye...

Also, let's not forget here that Kessil is the only company producing LEDs in-house. They do not use Cree and OSRAM, like AI/Radeon or any of the Chinese LED manufacturers that the others do, giving them a level of control that no one else has. I have 2 Hydra 26HDs here that used to be over the tank in the video, and during ramp up and ramp down, one side of the tank would be significantly more white than the other because of the quality control differences in diodes between the two lights. When contacting AI about it, "Oh, that's just the difference between batches," with no real resolution to the problem other than buying and returning until you get a matching pair...

Kessil is also the only major LED brand besides GHL and Maxspect that includes true UV diodes (385nm peak, GHL uses 370 I think); everyone else is using violet peak UVs that bleed slightly into the upper part of UV rather than something with a UV peak.

So I wouldn't say you're paying a premium just for the shimmer, although, that certainly does factor into it.

I know, I sound like a Kessil fanboy, and to be fair, maybe I am now, but after trying so many different lights (AI, EcoTech, Neptune, Maxspect, etc) after transitioning from MH + T5's over to LEDs, I feel like I've finally found a light that does what it's supposed to, looks nice, and has very few drawbacks...

 

[Aquama]

... the price of a Kessil AP9X with a mounting solution doesn't exceed $1000.00 (it's only $910 all in if you do the wire suspension kit). So, I see no benefit in going with something like the Uno Pro 2.0. Or am I missing something?

@JNalley, You know my tank will be 30" depth and on Kessil's web site it says "AP9X covers 48"x24" for mixed reef" for Kessil AP9X.

So, do you think that this light will be OK for 30" depth tank?

 

[twentyleagues]

So, the ReeFi Uno Pro 2's LEDs look further spaced than on the AI Primes and Hydras. Is that a true statement? If it is, my concern with it would be the Disco Ball effect, which is why I didn't even bother trying them out. On the AI's, which have frosted lenses to help with color blend, the disco ball effect was totally obvious; I'd see shimmer lines with lime green, hot pink, red, etc. It was just not ideal. That's because the LEDs are too far-spaced apart to blend correctly, so I went with Kessil, which has tightly packed micro LEDs that produce a uniform and blended spectrum; my shimmer lines all look white or whatever the predominant color of the spectrum is at the time it's running. Also, the price of 2 ReeFI Uno Pro 2.0's with mounts is $1070, the price of a Kessil AP9X with a mounting solution doesn't exceed $1000.00 (it's only $910 all in if you do the wire suspension kit). So, I see no benefit in going with something like the Uno Pro 2.0. Or am I missing something?


But you're paying for more than aesthetics... They are also the easiest lights to use out of the bunch, especially for newcomers to the hobby. You can seriously screw up the spectrum on all of the other lights because you have individual control over all channels. Kessil has made it convenient and user-friendly by putting the coral first and the user second with Kessil Logic... It will always output the Tuna Blue Spectrum and add the user preference for color on top of it, rather than giving the user full control over the base spectrum, so no matter what coloration your eyes prefer on the Kessil, the corals are getting everything they need... Whereas on something like a Prime/Hydra or a Radeon, someone could completely eliminate Cyan/Blue or even RoyalBlue or reduce them to levels that just don't make sense, all in the name of what looks good to their eye...

Also, let's not forget here that Kessil is the only company producing LEDs in-house. They do not use Cree and OSRAM, like AI/Radeon or any of the Chinese LED manufacturers that the others do, giving them a level of control that no one else has. I have 2 Hydra 26HDs here that used to be over the tank in the video, and during ramp up and ramp down, one side of the tank would be significantly more white than the other because of the quality control differences in diodes between the two lights. When contacting AI about it, "Oh, that's just the difference between batches," with no real resolution to the problem other than buying and returning until you get a matching pair...

Kessil is also the only major LED brand besides GHL and Maxspect that includes true UV diodes (385nm peak, GHL uses 370 I think); everyone else is using violet peak UVs that bleed slightly into the upper part of UV rather than something with a UV peak.

So I wouldn't say you're paying a premium just for the shimmer, although, that certainly does factor into it.

I know, I sound like a Kessil fanboy, and to be fair, maybe I am now, but after trying so many different lights (AI, EcoTech, Neptune, Maxspect, etc) after transitioning from MH + T5's over to LEDs, I feel like I've finally found a light that does what it's supposed to, looks nice, and has very few drawbacks...

I would say that is a true statement. I see no disco ball effect on mine, i am using the 120 degree reflector that comes with it so maybe that helps. Reefi are a lot more powerful then Kessils, radions, AI, with better spread. So for about the same price as an a360x (which you need a spectral controller or a wifi dongle that is more money) I got a light with more punch, better spread, and a webbased "app" for control. I could have gone with the ap9x and would have had to for the tank I set this up on ($900 compared to $500), and for the pending upgrade tank I would have had to either get 2 more ap9x or a couple 360s and something for fill. Easier to get 2 more Reefis and call it good, spending less in the long run. Will I need more than 3 Reefis for my 180? Maybe. No one light can do everything in a reef tank. You will get shadowing/shading from coral growth and light from 1 direction doesnt cut it.

I absolutely love Kessils I have 3 160 tuna suns on my planted 125. Their led technology is imo above anyone else. And, that point source shimmer is incredible. Trust me this was not an easy decision. I had never seen a Reefi in use in real life. I was worried about the pink hue I had seen on some peoples tanks I wanted shimmer sometimes in videos its hard to tell. I am very glad I tried them and took a chance. They are very nice lights. Spectrum control is very adjustable like a lot of lights so that pink hue is easy to remove. You want a white tank got it, blue done, purple ok?, windex yup. All easy to achieve without completely deleting the "proven" preset spectrum that has worked for good coral growth and color. With 270w you are pretty much covered if you want 50 or 500 par on the sand bed of most tanks. I think I made the right decision and my corals seem to enjoy it.

 

[JNalley]

I would say that is a true statement. I see no disco ball effect on mine, i am using the 120 degree reflector that comes with it so maybe that helps. Reefi are a lot more powerful then Kessils, radions, AI, with better spread. So for about the same price as an a360x (which you need a spectral controller or a wifi dongle that is more money) I got a light with more punch, better spread, and a webbased "app" for control. I could have gone with the ap9x and would have had to for the tank I set this up on ($900 compared to $500), and for the pending upgrade tank I would have had to either get 2 more ap9x or a couple 360s and something for fill. Easier to get 2 more Reefis and call it good, spending less in the long run. Will I need more than 3 Reefis for my 180? Maybe. No one light can do everything in a reef tank. You will get shadowing/shading from coral growth and light from 1 direction doesnt cut it.

I absolutely love Kessils I have 3 160 tuna suns on my planted 125. Their led technology is imo above anyone else. And, that point source shimmer is incredible. Trust me this was not an easy decision. I had never seen a Reefi in use in real life. I was worried about the pink hue I had seen on some peoples tanks I wanted shimmer sometimes in videos its hard to tell. I am very glad I tried them and took a chance. They are very nice lights. Spectrum control is very adjustable like a lot of lights so that pink hue is easy to remove. You want a white tank got it, blue done, purple ok?, windex yup. All easy to achieve without completely deleting the "proven" preset spectrum that has worked for good coral growth and color. With 270w you are pretty much covered if you want 50 or 500 par on the sand bed of most tanks. I think I made the right decision and my corals seem to enjoy it.

Cool, thanks for the explanation. I also agree, no one light can "do it all" and I know that as time goes on, I may have to supplement with a 0-10v controllable LED strip/bar or two to target some of the shadowing that will inevitably occur and I am ok with that. I just wasn't sure how two Uno Pro's for close to 1100 dollars was any different than a Kessil AP9X or two A360x's and I think I understand the reasoning behind it better now. I would still have to see them in person before I made the purchase due to my uneasiness about the DIsco-Ball effect (lots of Prime and Hydra users say that they can't see it, but on mine it was clear as day, had to buy diffusers to solve for it). Still, I did notice the interchangeable reflectors on ReeFi so maybe that's what's doing it. I appreciate the detailed response.

@JNalley, You know my tank will be 30" depth and on Kessil's web site it says "AP9X covers 48"x24" for mixed reef" for Kessil AP9X.

So, do you think that this light will be OK for 30" depth tank?

Yes, if you look at their two charts one is for 36 x 24, and the other is for 48 x 24, you can't raise a light (especially the AP9X) without adding light front to back as well as side to side. I think they just chose "Normal" rectangular dimensions. When I raise my lights 15" off the surface of the water, I get a ton of light on both sides. as well as a ton of lightspill out of the front. It will for sure cover 30". Do I think you'd be able to grow Acros at the very front and very back of the tank against the glass? No, probably not... But to simply light up the sand in front and behind the rock work, and give light to your LPS and Softies toward the front and rear of the tank? yes, absolutely it will achieve that.

 

[twentyleagues]

Cool, thanks for the explanation. I also agree, no one light can "do it all" and I know that as time goes on, I may have to supplement with a 0-10v controllable LED strip/bar or two to target some of the shadowing that will inevitably occur and I am ok with that. I just wasn't sure how two Uno Pro's for close to 1100 dollars was any different than a Kessil AP9X or two A360x's and I think I understand the reasoning behind it better now. I would still have to see them in person before I made the purchase due to my uneasiness about the DIsco-Ball effect (lots of Prime and Hydra users say that they can't see it, but on mine it was clear as day, had to buy diffusers to solve for it). Still, I did notice the interchangeable reflectors on ReeFi so maybe that's what's doing it. I appreciate the detailed response.



Yes, if you look at their two charts one is for 36 x 24, and the other is for 48 x 24, you can't raise a light (especially the AP9X) without adding light front to back as well as side to side. I think they just chose "Normal" rectangular dimensions. When I raise my lights 15" off the surface of the water, I get a ton of light on both sides. as well as a ton of lightspill out of the front. It will for sure cover 30". Do I think you'd be able to grow Acros at the very front and very back of the tank against the glass? No, probably not... But to simply light up the sand in front and behind the rock work, and give light to your LPS and Softies toward the front and rear of the tank? yes, absolutely it will achieve that.

I am unsure how it looks with the 90 degree lens. I knew I needed it to cover a 28"x28" inside dimension and I have a canopy. After talking to Daniel when I got mine I immediately installed the 120 degree. My 180 is a typical marineland 180 so im going to try the 90s when I eventually upgrade to that tank, also has a canopy. It has the black bracing running front to back. If it doesn't fill enough I may try the 120s to see if the blocked light will be "overridden" by the 120s on each side of the brace, but I am not hopeful. I may need more of these angled or a bar of some sort also.

 

[twentyleagues]

I originally really wanted Orphek bars but I could visibly see "disco" effect even in pictures. I talked to Orphek and they assured me if I mounted them in a canopy that was at least 12" off the water it wouldnt be noticeable. What do you know mine is exactly 12" off the water. But, the light is about 1.5-2" thick.....hmmmm. I wanted to see them in person and eventually I got the chance a somewhat local guy with the same canopy dimensions had the bars on his. Disco city! I could clearly see the individual led colors. He could too, which is why he was changing his canopy to a floating canopy with 18" of air space. Corals looked great though. The rebuilt canopy looks nice I still saw a bit of disco when he told me to come back and check it out.

 

[Aquama]

But to simply light up the sand in front and behind the rock work, and give light to your LPS and Softies toward the front and rear of the tank? yes, absolutely it will achieve that.

So, you definetely suggest AP9X and do not prefer Radion XR30 Blue... I have one shot to buy those expensive lights, that's why I ask again and again, sorry for that

 

[JNalley]

So, you definetely suggest AP9X and do not prefer Radion XR30 Blue... I have one shot to buy those expensive lights, that's why I ask again and again, sorry for that

I would choose Kessil over Radeon all day long and wouldn't look back. You won't get any shimmer from a Radeon, it will look like flat blanketed light.

 

[JNalley]

I originally really wanted Orphek bars but I could visibly see "disco" effect even in pictures. I talked to Orphek and they assured me if I mounted them in a canopy that was at least 12" off the water it wouldnt be noticeable. What do you know mine is exactly 12" off the water. But, the light is about 1.5-2" thick.....hmmmm. I wanted to see them in person and eventually I got the chance a somewhat local guy with the same canopy dimensions had the bars on his. Disco city! I could clearly see the individual led colors. He could too, which is why he was changing his canopy to a floating canopy with 18" of air space. Corals looked great though. The rebuilt canopy looks nice I still saw a bit of disco when he told me to come back and check it out.

yeah, I was looking at the ReefBreeders LumenBar V2's; I would get the High Octane UV which only use two visible colors (and 385nm UV) and hopefully limit the disco ball effect. If it became a problem, I think I could 3D print some diffusers for them that would just friction grab onto the sides of the bars. But this is also a problem for another day for me, so I will also probably look to see what's what when the time comes, hopefully some better 0-10v bars come out (then I can just plug them into the Kessil to control them)

 

[leepink23]

Cool, thanks for the explanation. I also agree, no one light can "do it all" and I know that as time goes on, I may have to supplement with a 0-10v controllable LED strip/bar or two to target some of the shadowing that will inevitably occur and I am ok with that. I just wasn't sure how two Uno Pro's for close to 1100 dollars was any different than a Kessil AP9X or two A360x's and I think I understand the reasoning behind it better now. I would still have to see them in person before I made the purchase due to my uneasiness about the DIsco-Ball effect (lots of Prime and Hydra users say that they can't see it, but on mine it was clear as day, had to buy diffusers to solve for it). Still, I did notice the interchangeable reflectors on ReeFi so maybe that's what's doing it. I appreciate the detailed response.



Yes, if you look at their two charts one is for 36 x 24, and the other is for 48 x 24, you can't raise a light (especially the AP9X) without adding light front to back as well as side to side. I think they just chose "Normal" rectangular dimensions. When I raise my lights 15" off the surface of the water, I get a ton of light on both sides. as well as a ton of lightspill out of the front. It will for sure cover 30". Do I think you'd be able to grow Acros at the very front and very back of the tank against the glass? No, probably not... But to simply light up the sand in front and behind the rock work, and give light to your LPS and Softies toward the front and rear of the tank? yes, absolutely it will achieve that.

I don’t see any disco on my ai primes but do on my reefi with 120 degrees reflectors. Since I have a canopy I put a kessil in there to and now don’t see any disco.

 

[AquaLogic]

Its funny how some people hate the look of different lights.
I came from halides.
Started with 16hds, great light.
Went to xr15 gen 5 blue and love the look, lol.
Still have a noop k7 V3. Really liked the color. Its sitting in the garage. I could easily run them over radions but I have xr15's ×5.
Running 2 Reef Breeder 50's over my 30" wide new system. I can easily get 400 par on the bottom.
I have 5 xr15 gen 5 blue and will run 2 or 3 over my frag system.
What is is that you did not like about the Radions?
My 80 running 4 xr15's. They gave me great color and growth running full ab+ @100%.
I also bought all used for around $300 each so I saved $'s over new.

Indislo

So, the ReeFi Uno Pro 2's LEDs look further spaced than on the AI Primes and Hydras. Is that a true statement? If it is, my concern with it would be the Disco Ball effect, which is why I didn't even bother trying them out. On the AI's, which have frosted lenses to help with color blend, the disco ball effect was totally obvious; I'd see shimmer lines with lime green, hot pink, red, etc. It was just not ideal. That's because the LEDs are too far-spaced apart to blend correctly, so I went with Kessil, which has tightly packed micro LEDs that produce a uniform and blended spectrum; my shimmer lines all look white or whatever the predominant color of the spectrum is at the time it's running. Also, the price of 2 ReeFI Uno Pro 2.0's with mounts is $1070, the price of a Kessil AP9X with a mounting solution doesn't exceed $1000.00 (it's only $910 all in if you do the wire suspension kit). So, I see no benefit in going with something like the Uno Pro 2.0. Or am I missing something?


But you're paying for more than aesthetics... They are also the easiest lights to use out of the bunch, especially for newcomers to the hobby. You can seriously screw up the spectrum on all of the other lights because you have individual control over all channels. Kessil has made it convenient and user-friendly by putting the coral first and the user second with Kessil Logic... It will always output the Tuna Blue Spectrum and add the user preference for color on top of it, rather than giving the user full control over the base spectrum, so no matter what coloration your eyes prefer on the Kessil, the corals are getting everything they need... Whereas on something like a Prime/Hydra or a Radeon, someone could completely eliminate Cyan/Blue or even RoyalBlue or reduce them to levels that just don't make sense, all in the name of what looks good to their eye...

Also, let's not forget here that Kessil is the only company producing LEDs in-house. They do not use Cree and OSRAM, like AI/Radeon or any of the Chinese LED manufacturers that the others do, giving them a level of control that no one else has. I have 2 Hydra 26HDs here that used to be over the tank in the video, and during ramp up and ramp down, one side of the tank would be significantly more white than the other because of the quality control differences in diodes between the two lights. When contacting AI about it, "Oh, that's just the difference between batches," with no real resolution to the problem other than buying and returning until you get a matching pair...

Kessil is also the only major LED brand besides GHL and Maxspect that includes true UV diodes (385nm peak, GHL uses 370 I think); everyone else is using violet peak UVs that bleed slightly into the upper part of UV rather than something with a UV peak.

So I wouldn't say you're paying a premium just for the shimmer, although, that certainly does factor into it.

I know, I sound like a Kessil fanboy, and to be fair, maybe I am now, but after trying so many different lights (AI, EcoTech, Neptune, Maxspect, etc) after transitioning from MH + T5's over to LEDs, I feel like I've finally found a light that does what it's supposed to, looks nice, and has very few drawbacks...

Many good points there, and all true. I love Kessil logic. As someone who came from Metal Halide, I can tune the look to match MH and not have to mess with the spectrum at all which I love. You're right, there is more to it than just paying for the shimmer. I think on the high end Kessil is a fine value, but it's hard to justify the A80 and A160 not having any kind of option for app control. They just aren't competitive lights from a price/performance perspective. And kessil has no plans to update them with wifi, I asked them.

I think that Kessil is superior to all of the other "high end" lights without a doubt, for my uses at least. However I think at the lower end they are harder to justify.

 

[AquaLogic]

Its funny how some people hate the look of different lights.
I came from halides.
Started with 16hds, great light.
Went to xr15 gen 5 blue and love the look, lol.
Still have a noop k7 V3. Really liked the color. Its sitting in the garage. I could easily run them over radions but I have xr15's ×5.
Running 2 Reef Breeder 50's over my 30" wide new system. I can easily get 400 par on the bottom.
I have 5 xr15 gen 5 blue and will run 2 or 3 over my frag system.
What is is that you did not like about the Radions?
My 80 running 4 xr15's. They gave me great color and growth running full ab+ @100%.
I also bought all used for around $300 each so I saved $'s over new.

Indislo

Its funny how some people hate the look of different lights.
I came from halides.
Started with 16hds, great light.
Went to xr15 gen 5 blue and love the look, lol.
Still have a noop k7 V3. Really liked the color. Its sitting in the garage. I could easily run them over radions but I have xr15's ×5.
Running 2 Reef Breeder 50's over my 30" wide new system. I can easily get 400 par on the bottom.
I have 5 xr15 gen 5 blue and will run 2 or 3 over my frag system.
What is is that you did not like about the Radions?
My 80 running 4 xr15's. They gave me great color and growth running full ab+ @100%.
I also bought all used for around $300 each so I saved $'s over new.

I dislike the Radion's for two reasons. The first is that they are too expensive for what they are compared to a Reefi or Noo-Psyche. So I think anyone budget conscious (unless they are shopping used) should skip them. I don't think they are bad lights at all, just a bad value compared to other options in the market. That's why I would never recommend them to anyone asking for input about lights. However, there is obviously nothing wrong with their quality or performance if you don't mind the price or want to shopped used.

The second reason I don't like them is illustrated in your photo and is purely about personal aesthetics, and obviously to each their own on this, but I don't like the way they look. To me they look like T5, which I very much dislike. When I started my reefing journey about a decade ago I started with T5 on the recommendation of pretty much everyone on the forums back then. I didn't understand much about lighting so I took the advice. Now, I was interested in reef keeping because I had spent some time diving reef's but didn't live near the ocean and wanted that experience to be a daily part of my life. I would go to my LFS and see these beautiful shimmering tanks and it looked just like diving a reef at noon. It was mesmerizing.

When I hooked up my T5's, I saw this even blanket of diffuse light that looked nothing like diving a reef looks. There was no shimmer, there were no shadows. I felt like I was in the "cheap" supermarket with the ugly lights. It was devastating and I almost tore it all down and quit. Thankfully, I asked some questions and learned that those beautiful tanks at my LFS were lit by metal halide. I immediately started saving for ballasts and pendants and soon my dream finally came true. I got to stare at a reef that made me feel like I was diving again. I did NOT supplement with T5. I hated T5, and never touched it again and never will.

When I see Radions, I feel like I'm looking at T5. No shimmer, no shadows, no movement, no life. It's not for me. Kessil is the only LED I've seen that looks just like metal halide to me. So, Kessil it is for me. The Noop's actually also have a really good shimmer to them, so if I were to use anything but Kessil, it would be Noo-Psyche.

For me, shimmer is king. Explosive coral growth is not my priority. So, totally aesthetic based, and I understand that people have success with Radions, but I just do not like the way they look at all.

 

[steveschuerger]

Late to this, but I’ll throw in for saying to go with the ReeFi Uno 2.0. I have one that I’m currently using with a 32” ReefBreeders Photon v2 on a 90 gallon tank. When I have to replace the ReefBreeders light at some point I’ll happily go all ReeFi.

 

[twentyleagues]

You really cannot beat how dynamic Kessils look on a reef tank, dark shadows, clear solid shimmer lines, great colors, and great contrast. They really are a very nice light. If you only have a smaller tank that say 1 or 2 360s or an ap9x will cover and you dont mind the up to $1000 price tag and you have no plans on upgrading this is probably the way to go. If/when you need more light it will increase the price tag. If you add bars of some sort or any other light source, you will lose some of that iconic Kessil look. The other option is to add more Kessils $$. Of course with any lighting this can happen, but more points of light diminish the chances but also diminish this look.

Maybe someday after my 180 is up and running with 3 Reefi and all corals are transferred and doing well I will revisit this 80g cube. Maybe I will rebuild the stand to be lower so you can easily look down into it. Do something like clams or maybe just monti caps but I will light it with multiple Kessils so there is no diminished shimmer and little to no shading from corals. I bet that would be breath taking. Sorry sidetrack.

I have only been back in reefing a little over a year. When I was last in I think radions had just come out and there were Kessils also. Actually a year before I got out I switched up all my t5s for a diy Steves led kit which hadn't been out very long either. So I dont know a lot of the "new" leds I had to research. My first light back was actually a AI blade I was impressed by it but at the same time didn't think it cost effective on a larger tank, and it reminds me of an under powered mh overpowered by T5s. As I was researching, I kept seeing all these tanks with a purple/pink hue that immediately turned me off, Noops, photons, orphek, and my beloved Reefi, probably forgetting a few. Turns out at least with Reefi you can get rid of that purple/pink easy as for the rest I dont know. This disco effect everyone hates is shimmer created by the multiple single point light sources unlike kessils 1 point source shimmer it is more chaotic, but gives better spread and less shadowing. In my mind that is still shimmer. What is annoying on a lot of this chaotic shimmer is when there is color separation from the diode not blending properly to me that is disco effect. So does Reefi have disco I guess if you say the more chaotic shimmer is disco, but there is no color separation that I see. The color is uniform from the surface down. I do not see red, green, amber, blue, purple, white shimmer points on the rock or sand like with Orpheks or a few others.

 

[X-37B]

Indislo


I dislike the Radion's for two reasons. The first is that they are too expensive for what they are compared to a Reefi or Noo-Psyche. So I think anyone budget conscious (unless they are shopping used) should skip them. I don't think they are bad lights at all, just a bad value compared to other options in the market. That's why I would never recommend them to anyone asking for input about lights. However, there is obviously nothing wrong with their quality or performance if you don't mind the price or want to shopped used.

The second reason I don't like them is illustrated in your photo and is purely about personal aesthetics, and obviously to each their own on this, but I don't like the way they look. To me they look like T5, which I very much dislike. When I started my reefing journey about a decade ago I started with T5 on the recommendation of pretty much everyone on the forums back then. I didn't understand much about lighting so I took the advice. Now, I was interested in reef keeping because I had spent some time diving reef's but didn't live near the ocean and wanted that experience to be a daily part of my life. I would go to my LFS and see these beautiful shimmering tanks and it looked just like diving a reef at noon. It was mesmerizing.

When I hooked up my T5's, I saw this even blanket of diffuse light that looked nothing like diving a reef looks. There was no shimmer, there were no shadows. I felt like I was in the "cheap" supermarket with the ugly lights. It was devastating and I almost tore it all down and quit. Thankfully, I asked some questions and learned that those beautiful tanks at my LFS were lit by metal halide. I immediately started saving for ballasts and pendants and soon my dream finally came true. I got to stare at a reef that made me feel like I was diving again. I did NOT supplement with T5. I hated T5, and never touched it again and never will.

When I see Radions, I feel like I'm looking at T5. No shimmer, no shadows, no movement, no life. It's not for me. Kessil is the only LED I've seen that looks just like metal halide to me. So, Kessil it is for me. The Noop's actually also have a really good shimmer to them, so if I were to use anything but Kessil, it would be Noo-Psyche.

For me, shimmer is king. Explosive coral growth is not my priority. So, totally aesthetic based, and I understand that people have success with Radions, but I just do not like the way they look at all.

Yea I run the diffuser. They do have a little shimmer without.
I myself do not like the shimmer.
Thank god we have so many choices, lol.
For my frag system they serve the purpose since I have multiple.
My old halides had no shimmer like every one says they like.