Expensive light worth it ?
- Thread starter CC_N
- Start date
- Tagged users None
MONTANTK
Valuable Member
It depends. The spectrum and par might be pretty similar but it comes down to quality. A cheap light off Amazon or eBay may or may not last as long as a Radion or a prime. It’s really a dice roll. Some people have their black boxes for years without issue and some only last a year or two before LEDs start burning out. I’ve owned multiple AI fixtures and just bought my first Radion and I don’t regret it
LeftyReefer
2500 Club Member
G5 AquaStar-95W Dimmable Timing Aquarium Light-6 LED Channels for 27
G5 AquaStar-95W Dimmable Timing 6 LED Channels-for 27"~39" or 70~100 cm Aquarium Marine Reef Tank Designed and made for 27"-39" or 70-100 cm coral tank. Built-in OLED display and touch control (Brightness, Power On/Off, Night Mode, Dimmer, Timer, System, Group) 6 dimmable LED channels to control...
smat-farm.com
shakacuz
hang loose, cuz
they are shooting up in price! i should've jumped on thisG5 AquaStar-95W Dimmable Timing Aquarium Light-6 LED Channels for 27
G5 AquaStar-95W Dimmable Timing 6 LED Channels-for 27"~39" or 70~100 cm Aquarium Marine Reef Tank Designed and made for 27"-39" or 70-100 cm coral tank. Built-in OLED display and touch control (Brightness, Power On/Off, Night Mode, Dimmer, Timer, System, Group) 6 dimmable LED channels to control...
.
JoeinLA
Active Member
FWIW, as a noob, I went with a Radion XR30 Pro, so a little on the spendy side. Was it worth it? Really only to the extent I don’t have to worry about whether my light is “good enough”. In hindsight, I think many of my gear choices were a bit overkill, but I think you just have to ask yourself if you’d rather buy cheap and then buy later knowing what you actually need/want, or if you just want to get the “end-game” item and not worry about it later.
personally, while I don’t regret my purchase I suspect I might have bought something less ”powerful” knowing now what I knew then. OTOH. Not sure I would have saved much had I bought a cheaper light and then a second “better“ light later, but I certainly would have had a better understanding of what I actually want/need.
personally, while I don’t regret my purchase I suspect I might have bought something less ”powerful” knowing now what I knew then. OTOH. Not sure I would have saved much had I bought a cheaper light and then a second “better“ light later, but I certainly would have had a better understanding of what I actually want/need.
Little c big D
Well-Known Member
AI primes are cheaper for the name brand lights when compared to radions and Kessel. I have a t5 hybrid with 2 prime hds. I like them and I'm sure there were cheaper options but I was certain of what the primes could do
flashsmith
Valuable Member
I'm currently running these on 3 different systems. Three maxspect jumps on an SR80. One reef breeders v2 on my frag system and 2 Radion g5s with reefbrite kits on a 625xxl. The ecotech Bluetooth hardly ever works for me. Constant communication issues. The maxspect app works flawlessly for me. The reefbreeders. I love the look over the other 2 brands and the simplicity of programming I prefer over the other 2. So with that I'll never spend on a "high end" light again. Both reef breeders and maxspect I would consider bargains compared to anything else.
Ashish Patel
2500 Club Member
Worth it if you can afford it but not totally neccessary. For smaller tanks I would totally prefer a 4 row DIY T5 setup then one name brand fixture. My 400 gallon i am using 4 T5 (5foot bulbs) and 3 ecotech radions pro. I like radions for the dawn dusk effect but don't think alone they can grow SPS (unless i got like 10, which aint happening)
chipchipbro
Valuable Member
Why?
GHOSTLY
2500 Club Member
Kessil provides amazing sbimmer and spectrum, radions provide amazing power, and ai is just a balanced light. All expensive however. If anything id run halides with maybe some cheaper A80's or 160 kessils. I'm running a radion now and I've got to say it's amazing
