Expensive light worth it ?
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Steve2020
Well-Known Member
I have Arctic T247 on my 20gal coral quarantine tank. It is a very strong light. 2 channels. Channel 1 is blue and channel 2 is red, green, white and violet. I run the blues only at 1% to start then increase 1% every 4 days to a max of 4%. I run channel 2 the last 3 days at 1% along with channel 4 at 4% to get them ready for transfer to main display. I only have LPS and softies. Par for the last 4 days is 110 three inches from the bottom of the tank. Light is 6 inches from the top of the water using the adjustable legs that came with it. It also comes with a hanging kit if needed.
No, it won't. I gave up on LEDs after almost 12 years of running them. I ran and tested more brands than I care to admit. Many brands aren't even in business now. Everything from G5 Radions down to some of the very first PAR38 bulbs companies were modding for our use.
Went back to halides and have a true 32x24 spread from one 250w fixture. There is a place and user for every light in the hobby. Cheap LEDs are not for me or my pets at this point.
RBarth
Active Member
So...I just replaced mine for AI prime. It's a great light however I wanted more features versus randomly guessing a spectrum and having it set to that all day.they are shooting up in price! i should've jumped on this.
shakacuz
hang loose, cuz
there’s a thread with other users who’ve given their settings
Ashish Patel
2500 Club Member
24" or 30" length tanks
Ashish Patel
2500 Club Member
Most would say I would need at least 6 Gen 5 Radion pros in my 400 gallon SPS reef. I just can't justify this upfront price and the additional plugs/heat/electricity needed. On my last system my tank really took of after 10 months and adding T5 lights. The only negative about T5 is the bulb changing. As far as performance they have zero weaknesses. MH are great but better with T5. LED on their own are not that effective on SPS (regardless of brand). Sure there are exceptions when ppl who have funds to blanket their tank with orpek or 10+ radions but 95% of use just few light source points.
How big is your tank and how many fixtures you want? what do you plan on growing? If your trying to not blow the bank i would go with T5 or find a MH fixture. Regardless of me getting radions I still would prefer T5MH lol
How big is your tank and how many fixtures you want? what do you plan on growing? If your trying to not blow the bank i would go with T5 or find a MH fixture. Regardless of me getting radions I still would prefer T5MH lol
Neptune Sky has no disco ball effect
Something else to think about is the most popular and more expensive reef gear resales much better if you decide to change gear or must sale.
RBarth
Active Member
Yep. But most are guesses lol.
flashsmith
Valuable Member
Just being honest here.. For a light that's been out for less than a year with a premium price. I see quite a few for sale every week on local reef pages I follow. I'm not versed on these lights other than my local LFS is a diamond dealer and he's always trying to sell me one every time I walk in the door. Which is at least once a week. He only has 1 running in his shop. When they first came out he said he was replacing all of his radions. That was months ago.
Unless you add context of WHY someone is selling, it doesn't matter how many you see for sale. Could half or more of these people be leaving the hobby? Getting rid of extra tanks? Lost their job and trying to sell what has the most value? Could they not like them for a myriad of reasons?
I see a ton of Radions for sale on here. Does that mean they're a bad light? Absolutely not. All it really shows is that a ton were sold new and now being sold. If you're one of the most sold items, you're bound to be seen quite a bit on the aftermarket.
I've followed the SKY quite a bit (the very odd release and then the cutting of corners peaked my interest) and found most people seem to enjoy them and have good results.
trevorhiller
Reefing Nurse
The only lights I've used are a Kessil 160, a360x, AI Prime, T5 and a Current USA Orbit (years ago). I've seen lots of posts of people using no name brand lights that are successful. It seems you just need to match the output to what you want to grow.
Personally, I like the Kessils the most of the ones I've tried. I think the fixtures are nice looking and I'm currently using the Kessil a360x + Reefbrite combo because I think the lights with the mount looks nice and it fit where I needed it to fit. I also like that the Kessil can't be "messed up." The customization of the AI Prime gave me anxiety, too many options...
I just saw the ATI Straton and that might just be the sleekest looking light out there IMO. Glad I didn't see that before I bought my Kessil $$$$$....
Obviously the brand name lights have a way higher markup than no name brands, same with any product out there.
Personally, I like the Kessils the most of the ones I've tried. I think the fixtures are nice looking and I'm currently using the Kessil a360x + Reefbrite combo because I think the lights with the mount looks nice and it fit where I needed it to fit. I also like that the Kessil can't be "messed up." The customization of the AI Prime gave me anxiety, too many options...
I just saw the ATI Straton and that might just be the sleekest looking light out there IMO. Glad I didn't see that before I bought my Kessil $$$$$....
Obviously the brand name lights have a way higher markup than no name brands, same with any product out there.
Rich Osman
New Member
I think it is an issue of aesthetics and possibly longevity. I have an AI Hydra 32 on my 16 gallon mixed reef. Grows corals, including SPS great, much like a black box would but it is super easy to program, looks way better in my family room than a black box (pretty much mandatory with my wife) and it has never had a problem in 2 years.
leon.1980
Active Member
I have a Kessil ap9x. I’m sure the cheap lights are just as good par-wise. However I don’t trust cheap Chinese ****. To break, quality of not starting my house on fire and I just think it’s silly to buy something you do t find aesthetically pleasing for ykur tank. Your tank is a work of art. I feel the big black boxes just ruin the look of it and is ugly. But I’m just one man and his opinion.
