Hydra 26 HD or Photon v2 for Sps

Murraydar · Mar 9, 2017

Hey guys, I'm about to the trigger on a new led setup. I have a reefer 350, it measures about 48 inches long.

I've narrowed my options down to two Hydra 26 HDs or a single Photon V2 48. From what Ive read the hydras are pretty great, I'm just worried two fixtures won't be enough to grow sps on a tank this size. The photon looks like it will do the job for less money.

The differences seem pretty small besides that. The hydras I think have an edge with color blending and better programming. Also the small size is kinda nice, though I worry about shadowing around the edges.

Any opinions on this? Thanks.

saltyfilmfolks · Mar 9, 2017

The hydra would be fine. I prefer a Larger source to prevent shading and insure really good coverage.

MaiReef · Mar 9, 2017

Two Hydra 52s will definately do it, but I think two 26s should be fine as they are quite powerful and that is what Red Sea uses. An AP700 from Kessil would be great as well.

Murraydar · Mar 9, 2017

MaiReef said:
Two Hydra 52s will definately do it, but I think two 26s should be fine as they are quite powerful and that is what Red Sea uses. An AP700 from Kessil would be great as well.

Yeah I noticed that they use two of them on their red sea max setups. I would definitely do two 52s but that's not in the budget at the moment.

The Kessil is interesting. But it has a huge price tag which is kinda a turn off. I'll look into it more though.

MaiReef · Mar 9, 2017

If you do 2 Hydra 26s you could always add a 3rd when monies are available if 2 doesn't work. I would be highly surprised if 2 didn't work for you though. Personally I like the Photon, but for the money, I don't think it compares to the others. There is always the Aquatic Life XS-UV 46" light for $399 right now that would do what you need, but I would remove some lens to remove some of the disco effect if it bothers you. I like them and it does not bother me.

Murraydar · Mar 9, 2017

MaiReef said:
If you do 2 Hydra 26s you could always add a 3rd when monies are available if 2 doesn't work. I would be highly surprised if 2 didn't work for you though. Personally I like the Photon, but for the money, I don't think it compares to the others. There is always the Aquatic Life XS-UV 46" light for $399 right now that would do what you need, but I would remove some lens to remove some of the disco effect if it bothers you. I like them and it does not bother me.

Just gotta ask, why would you choose the Hydra over the Photons? Just curious. I'm leaning towards the hydras more and more as I research but people generally have nothing but good things to say about the photon.

saltyfilmfolks · Mar 9, 2017

Murraydar said:
Just gotta ask, why would you choose the Hydra over the Photons? Just curious. I'm leaning towards the hydras more and more as I research but people generally have nothing but good things to say about the photon.

LOL. Id go 48 Photon or 2 16 Sbreeflight. You could do one 32 SB If you hang it high(bleh). But its about the budget.

MaiReef · Mar 9, 2017

The build quality is better with the Hydras. I have had Reef Breeders before and although okay, not the same. They are also smaller, so it would be easier to get into the tank without moving them. Though for example I ended up choosing the Aquatic Life fixtures because of the fixtures are without fans and are excellent build quality that are extremely water resistant that were proven to grow all coral as well. My friend has them and my LFS. The other LFS near me has Kessils and Hydras on their coral tanks and I prefer the Hydras, but I like Kessils as well.

saltyfilmfolks · Mar 9, 2017

MaiReef said:
The build quality is better with the Hydras. I have had Reef Breeders before and although okay, not the same. They are also smaller, so it would be easier to get into the tank without moving them. Though for example I ended up choosing the Aquatic Life fixtures because of the fixtures are without fans and are excellent build quality that are extremely water resistant that were proven to grow all coral as well. My friend has them and my LFS. The other LFS near me has Kessils and Hydras on their coral tanks and I prefer the Hydras, but I like Kessils as well.

+1. I kinda like em all.
its what they look like on the tank,in the tank, and how they cover the tank. The all grow coral. The only consideration is choosing a light that covers and delivers enough light wha it does cover correctly.

Ty Hamatake · Mar 9, 2017

I have two Hydra 26s over my 48" 75 gallon right now and have had pretty good results. I would lean towards the 26s due to quality and size of the fixtures. I recently installed a T5 retrofit to supplement my 26s due to some shading issues, but it was front and back shading (not something that would've been fixed with an LED bar).

MaiReef · Mar 9, 2017

Ty Hamatake said:
I have two Hydra 26s over my 48" 75 gallon right now and have had pretty good results. I would lean towards the 26s due to quality and size of the fixtures. I recently installed a T5 retrofit to supplement my 26s due to some shading issues, but it was front and back shading (not something that would've been fixed with an LED bar).

The kit looks good. I saw the thread.

Ty Hamatake · Mar 9, 2017

MaiReef said:
The kit looks good. I saw the thread.

Thank you!

Dburr1014 · Mar 10, 2017

I have the v2 on 60% with sps. No grow problems here. Just sayin.

Murraydar · Mar 10, 2017

Thanks for the info guys. After researching a bit the v2 is starting to look pretty dang good. I like how it's spread out more than the hydra 26s. I really worry that Ill get more shadowing with the hydras.

Also, the actual leds used are very similar in brand and power. I heard some complaining that the v2 doesn't have any leds around 400nm where the hydra does. Is this important?

dragon99 · Mar 10, 2017

I had (4) AI Prime's over my Reefer 350 and wasn't happy. (2) 26HD's should? have more PAR, but I think even worse shadowing which was my major complaint.
I'm using T5's now, but plan to get back into LED's sometime. Currently AP700 or Philips CoralCare are top considerations for me. I wish Kessil had a 3-lamp version of the AP700 that would cover 48" better.

MaiReef said:
Two Hydra 52s will definately do it, but I think two 26s should be fine as they are quite powerful and that is what Red Sea uses. An AP700 from Kessil would be great as well.

The fact that Red Sea is bundling 26HD's could just mean that it's the bare minimum they can get away with to keep the price low.

Dburr1014 · Mar 10, 2017

I heard some complaining that the v2 doesn't have any leds around 400nm where the hydra does. Is this important?

They have the 420nm violet led.
These lights also come stock with the 90 degree lenses. If that doesn't work for you email them and they will swap them out for 120's.
Good luck

Vaughn17 · Mar 10, 2017

The V2 also have warm whites, which acros love.

Ty Hamatake · Mar 10, 2017

dragon99 said:
I had (4) AI Prime's over my Reefer 350 and wasn't happy. (2) 26HD's should? have more PAR, but I think even worse shadowing which was my major complaint.
I'm using T5's now, but plan to get back into LED's sometime. Currently AP700 or Philips CoralCare are top considerations for me. I wish Kessil had a 3-lamp version of the AP700 that would cover 48" better.

The fact that Red Sea is bundling 26HD's could just mean that it's the bare minimum they can get away with to keep the price low.