I need new lights and wanted some input from those that have them. I have a 6ftx2ftx2ft sps dominant mixed reef and was looking at either the kessil ap700 or radion xr30s. Any input on pros and cons would be appreciated.
Kessil vs radion
- Thread starter ecamden
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nautical_nathaniel
Indecision may or may not be my problem.
Both are very powerful lights but the Radions would give you a slightly wider range of power. I suspect you would be limited to the upper end of the power band on the Kessil with a SPS dominant system.
At the end of the day, I think either light would be successful on your tank and more or less it would come down to aesthetic choices and/or if you wanted more wiggle room.
#reefsquad, any other thoughts?
Crabs McJones
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Pretty much nailed it
kessil does give better shimmer and color blending IMO and is wifi right out of the box whereas the radions need either an wxm module for apex or the reeflink to communicate with and also needs a diffuser panel for better color blending. But radions put out so much more par compared to kessils.
I run 3 Radions on a 6'x3' 300g (along with 8x T5), and I recently got an AP700 for my 60g cube (2'x2'). I don't think one is better than the other, but as a solo light with no supplementation the Kessil is a more natural look because of the shimmer. Anecdotally, I think Radions grow SPS better than Kessils, but I don't have any objective proof of that. Depending on the type of corals you're looking to grow you may need more fixtures than one would initially think, so consider that in your planning. Hope that helps.
Thanks,
Ed
Thanks,
Ed
If you just go with Radions alone it will take a few to do a SPS tank. Kessil's are fine for soft corals or LPS but just do not have the punch to do SPS well alone.
Both lights benfit from adding T5's to the mix.
Both lights benfit from adding T5's to the mix.
Ron Reefman
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I know you asked about these 2 specific fixtures. I'm just curious if you have looked at a Reef Breeders Photon V2+. Just as powerful, Cree & OSRAM 3 and 5 watt leds, dead quiet and super cool running... oh, and less expensive. Just in case you have a budget to keep!
Good luck.
Good luck.
This is an unpopular opinion for some, but to me, Kessils are toys except on smaller tanks. They are way less powerful than other options and I have never seen a great SPS tank with just them and nearly all have to add some kind of T5s. While lots of Radion SPS tanks end up with T5s too, you do see some that are stand-alone.
If your tank is really packed, then you might need a pair of units over each 2x2 area, or to add some T5s. Both of these are bad at shadowing if you have a lot of colonies.
I use neither of these, so take all of this for what it is worth... not much.
If your tank is really packed, then you might need a pair of units over each 2x2 area, or to add some T5s. Both of these are bad at shadowing if you have a lot of colonies.
I use neither of these, so take all of this for what it is worth... not much.
Definitely on my radar. I'm running ghl mitras 6200 now but one of them is starting to flicker. I do like the reef breeders however I have to make the wife happy too and she's narrowed it down to the kessil and radion.
I greatly appreciate the feedback. Can any kessil owners chime in as far as pros and cons? I do like that they're ready to go from the box however the lower par is concerning. My current lights are only putting out about 250 at 6in deep, and are 11in off the top of the tank. They have great spectrum though and I have had good growth so far.
RobW
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I was always old school t5 and halide combo. Now that I'm building a new tank I'm still going to incorporate the t5's just not sure if I want the kessil 360's, the radions, or the ai hydras. I like the AI 61" fixture because it will hold four of any of those light combos on rails mounted to the t5's. I have a ways to go with the build so I have time to sort that out. I'd like a mixed reef but we will see which direction this tank evolves.
rkpetersen
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It's interesting, I bought the diffusers but ultimately decided I preferred how the tank looks without. Brighter and sharper. Color separation doesn't bother me as it does many.
Crabs McJones
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I feel the same way with my hydra 26's
rkpetersen
walked the sand with the crustaceans
This is what I did on my first recent tank setup.
This may be sacrilege to some but I've used both and marginally prefer the hydras to the radions.
Dollar for dollar I think the light output and quality with the hydras is really superb.
RobW
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I have a coworker who has the hydras on his 90 g and he loves them. He was trying to steer me in that direction. So we will see.
Ron Reefman
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Somewhere recently I read where somebody else in the Reef Squad had said, "Happy wife, happy life!" Good luck whichever way you go. And BTW, I think Kessils make great accent lights and spot fill lights, but you need too many to cover an sps tank well.
Jay Norris
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Why not upgrade to the Mitra 7206 lights, they are better then both the Radion and Kessil lights, better spread, and no need for diffusers or lenses on the lights.
You do know that you can update the 6200 lights
https://www.aquariumcomputer.com/new-led-replacement-clusters-for-mitras-lx6/
https://www.aquariumcomputer.com/usa/product-category/mitras-led-illumination/mitras-lx6/
Something not possiable with Radions or Kessils
Sarah24!
2500 Club Member
Hello,
Definitely agree with others these lights. They are much better than the radions and or kessill for sps. @Brew12 has them and his tank is amazing. I have four that will go on my 425 (if I get life figured out first). But these are amazing lights and cheaper than both.
