LED lighting help!

LittleRed · Sep 26, 2014

My husband lovessss coral! I want to get him an LED light that would help our coral growth and as well as help the overall aesthetics of the tank. He's in love with the ecotech radion xr30w pro for both gen 2 and gen 3. I'm willing to pay the amount they cost if both are as wonderful as they seem, however I was wondering what ya'lls opinions on the best led lights for coral and reef aquarium growth. His must haves are : blue and white lights, he wants it to come on at a certain time and change to the night at a certain time, he loves the idea of the reef link that ecotech has. What do ya'll think, is it worth the price or are there better things out there for the same price or less?

cpayne015 · Sep 26, 2014

i absolutely love my kessil 360w i have now....they are controllable and have been awesome for me

Daniel@R2R · Sep 27, 2014

I have radions and LOVE them! IMO, they're the best lights in the industry!

Of course, that's one man's opinion, so take it for what it's worth...

NanaReefer · Sep 27, 2014

What makes one better then the other? What exactly do you want them to do? Do you go for Name Brand?
My Reef Radiance LumenTek Pro180 does all that Radions do but at half the cost. 3w diodes, any optics you choose, completely programmable, remote controlled, Apex & Reef Angle and Reef Keeper Controllers compatible, your choice of layouts and above all else wonderful customer service, and a R2R Sponsor

Check out the DM-165p!
http://reefradiance.com

hart24601 · Sep 29, 2014

Although expensive I am starting to think the ghl mitras is the best light out there. I have recently started to like designs that use more lower powered LEDs evenly distributed over the surface for maximum spread and to help prevent the main problem many have had with SPS, self shading.

Reef Fever · Sep 29, 2014

My SPS dominant tank has been lit with a reef breeders photo 48 for quite awhile now and I COULD NOT be happier with color and growth under this light

rboutin111 · Sep 29, 2014

I've had both Kessil 360W-E and Radion Gen2. The Kessil is sold and the Radion is still hanging over my tank. I love the shimmer of the Kessil, but the control of it was weak compared to the Radion. I've also never see such pulp extension like I have with the Radion. Be careful if you buy the Kessil and make sure you get all the extra cords you need to control it. The Radion comes with everything you need. Just plug it into your computer and away you go. The Kessil needs extra cords and either the new controller, a Reef Keeper or Neptune system to control it properly.

60squared · Sep 30, 2014

Gen 3 Radion is a BEAST

Simon Garratt · Sep 30, 2014

Its difficult to advise accordingly without some tank dimensions to work from as different set-ups may require differing priorities in terms of light delivery. If you want to minimise shading however, and are more concerned with coverage and even distribution rather than some magical peak PAR reading, then id say look at units with the wider beam angles, or lens-less format.

Kind regards

Jimbo662 · Sep 30, 2014

cpayne015 said:
i absolutely love my kessil 360w i have now....they are controllable and have been awesome for me

+1 for the Kessil's. I had the AI Vega Colors on my last tank and couldn't get any SPS to grow under them. The Kessils are controllable with either their new controller and Apex. They're a little less expensive than Radions. They've also got a great shimmer effect.

pickupman66 · Sep 30, 2014

I don't see the need for paying the radion price. The "added features" don't justify the cost. My zoas and euphelia love my reef radiance lumentek pro 240.

ASAP-Aquarium · Sep 30, 2014

For LEDs that will actually grow your coral, I would only go with Kessils or Radions.

pickupman66 · Sep 30, 2014

ASAP-Aquarium said:
For LEDs that will actually grow your coral, I would only go with Kessils or Radions.

Why do you say this? The reason i ask is that I have personally witnessed massive growth from a Hodgepodge DIY setup. Bridgeluxe and CREE LED mixture with both Inventronics and Meanwell drivers.

I installed LED on December 2011.

October 2012

October 2013

July 2012

July 2013

pickupman66 · Sep 30, 2014

Here are the light setup. total was 126 3 watt LED on a 180 with varying optics. Mostly 120Â° optics. My Lumentek Pro 240 is a mixture of 60Â° and 120Â° optics with 80 3 watt bridgeluxe.

zesty · Sep 30, 2014

http://reefledlights.com/

I haven't even placed my order and the customer service is unbelievable. They are willing to work with what I have, give recommendations on what is currently lighting my tank and how to transition into their fixtures. They are also helping me with a few other things along the way. Way above and beyond any other vendor has giving me the time for their product.

That reason alone is why I have no fear about buying from reefledlights! I had quite the opposite experience with a LFS, this will not happen again, not with these guys!

Not only to mention they use high quality products. IMO, some items you want to play the "you get what you pay for" card. To me, this is one of those items.

Good luck!

NanaReefer · Sep 30, 2014

ASAP-Aquarium said:
For LEDs that will actually grow your coral, I would only go with Kessils or Radions.

Please! There are plenty of LED units out here that will grow corals. With pretty colors too! Lol.
Open your mind to the world of possibilities!

ASAP-Aquarium · Sep 30, 2014

I'm not willing to risk my coral's health on a budget or DIY system.... are you?

I'd rather err on the side of caution and go with the proven products with warranties made by reputable manufacturers.

But hey, some people have a higher tolerance for ri$k, which is why Vegas does so well! :smile:

TJ's Reef · Sep 30, 2014

ASAP-Aquarium said:
I'm not willing to risk my coral's health on a budget or DIY system.... are you?

I'd rather err on the side of caution and go with the proven products with warranties made by reputable manufacturers.

But hey, some people have a higher tolerance for ri$k, which is why Vegas does so well! :smile:

I'm surprised to hear this from a 'Platinum Sponsor' or am I ??? The truth is that there are several LED fixtures equal to or better than the Eco-Tech Radions (any generation) for far less money. To me they a re a big waste of money buying an expensive and unnecessary redundant controller for each fixture instead of Master to Slave function as on their pumps. I was designing and building 'Broad Spectrum LED Arrays' before AI got out of the Blue-White only non-controllable fixtures and they have years of experience over Eco-Tech. Other than looks Radion G3's are several upgrades away from my 4 year old DIY fixture both in function and control.

To the OP, take a serious look at Reef Radiance, Rapid LED and Reef Breeder fixtures that can be purchased to accept Neptune Apex, DA Reef Keeper or ??? control. Some like the newer Reef Radiance can have factory installed controller connections or Mod Kits which are fairly easy as a DIY project.

Let's keep this real and informative.

Cheers, Todd

ASAP-Aquarium · Sep 30, 2014

Hey Todd, I'm not quite sure I'm comfortable with the implication in your response..... "I'm surprised to hear this from a 'Platinum Sponsor' or am I ???"

For the record;
1) I do not sell EcoTech products (at this time), although I do endorse them as they are fine products from a good business, and I have had success growing corals with them.
2) I do sell Kessil LED's (another fine product from a good business that I have had success growing corals with), but I am not using this thread to shill my wares.

I was merely sharing my opinion about LED lights for growing corals based on my personal experience and the results I have had with LEDs, which is what the original post in thread was asking for.

It was not a veiled invitation to question the integrity of a post from a Platinum Sponsor or anyone else that responds to this thread whose opinion you do not agree with.

I was an early adopter of LED lights for reef tanks going back to 2008 when the first commercially available units started to hit the market. I have used other LEDs lighting systems with less than acceptable results, which is why I personally do not recommend them. I will not name them because I do not believe in speaking poorly of others products.

If you choose to endorse or recommend other LED light options, that is your prerogative and I stand by your freedom to do so without having your integrity brought into question for expressing your opinion.

Let's keep it civil, polite and respectful.

Thank you. :wink:

SloppyJ · Sep 30, 2014

Can you hit a button on your fixture and turn your pumps into feed mode? Nah didn't think so. I didn't think I would use all of the bells and whistles on the radion gen 3 pro but I really enjoy it. Was it worth the money? I think it was. However, If I needed 6 fixtures for my tank, bet your bottom dollar I probably wouldn't have gone with the radions.

Something being "worth" the asking price invokes a COMPLETELY subjective opinion.