narrowed down my LED light options

[reef tank 2.0]

i think i am done thinking about this.
i've been watching videos on that reefbreeder fixture. that fixture gets a lot of love too.

from what im reading, the 24v2 will work just fine on my 30x24x24 tank.

i like the slimline profile, and the back of tank mounting brackets. I should be able to space the two brackets out far enough to miss the overflow that i have in the center. i hope the controller app is better than the AI controller app i used in the past. time will tell.

that fixture is my final answer. i'll update my build thread once its installed and we're up and running.

thanks for listening and thanks for the help

 

[VintageReefer]

i think i am done thinking about this.
i've been watching videos on that reefbreeder fixture. that fixture gets a lot of love too.

from what im reading, the 24v2 will work just fine on my 30x24x24 tank.

i like the slimline profile, and the back of tank mounting brackets. I should be able to space the two brackets out far enough to miss the overflow that i have in the center. i hope the controller app is better than the AI controller app i used in the past. time will tell.

that fixture is my final answer. i'll update my build thread once its installed and we're up and running.

thanks for listening and thanks for the help

You’ll like it. Capable of keeping anything anywhere in the tank

Coverage Area SPS:30" x 24"
Coverage Area Mixed Reef:36" x 24"
Coverage Area Softy/FOWLR:40" x 24"

 

[Spare time]

The photon 24 will destroy an xr15 in par output

This chart is a photon 24 on a 36” tank
I don’t have the data off hand but from what I read on the forum a lot of xr15 owners are upset with the lack of par and a single xr15 on a 36” tank couldn’t hit these numbers.

You can run the photon at a lower wattage, equaling cooler temperatures, resulting in prolonged life for the leds.

There is more to a light than par. For example, the photons have a strong hotspot effect and worse color blending.

 

[Peair]

I have a 24 x 30 x 24D tank.
I have been searching through all the LED options, and I have narrowed it down to 5.
If anyone has used any of these, I would appreciate the feedback.

The only experience I have is with the AI 26HD. My only complaint with that, was the App control. Outside of that, the light worked wonderfully.
I do have an AI on this list, only for the fact that it would work for the size tank I have.

this would be for a mixed reef tank

Here's what I came up with:

AI Hydra 64HD - $760

Kessil AP9X - $870

Radion XR15 G6 - $530

Reefbreeder Photon 24V2 Pro - $570

I would consider the Maxspect Jump 65W Blue 2nd edition updated app, it was more powerful and wider coverage then I was expecting, nice adjustable spectrum and schedule, BRS had it for $195 last week.

 

[VintageReefer]

There is more to a light than par. For example, the photons have a strong hotspot effect and worse color blending.

True there is more to light than par. But the rest of that statement…nah. Dunno what settings / height you used. Or if you’ve ever used one. I just went through tons of different combinations. There no hot spotting and the blending is excellent.

Also, I have a par meter and I have metered my tank left to right, top to bottom, front to back in a grid. The light has a very even distribution that naturally and gradually drifts off as you get to the outer edges because the number of directions a spot is hit from gets a reduced number of sources. You’ll get that with any light

Per BRS:
Being a panel-style LED, the Photon V2 Pro delivers an even spread of light across your entire aquarium with a uniform spectrum and output.

As for their par tests yes there is a hotspot but the are measuring the lights max possible par, with all channels 100% which nobody would ever use, and as they raise the fixture higher and higher the hotspot gets smaller and smaller. Adam from battle corals I believe does use all channels 100% but the units are hung much heigher than any regular person would use in a home setting.

Any dark vs light spots on my sand are just clean sand vs sand that has coraline. The corals themselves are all evenly lit with no bright / dark areas and no disco ball or hot spotting.

 

[PocketGoose]

I would consider the Maxspect Jump 65W Blue 2nd edition updated app, it was more powerful and wider coverage then I was expecting, nice adjustable spectrum and schedule, BRS had it for $195 last week.

Second this. I love this light and think it doesn’t get enough love. It has worked out wonderfully for me.

 

[Spare time]

True there is more to light than par. But the rest of that statement…nah. Dunno what settings / height you used. Or if you’ve ever used one. I just went through tons of different combinations. There no hot spotting and the blending is excellent.

Also, I have a par meter and I have metered my tank left to right, top to bottom, front to back in a grid. The light has a very even distribution that naturally and gradually drifts off as you get to the outer edges because the number of directions a spot is hit from gets a reduced number of sources. You’ll get that with any light

Per BRS:
Being a panel-style LED, the Photon V2 Pro delivers an even spread of light across your entire aquarium with a uniform spectrum and output.

As for their par tests yes there is a hotspot but the are measuring the lights max possible par, with all channels 100% which nobody would ever use, and as they raise the fixture higher and higher the hotspot gets smaller and smaller. Adam from battle corals I believe does use all channels 100% but the units are hung much heigher than any regular person would use in a home setting.

Any dark vs light spots on my sand are just clean sand vs sand that has coraline. The corals themselves are all evenly lit with no bright / dark areas and no disco ball or hot spotting.

The image of par quite literally shows a hotspot effect lol and changing the intensity doesn't change the spread. The included mounting arms, shown by brs, are not high enough to eliminate the hotspot issue.

 

[VintageReefer]

The image of par quite literally shows a hotspot effect lol and changing the intensity doesn't change the spread. The included mounting arms, shown by brs, are not high enough to eliminate the hotspot issue.

High intensity at low mounting height increases hotspot. This light wouldn’t need to be more than 30% at those heights

Low mounting height also decreases blending

Two solutions. Increase mounting height or decrease output

 

[flashsmith]

My .02 cents. Reef breeders all day. I've ran most all of the lights you listed. Besides the crazy output they are simple to use and built like tanks. You'll have no reason to upgrade to the latest and greatest. That light will serve you for years.

 

[Spare time]

High intensity at low mounting height increases hotspot. This light wouldn’t need to be more than 30% at those heights

Low mounting height also decreases blending

Two solutions. Increase mounting height or decrease output

Lowering the intensity just changes how hot the spot actually is compared to the rest of the tank. It doesn't change the distribution. Raising the height work, but then you have to increase the lights power (not an issue in this case), and increases light spill. If you can't hang the light, there is no way around it. I have a nearly identical light (same manufacturer that makes designs reefbrite lights in China).

 

[KC2020]

i think i am done thinking about this.

Great. At some point you just have to jump in and pick a light. IMO Reefbreaders gear is all top quality.

That won't stop the discussion though because if there's one topic that people love to debate it's lighting !

 

[VintageReefer]

Two subjects get heated here. Lighting and algae

 

[reef tank 2.0]

And after rethinking everything again.....I believe I'm leaning more towards the AI hydra 64 HD. I've owned three of the hydra 26s on my last tank. Only gripe I had was the controller app. Maybe with me only having one light fixture to worry about this time, I won't have problems. My experience with the lights and the output were awesome.

Haven't dropped the cash on it yet, but certainly a front runner.

 

[KC2020]

Two subjects get heated here. Lighting and algae

Understandably so. We all have different experiences and the results you get from a specific light can be due to so many variable factors but it's human nature to want to believe your own experience is empirical.

Same story with algae.

I'm just unpacking my first Santa Monica Slip .7 algae scrubber/chaeto reactor for a 20 gal Nano. It should be interesting to see what it can do.

And after rethinking everything again.....I believe I'm leaning more towards the AI hydra 64 HD. I've owned three of the hydra 26s on my last tank. Only gripe I had was the controller app. Maybe with me only having one light fixture to worry about this time, I won't have problems. My experience with the lights and the output were awesome.

Haven't dropped the cash on it yet, but certainly a front runner.

That's an excellent light and you have a good idea of what to expect. Go for it !

 

[VintageReefer]

Understandably so. We all have different experiences and the results you get from a specific light can be due to so many variable factors but it's human nature to want to believe your own experience is empirical.

Same story with algae.

I'm just unpacking my first Santa Monica Slip .7 algae scrubber/chaeto reactor for a 20 gal Nano. It should be interesting to see what it can do.

That's an excellent light and you have a good idea of what to expect. Go for it !

Oh this ? This thing right here that I bought in December for my 15g Waterbox ?

 

[Spare time]

Two subjects get heated here. Lighting and algae

lol I wouldn't even call this a debate. Just wait till the MH supremacists join in haha

 

[VintageReefer]

MH/T5 rulez! We know leds can’t grow the coralz!

 

[KC2020]

Oh this ? This thing right here that I bought in December for my 15g Waterbox ?

Yup, that thing. I'm putting it in a WB 20 cube. So how long was your tank up before you started running it ?



So how long was your tank established before you started running it ?

 

[KC2020]

lol I wouldn't even call this a debate. Just wait till the MH supremacists join in haha

MH/T5 rulez! We know leds can’t grow the coralz!

Shhh. I'll let you in on a little secret. I've used them all and they all work. But don't tell anyone.

 

[VintageReefer]

Yup, that thing. I'm putting it in a WB 20 cube. So how long was your tank up before you started running it ?



So how long was your tank established before you started running it ?

Almost 2 years
I wish I bought it 1.5 years sooner