Neptune Sky vs Hydra.. thoughts?

[ArnoldosAquariums]

Help me sort out my thoughts!!

Current setup in my 75:

Two 32 Hydras + Reef Brite Kit.

Considering the Sky. I borrowed one from a friend and I’m really impressed with the coverage for sure.
I thought I was getting some better colors but in reality nothing that adding a third 32 wouldn’t fix.

Here’s where I’m at so far with pros:

Sky:
get rid of shimmer on sand
Better coverage
I can do a button to give me various light cues, such as photo mode

Third 32+RB:
Over $1000 less
The lights match the other tanks in the house specially with ramping up and down at night
I get good growth already. Hell, I have a little shop of horrors that grows like a dang weed
Not as bulky

I’m not ever going to do sticks.

I know that the sky has insane coverage, but it’s only a 75g tank, which two 32s have been great for, I would imagine that a 3rd would really help.

Thoughts?

 

[reefrubble]

Hi ArnoldosAquriums,

It can be so tempting to use multiple of the exact same brand and model display tank lights because of how clean it looks, however, mixing different brands and models, even if all are LEDs can be really beneficial and often increases coloration. Additionally, nothing beats having personal experience with a product in this hobby when it comes to choosing what to use on your tank and it sounds like you really liked the results that you got from the Sky light. I would recommend keeping the two lights you already have and adding a Sky in between the them, but make sure to adjust intensity accordingly.

The only thing I would caution you on with the Neptune Systems Sky light is that it is really new and has not had the opportunity to be reviewed on how it performs over long periods of time. Some new Neptune Systems products have had a track record of not working as desired over time, but were purchased in mass due to hype over their release and only started to receive reviews describing this negative performance after a year or so after their release. With that having been said, I personally love Neptune Systems and just only purchase their products that have been out for longer than a year and have stood up to the test of time.

I hope this helps!