Non-bias lighting help, please?

[MGarvo2]

If you only care about results and you were achieving those results with black boxes, why change?

Change because I wanted something dead silent, app controlled, and with a little luck, take my new tank to the next level. This is, so far, a several month journey of building my dream setup. I’m fortunate enough to have the means to get higher quality, and I didn’t want to cut corners, but also didn’t want to just get what everyone else defaults to (Radion, Kessel,…).
I got 2 Reefi Uno2 Pros. I do not yet have my DT, as it is being built by Custom Aquariums, but the lights seem insane. The thing that assured me even more than what little playing around I did so far, was that Daniel (owner) personally sent me a message over FB Messenger to ask how I liked them.

 

[Crustaceon]

Change because I wanted something dead silent, app controlled, and with a little luck, take my new tank to the next level. This is, so far, a several month journey of building my dream setup. I’m fortunate enough to have the means to get higher quality, and I didn’t want to cut corners, but also didn’t want to just get what everyone else defaults to (Radion, Kessel,…).
I got 2 Reefi Uno2 Pros. I do not yet have my DT, as it is being built by Custom Aquariums, but the lights seem insane. The thing that assured me even more than what little playing around I did so far, was that Daniel (owner) personally sent me a message over FB Messenger to ask how I liked them.

So basically anything with a fan is out, which leaves maybe Philips coral care as your best option.

 

[MartinM]

ATI Stratons are amazing, but they didn’t meet his earlier pricing criteria.

the UNO is super blue and difficult to control and buggy, so I don’t like it, but I do agree it has great quality.

 

[Eric R.]

ATI Stratons are amazing, but they didn’t meet his earlier pricing criteria.

the UNO is super blue and difficult to control and buggy, so I don’t like it, but I do agree it has great quality.

Did you have an Uno? Was it the V1 or the V2?

 

[enb141]

ATI Stratons are amazing, but they didn’t meet his earlier pricing criteria.

the UNO is super blue and difficult to control and buggy, so I don’t like it, but I do agree it has great quality.

What bugs do those lights have?

 

[MartinM]

Did you have an Uno? Was it the V1 or the V2?

I’m not sure I got it about 1.5 years ago.

the light doesn’t have bugs but at the time the software to control it was very buggy. Maybe things have improved now. The build quality was superb and the design is unique and good for cube aquariums, which is what I wanted it for.

After trying Kessil, Red Sea, Reefi Uno, and various Volx Japan and other Japan-only LEDs, the ATI Straton is the only one I really like.

 

[enb141]

I’m not sure I got it about 1.5 years ago.

the light doesn’t have bugs but at the time the software to control it was very buggy. Maybe things have improved now. The build quality was superb and the design is unique and good for cube aquariums, which is what I wanted it for.

After trying Kessil, Red Sea, Reefi Uno, and various Volx Japan and other Japan-only LEDs, the ATI Straton is the only one I really like.

What do you mean by buggy to control it, can you elaborate?

 

[X-37B]

Everyones view on lighting is biased, lol.
My Radion fans make no noise.
Best to get a proven setup than trying to find a less expensive light, imo.
Buy once pay once!
A year ago I went from all halides to all leds on 3 systems. I offset some of the cost with used gen5 blues. Saved a considerable amount. Same with 16hds.
I run 4 Radions and 7 16hds.

I have ran the black boxes and still have a few. They work very well but are bulky and noisy.

The new Orphek bars are now dimmable so? I ran them too, before the dimmer feature and they are quality.

Although not cheap the Radions are your best unbiased light, imo.

 

[enb141]

Everyones view on lighting is biased, lol.
My Radion fans make no noise.
Best to get a proven setup than trying to find a less expensive light, imo.
Buy once pay once!
A year ago I went from all halides to all leds on 3 systems. I offset some of the cost with used gen5 blues. Saved a considerable amount. Same with 16hds.
I run 4 Radions and 7 16hds.

I have ran the black boxes and still have a few. They work very well but are bulky and noisy.

The new Orphek bars are now dimmable so? I ran them too, before the dimmer feature and they are quality.

Although not cheap the Radions are your best unbiased light, imo.

Define the best unbiased, because they are not the strongest lights (PAR), they are not the best priced, they don't have the best colors, some batches (specially initial ones) have issues.

Radions only win in user base (in the USA), in other parts of the world they are not so popular because other lights have better price, PAR, colors, etc.

 

[X-37B]

Wow it was a joke as their is no such things as an unbiased light.
Everyone has an opinion on what they like. Their is no best, imo.
They all work.

 

[enb141]

Wow it was a joke as their is no such things as an unbiased light.
Everyone has an opinion on what they like. Their is no best, imo.
They all work.

Define all lights work, to someone all lights work means, all lights give light, but to me that if a light works means that you can have SPS.

Unfortunately in the USA, Radions and AI are the most common SPS led lights, but a lot of people are starting to realize that those lights are not the best ones.

 

[MartinM]

@90's reefer has a point. After trying LOTS of lights (and I started reefing long before LEDs were a thing, so I was using MH, PC, T5) , you know what I learned? It didn’t matter what light I used as far as the animals were concerned, everything out there does the job if utilized the right way (mounting height, # of units, angle, correct PAR, that sort of thing is what I’m referring to when I say “used the right way”). There’s no right or wrong choice, which is probably why there’s so much debate on the topic.