Premium LED Lights Under $2K

[Marco S]

I originally budgeted for 4 AI Hydra Twenty Six HD lights since that is what Red Sea includes, but after doing some research I am rethinking that. I have narrowed it down to the following three options all under $2,000 for the amount of units needed.

AI Hydra Twenty Six HD = $349.99 x 4 = $1,399.96
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/hydra-twentysix-hd-black-aqua-illumination.html

Kessil AP700 = $799.00 x 2 = $1,598.00
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/ap700-led-lighting-panel-kessil.html

Giesemann Verve Plus = $729 x 2 = $1,458
https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/vervve-plus-with-bluetooth-giesemann.html

I just wanted to see what others would choose either out of the options I have listed or any other options within the same price range. If you want to add additional options, please only include LED lights and do not include economy lights.

Thank you,
Marco S

 

[Dsnakes]

I recently purchased 2 Kessil AP700s for my 72” tank. I like them so far!

 

[PDR]

I personally would do a hybrid fixture, but if LED only I would be tempted to go with 2 of the orphek atlantik v4 fixtures.

 

[Marco S]

I personally would do a hybrid fixture, but if LED only I would be tempted to go with 2 of the orphek atlantik v4 fixtures.

I will definitely consider adding a Hybrid T5 fixture in the future when I get enough experience under my belt to start adding some SPS Corals, but for now it will just be Soft Corals and a few beginner LPS so I think just starting with some good quality LED's is best for now.

I did look at the Orpek Atlantic, but I thought they were over $2K for the amount I needed to light a 72" x 26" x 24" tank, but I will double check that.

 

[Hot2na]

https://www.amazon.com/Red-Reef-Aqu...pID=41j481KnVRL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch
I just got one of these ...BRIGHT and powerful ! did I mention cheap ?

 

[Sarah24!]

Hello,

Honestly I would strongly consider the new mitras ghl x7, which two would still be cheaper than your price but are far superior. From conducting research on all of these except the giesemann, the x7 is probably the new high high end led even surpassing the Radion and hydra 5200. They also give quite a few more options if your tech savoy (which I am on some things but definitely not on others). You would need two of these also, but still would be on the lower side. I have seen them for 750 each and I have purchased four of them for my new 425 build coming up. Hope things go well for your new light selection.

Sincerely
Sarah

 

[MTBake]

You'll get lots of opinions on this one. I'd also take a look at the new Reefbreeders photons in addition to what was already listed.

 

[Marco S]

Hello,

Honestly I would strongly consider the new mitras ghl x7, which two would still be cheaper than your price but are far superior. From conducting research on all of these except the giesemann, the x7 is probably the new high high end led even surpassing the Radion and hydra 5200. They also give quite a few more options if your tech savoy (which I am on some things but definitely not on others). You would need two of these also, but still would be on the lower side. I have seen them for 750 each and I have purchased four of them for my new 425 build coming up. Hope things go well for your new light selection.

Sincerely
Sarah

I like the look of the fixtures and the fact that they have a display on them and the specs look good at a glance. Never heard of the brand, but I will definitely do some research on them. Thank you

 

[cvrle1]

What are dimensions of your tank? What features are important to you in the LED unit? Do you care about things like 6 channels vs 2 channels of dimming control, or WiFi, or Sunrise/Sunset/Moonlight, etc? Depending on what is important, you can save a lot of money.

 

[Marco S]

What are dimensions of your tank?

I haven't purchased the tank yet, but I'm looking at 72" x 26" x 24" or right around that.

What features are important to you in the LED unit? Do you care about things like 6 channels vs 2 channels of dimming control, or WiFi, or Sunrise/Sunset/Moonlight, etc?

All of the above! I want the best I can get for the money and that includes spectrum, PAR, shimmer, etc... and it has to be made of quality materials and look great and it must be controllable by either WiFi or Bluetooth and hopefully be compatible with the Apex Controller.

I am not too concerned with gimmicky stuff like storm mode and lighting, but it must have programmable 24 hour modes including ramp up and down for sunrise and sunset and let you control the intensity of each color. The more customization the better in my opinion.

Depending on what is important, you can save a lot of money.

I am really not interested in saving money on lights. From everything I have been reading, the lighting is one of the most important things to consider for the overall health and success of a reef and I do not want to skimp on it. While I do not want to break the bank on lighting, I am willing to spend the money for a quality product that has been proven in the reefing community.

 

[Amoo]

2 Orphek Atlantik fixtures are currently $899 so we'll say $1800

They also sell those LED bars which you may be interested in and that are about $160ish IIRC.

Just another option to look into.

Some food for thought is I have 3 AI 26 on a 48x24x12 currently and I still supplemented with T5 for shadowing/spectrum...etc.

 

[GoVols]

I'd be going for two AP700's.

Love the Kessil Logic!!

If you want to tinker with spectrum (channel's) then the Orphek's are a really nice Fixture.

 

[cvrle1]

I haven't purchased the tank yet, but I'm looking at 72" x 26" x 24" or right around that.

All of the above! I want the best I can get for the money and that includes spectrum, PAR, shimmer, etc... and it has to be made of quality materials and look great and it must be controllable by either WiFi or Bluetooth and hopefully be compatible with the Apex Controller.

I am not too concerned with gimmicky stuff like storm mode and lighting, but it must have programmable 24 hour modes including ramp up and down for sunrise and sunset and let you control the intensity of each color. The more customization the better in my opinion.

I am really not interested in saving money on lights. From everything I have been reading, the lighting is one of the most important things to consider for the overall health and success of a reef and I do not want to skimp on it. While I do not want to break the bank on lighting, I am willing to spend the money for a quality product that has been proven in the reefing community.

That is all fair enough. Look into Reef Breeders Photon V2+ for example or EcoTech Radion units.

 

[Marco S]

2 Orphek Atlantik fixtures are currently $899 so we'll say $1800

They also sell those LED bars which you may be interested in and that are about $160ish IIRC.

Just another option to look into.

Some food for thought is I have 3 AI 26 on a 48x24x12 currently and I still supplemented with T5 for shadowing/spectrum...etc.

I did see that the Orphek's are on sale now and I will do some research on them. The hybrid LED and T5 option would be a bit of overkill for right now, but I will definitely be thinking of upgrading to that option before taking on any really challenging corals. Thank you for your suggestions!

I'd be going for two AP700's.

Love the Kessil Logic!!

If you want to tinker with spectrum (channel's) then the Orphek's are a really nice Fixture.

I am strongly leaning towards the Kessil Ap700 also.

You are the third person that has brought up the Orphek option so I am definitely looking into it! There is only one review on BRS and it is a one star, but just talks about poor customer service. I really wish that reviews would be separated into categories to separate out quality performance and customer service so you get an more accurate rating on the quality and performance of the product without the customer service issues bringing it down. I will see what Google has to offer as far as reviews go. Thank you for the suggestions!

That is all fair enough. Look into Reef Breeders Photon V2+ for example or EcoTech Radion units.

I will look into the Reef Breeders, but the Radion's were at $2,596 for the G4's and $3,196 for the G4 Pro. From what I am seeing on the reviews they are not worth the extra price when there are so many options in the $2,000 range that are just as good if not better. If I am wrong on that though, I am willing to reconsider. Thank you for your suggestions!

 

[kkegley21]

I emailed Orphek about the wall mounts and they responded to me within a few hours. They seem to be a great option for avoiding the LED T5 combo.

 

[Marco S]

I have checked out the Orphek Atlantik V4 and am pretty impressed with the quality and performance, but do not really like the look and the big antenna on the side and the fact that you have to buy setup an additional gateway for controlling the lights with the app and the fact that it is not compatible with the Apex. For those reasons I think I will have to go with something else that fits my requirements better.

 

[Hitman]

Honestly if your still in the planning stages I would seriously look at the new Kessil A360x’s coming out. It sounds like your going to have a similar size tank as I do. I am waiting on them to be released myself and will be putting 4 over my 240 along with the 61” Aquatic Life T 5 fixture.
As a side note if you plan on softies to start you could just start out with T5 lights then add your LED’s in as your tank matures and you move into SPS to increase your PAR.

 

[Marco S]

Honestly if your still in the planning stages I would seriously look at the new Kessil A360x’s coming out. It sounds like your going to have a similar size tank as I do. I am waiting on them to be released myself and will be putting 4 over my 240 along with the 61” Aquatic Life T 5 fixture.

I really do not like the fact that you need to purchase a separate controller to control it and it will not have WiFi until the WiFi Dongle is released next year. In 2018 there should be no reason why it does not come with WiFi or Bluetooth connectivity built in. Even my car and fridge have built in WiFi!

As a side note if you plan on softies to start you could just start out with T5 lights then add your LED’s in as your tank matures and you move into SPS to increase your PAR.

If I did decide to do aT5 fixture, how many lights would I need to cover the entire tank? I haven't really looked into it because everything I have been reading or watching suggests that T5's are for the harder to keep corals and I need to start slow so I don't kill a bunch of coral.

 

[Hitman]

I would suggest the Aquatic life 61” 4 bulb fixture as all of the leds your last point into will mount in the center of that fixture with the suppled hardware. As for the bulbs it depends on what you like. I love a deep blue so I’m going with a 16-20k color with 3 ATI Blue plus bulbs and 1 ATI actinic bulb.
If you want a whiter color then I would suggest 2 ATI Blue Plus and 2 ATI Coral plus bulbs.

 

[PDR]

I really do not like the fact that you need to purchase a separate controller to control it and it will not have WiFi until the WiFi Dongle is released next year. In 2018 there should be no reason why it does not come with WiFi or Bluetooth connectivity built in. Even my car and fridge have built in WiFi!

IMO less controllability is a GOOD thing when it comes to lighting. The last thing you want to do it constantly mess with the settings. Trust me, I know...

If I did decide to do aT5 fixture, how many lights would I need to cover the entire tank? I haven't really looked into it because everything I have been reading or watching suggests that T5's are for the harder to keep corals and I need to start slow so I don't kill a bunch of coral.

I'm not sure where you have been reading that, but it's a lot easier to accidentally fry corals with LED's than T5. The main reason T5 is recommended for SPS is to help with the shadowing caused by LED's. T5's have been used for years with all types of coral with great success. I am running T5's on my softy grow out tank and haven't fried anything yet.

I would think a 6-8 bulb fixture would be needed for your size tank unless you went with a hybrid fixture. This is right at your budget and would be a BEAST of a fixture. https://nanobox-reef.myshopify.com/.../nanobox-sunpower-retro?variant=6782134452273