Puzzled With Lighting

[Heavymman]

Why would anybody want to spend upwards of $1000s for these expensive Radions and other lights when people are getting results from SBreefs and other similar lights?

I have read the write up on these boxes and the par levels might be unven(can’t that be suplimmented with T5s) but for the price, you can’t beat it.

I have a 24x24x24 that I was going to be mainly SPS dominant and I only have a single Kessil A360(was originally getting a 30 gallon). I am going to use the Kessil for my reef quarenteen/frag tank.

So I guess the main question is it worth it to spend the money on a crazy expensive light or just go with an SBreef or similar?

 

[Big G]

I have an SB Reef Lights Ultra 45. Darn thing wasn't cheap. But when you take two or three of the smaller unit and hang them together the price came out to be about almost the same as the Ultra. Very powerful lighting unit. Lots of flexibility.

 

[Albertan_Reef]

If you go for an ultra, maybe i can see the price being worth it. But , they stilm wont beat AI, Radion or kessel.

I had the Sbox 16 lights , noticed 0 growth in my tank. My corals were just "living". Switch to kessel and noticed growth within weeks. Added T5 and my tank exploded.

Now on my new tank im straight T5.

 

[Heavymman]

I have an SB Reef Lights Ultra 45. Darn thing wasn't cheap. But when you take two or three of the smaller unit and hang them together the price came out to be about almost the same as the Ultra. Very powerful lighting unit. Lots of flexibility.

Would your recommend two of the smaller ones over my 24” cube?

 

[Heavymman]

If you go for an ultra, maybe i can see the price being worth it. But , they stilm wont beat AI, Radion or kessel.

I had the Sbox 16 lights , noticed 0 growth in my tank. My corals were just "living". Switch to kessel and noticed growth within weeks. Added T5 and my tank exploded.

Now on my new tank im straight T5.

I like the hybrid solution aqualife makes. But then I still need a light for the frag tank lol

 

[Albertan_Reef]

I like the hybrid solution aqualife makes. But then I still need a light for the frag tank lol

Depends where you want your corals to flourish..
Id personally put good lights over yohr display with the aquatic life. I DIY my own t5 light fixture.

Id use your kessel over your display with the t5s and then get a cheap sb reef light for your frag tank. Keepnthe corals "alive" in your frag tank to either sell or add to your display eventually. Then make your corals explode in the display, since thats what your display is for.

 

[dz6t]

I use Reefbreeders photon v2 led along side with AI Hydra 52HD. Reefbreeders yields better growth, better color and less shadowing. AI is great led too, just cost almost double than the equivalent Photon V2. AI has better programming capacity though.

 

[dz6t]

In terms of PAR level, similar wattage of AI HydraHD, Reefbreeders photon v2 have the similar PAR. Both of them use name brand led such as Cree.

 

[dz6t]

In terms of why people choose expansive led, it is like some people choose BMW M5 and some people choose Honda Civic. Both of them will get you from point A to point B.
Well, a BMW definitely give you more prestige and allows you to out ran a police car. Lol, but this does not apply to LED.

 

[Big G]

Would your recommend two of the smaller ones over my 24” cube?

You could start out with one of the smaller Wifi Extreme 16; or one of the Ultra 22 would be a very nice for your display tank. Either way it's a win-win with all the functionality of either unit. The nice thing about the Ultra is there is no fan = no noise - completely silent. So that could be part of your decision process. My DT is in our living room. I did not want fan noise disturbing conversation, music, TV, etc.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

2 16s on the cube. Trust me. I have a cube.

 

[jda]

People who have been around can see how a lighting difference works for themselves. Some people also are into the build more than they are running a tank - these nearly always end up buying the most expensive things and skew the message boards without much actual use experience... but these are not good people base anything upon.

The old adage that any light "can grow coral" is true. As you get more breath and depth of experience and see more tanks, you might start to see the differences that some people talk about... or you might not... or you might see them and not care. SB is a good place to start. Adding T5s is a good next step. If you like the difference that the T5 make, then you have some larger decisions to make.

 

[Heavymman]

People who have been around can see how a lighting difference works for themselves. Some people also are into the build more than they are running a tank - these nearly always end up buying the most expensive things and skew the message boards without much actual use experience... but these are not good people base anything upon.

The old adage that any light "can grow coral" is true. As you get more breath and depth of experience and see more tanks, you might start to see the differences that some people talk about... or you might not... or you might see them and not care. SB is a good place to start. Adding T5s is a good next step. If you like the difference that the T5 make, then you have some larger decisions to make.

Great explanation. I hope I am now not one of those who fall into the more building aspect because I often overthink things and have I remind myself to KISS(keep it simple stupid). I am trying to learn from my mistakes 10 years ago when I was in the hobby but some many things out there to really give you road blocks if you choose too. I figure as I am curing my rock and quarantining my fish I can do all the reading I can to figure out the direction to go in. I don’t plan on introducing one piece of coral until I am fully comfortable with limiting the pests introduced and adequate lighting ready.

 

[jda]

Just remember the basics. Just "growing coral" is the tip of the iceberg in addition to being a hyperbolic statement about light in general as well as a red herring... being able to "grow coral" is where the similarities stop. Growth rate, color rendering, illumination (pop), ease of use, etc. are different with every light and also sometimes species specific with each light. Also, you are not buying forever... nearly nobody even has LEDs on their tanks for more than 3-4 years and even less at 5... so factor that into your costs and assessments.

I am not a LED guy, so take everything that I say with a grain of salt... my approach to your tank would be a 150w halide (for mixed tank) or 6 bulb T5 fixture, but if somebody made me use LED, SB Reef Light, Photon V2 or Atlantik V4 would be what I was using. If you really want KISS in everyday application, then LED might not be for you... they require more work and tuning than just replacing bulbs once a year... 4 or 6 bulb T5 might be worth briefly checking out to see if it fits your KISS paradigm since overthinking and tinkering/changing LED settings all the time has been a disaster for nearly everybody who cannot keep their hands off of them.

 

[mcarroll]

I have a 24x24x24 that I was going to be mainly SPS dominant and I only have a single Kessil A360

That's one of the recommended high-end lights you seem to be trying to avoid but it also about the right size for a 24" cube - even by Kessil's recommendation. (Used to be on their site, but it's under contruction now....call em! )

Why not use the Kessil?

If you don't want to have money tied up in high-end lights, why aren't you selling the Kessil? I'm confused.

I think in your shoes I'd use the Kessil - you already have it and it's a really nice light.

I'm also not too sure why you're looking at the specific alternates you are vs other options.

Can you explain a little what drew you do the black boxes you mentioned?

There's always going to be "better" option out there no matter what you pick (the reason for my signature), so it's a good idea to know WHY you're picking so you get what you really want.

If the reason is cost, have you considered DIY?

FYI, you don't even have to leave R2R to see a ton of killer LED tanks. So IMO don't spend too much time worrying about hybrid or T5 setups. Every type of lighting has proven to be pretty great if you use it properly.

Plus you have the benefit right now of starting from scratch...doesn't make sense to me to buy into old technology from that position.

$0.02

 

[Heavymman]

That's one of the recommended high-end lights you seem to be trying to avoid but it also about the right size for a 24" cube - even by Kessil's recommendation. (Used to be on their site, but it's under contruction now....call em! )

Why not use the Kessil?

If you don't want to have money tied up in high-end lights, why aren't you selling the Kessil? I'm confused.

I think in your shoes I'd use the Kessil - you already have it and it's a really nice light.

I'm also not too sure why you're looking at the specific alternates you are vs other options.

Can you explain a little what drew you do the black boxes you mentioned?

There's always going to be "better" option out there no matter what you pick (the reason for my signature), so it's a good idea to know WHY you're picking so you get what you really want.

If the reason is cost, have you considered DIY?

FYI, you don't even have to leave R2R to see a ton of killer LED tanks. So IMO don't spend too much time worrying about hybrid or T5 setups. Every type of lighting has proven to be pretty great if you use it properly.

Plus you have the benefit right now of starting from scratch...doesn't make sense to me to buy into old technology from that position.

$0.02

I couldn’t even answer you lol... I think you are 100% right sticking with the Kessil and at least starting the tank