top 5 L.E.D lights

[stevieduk]

A little behind the times, but I am changing all my lights slowly to L.e.d s , but is driving me mad because I cant find a good one.
Now i know everyone is saying Radions, but I am in the U.K. and they cost nearly as much as my house here. The different makes I have bought so far , even though they are very bright blue and white when looking at them either do not have the punch to get sufficient light to the bottom of a 18 inch tank, many shadows, (any coral would think its constant night time ), Or, they have the light penetration, but the tank takes on a yellow/green colour.
So , taking Radions as number 1, I was looking for ideas , on the next best 3 or 4 makes.
Mayby I can finally find a decent one i can afford. anyone help ????

 

[Justfebreezeit]

Kessil, AI Prime/Hydra, Chinese Black Box

 

[Crabs McJones]

With something like this, you're going to get mixed results as everyone is going to have a personal opinion on what they think is best. My list would be as follows:
1. Kessil
2. Radion
3. AI
4. SB Reef
5. Reef Breeders

 

[NanoCrazed]

If you want to splurge a bit, I like the Aqamai LRM quite a bit... you can program it using an app on your phone.

 

[happyhourhero]

1. Radion
2. AI
3. SB Reef
4. Kessil
5. Reef Breeders

 

[Finhead]

IMO Radions would not be the #1 spot on my list. Mitras LX-7200 would be . Then radion,AI Hydras, Maxspect Recurve, Kessil

 

[Justfebreezeit]

Oooo forgot about the Maxspect Recurve, thats a sweet light.

 

[Swoody]

GHL Mitras 7206
Kessil AP700
Ecotec Radions

 

[NS Mike D]

I'll add the Rapid LED Coronas into the mix. IMO, the clusters rival some of the names we commonly see listed, and the wifi phone app is incredibly easy to use and provides the same level of control also member @Lasse has new LEDs that looking at the specs and pics of his tank, i was very close to pulling the trigger (got my coronas second hand and couldn't pass on the price) maybe he'll drop in and provide some information on his leds. I love that he has no white LEDs and creates his own white using the RGBs .

 

[grevedin]

Orphek V4

 

[Lasse]

My fixture is a Pacific Sun Metis Hyperion S/S2 with SMT technology(NO WHITE LEDs). 3x145W. I do not know if you can buy this in the US. There is also good hybrid fixtures with SMT technology and T5 bulbs - I love the fixture but the programming can be very tricky

Sincerely Lasse

 

[madweazl]

For that region, I'd think Mitras, Orphek, and Philips need mention.

 

[Big G]

Very happy with my SB Reeflights "Ultra" 45" on my 90. Way more power than I need. Lots of flexibility in programming. Runs off your phone. No fans = no noise.

 

[Codeman28]

Look into Nanobox reef, they are an amazing set of leds, bit pricey though.
1.Radion - current
2.Ai/Nanobox reef - haven't used yet but thinking about them.
3.kessil - used not a huge fan, but does a nice job coverage wise.

 

[User1]

I am more of a DIY person which is also what I use, so I'm biased. Having said that at the moment it is pretty hard to not put the Radion® XR30wG3 Pro at the top of the list. Mainly because of the Ecotech Marine CoralLab paper. If I was buying off the shelf that is the route I would go first.

 

[SashimiTurtle]

Kessil
Radion
AI
Orphek

 

[AdamNC]

1. Radion
2. Kessil
3. GHL
4. Maxspect
5. AI

 

[Primetastic]

Have just installed the maxspect 060 24” on my Red Sea max e 170. Reason I am chiming in on this one is that spread is so critical when you can’t hang the light higher over the tank. The recurve kills it in terms of spread, even when you use the included mounting arms. So far I am very happy. And it replaces a $1400 fixture that is a T5 led hybrid (Giesemann aurora). The hydra 26hd that came with my Red Sea max e170 is a great light but the coverage was poor. The aurora was great but man it put off a ton of heat. I understand that T5/hybrids are great as they make up for the coverage spread issue with led fixtures that use just one or two pucks. It is awesome to see a big manufacturer step up and step outside the box. The recurve is a great fixture. Since I installed the recurve, I would estimate that the chiller is on 50% less than when the aurora was installed. Just my 2 cents.