What are your favorite reef lights?

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

I've been using radions for years. What I'm running were originally gen1's that I sent in to EcoTech to be upgraded to gen3. I'm still happy enough with how they work. I've had no issues at all with them. I'm just curious and considering maybe making a change. Thoughts? What do you guys like best?

 

[[Cameron]]

As far as LED lights, the Radions are the best I have seen. They tick all the boxes. Good support, quality build, no disco ball, excellent mounting options, one of the better spectrums, nice shimmer that isn't dramatic, well thought out control options and not terribly expensive. That said I still prefer T5s with halides as far as overall look but that setup just isn't nearly as practical.

 

[BlennyTime]

I have radions and I love them! I have a g5 and 2 g 3’s over my tank, and though I definitely notice a difference with the g5 it’s probably not worth the full price of the upgrade. I plan to do it eventually though anyway!

 

[Shufflepig]

On a 120 gallon tank I have 2 Kessil 360 x and a Reefbrite actinic xho and am very pleased with that combination. Have experienced great growth and the coral colors are excellent.

 

[HuduVudu]

I have a Radion Gen5 for my small reef. They are OK. I don't like the blue and I am not really interested in mucking with the settings. Mobius for sure sucks. I really hate the app. I set up the Radion and I don't want to have to deal with it so in that way they Radion is great. Set ... forget.

That said I am just starting to get my Mitras LX7 up on my new reef. Just fired it up today and I am really impressed. I have had Radions for years, but the Mitras, for now, looks a lot cleaner. For sure the interface is easier on the Mitras than Mobius and I am looking forward to building my hanger for my tank so I can get my Mitras up.

FWIW

 

[Scdell]

I have a Radion Gen5 for my small reef. They are OK. I don't like the blue and I am not really interested in mucking with the settings. Mobius for sure sucks. I really hate the app. I set up the Radion and I don't want to have to deal with it so in that way they Radion is great. Set ... forget.

That said I am just starting to get my Mitras LX7 up on my new reef. Just fired it up today and I am really impressed. I have had Radions for years, but the Mitras, for now, looks a lot cleaner. For sure the interface is easier on the Mitras than Mobius and I am looking forward to building my hanger for my tank so I can get my Mitras up.

FWIW

You will like the Mitras. I promise.

 

[mudskipper1]

One of my gen 3 xr30 pro's just died, ordered a couple xr15 gen 5s to replace it. For LED standalone they are the best IMO. I still prefer to have t5 supplement to minimize shadowing and blanket colonies with light.

 

[CoralNerd]

I'm wondering if LED sales have slowed up due to Neptune's SKY to be released in x amount of time. I need to check that fixture out before I make my next purchase.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Im hooked on Orpheks. I always hoped one day to have one or two and now have (5) Atlantiks and (5) OR bars.
They are everything Orphek claims

 

[Homebrewer]

So I’ll be in the minority and recommend something very few people run (in the US anyway), but I’m in my 6th year of the same light setup on a 15 y/o system. I posted some recent pictures, this is worth checking out:

AquaRay Lighting Thread

Starting this thread for AquaRay users to discuss this brand of lights and show off some pics... and for anyone else to chime in with questions or discussion points. I’ll kick it off... I run 2 x AquaRay TMC Nature Perfect 1500 tiles over a 65g Oceanic. I’ve had these lights for over 4 years...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[GillMeister]

Im hooked on Orpheks. I always hoped one day to have one or two and now have (5) Atlantiks and (5) OR bars.
They are everything Orphek claims

I agree. I have 3 of the V4's over my tank and I get near perfect coverage.

 

[Typhon]

I am old school and came from MH/T5s in the day. But I was impressed by the Kessil A360WE, so I picked up the Kessil AP9X. Loving the shimmer and very pleasing to the eye. Almost like the MHs of golden years..

 

[Guttersnipe]

ATI Powermodule

 

[zalick]

Halides with any LEDs for tuning your color preference

 

[Bepis]

I think the top picks are radions (I use gen 3s), orphek, and kessils

 

[X-37B]

I run 250 watt 14k MH in lumen bright reflectors on m80 hqi ballasts.
If I was to go led it would 100% be Orphek.
I run a blue plus for dawn dusk to complement my halides.
Many of my led friends are going to 100% Orphek from Radions.
I think that says alot, imo.

 

[blasterman]

My trusty MARs Aqua black box. Ive heavily modified the LED layout to include more blue and kept the rare 460s in place. Ive also pulled the lenses. Mounted low on a shallow tank its the most crisp light ive ever used with awesome color pop with no shadowing and T5 like uniformity. Problem is I need more height. I will check out the SKY.

I do miss my old Radiums.

 

[McPuff]

Im hooked on Orpheks. I always hoped one day to have one or two and now have (5) Atlantiks and (5) OR bars.
They are everything Orphek claims

Same! I've used a lot of different LEDs and have found Orphek to be the best choice for me. Build quality, aesthetics, light (color, spread, temperature), controllability (super easy) are extremely good... not to mention you can easily upgrade them. There is no "disco ball" effect. I've got 3 of them over my 300DD and I'm growing SPS on the sand bed with no issues. I have a 4th unit on my lagoon (75 gal). Will probably add 1-2 OR3 bars to the DT. If only I didn't have those blasted frame braces! I'm extremely happy with these.

 

[Crashnt24]

Well I haven't used many different leds in my time. I'm loving my Maxspect 300w though. Great price, looks great and I'm growing sps just fine using this light. Highly recommended for anyone that has a 4' tank.

 

[BCSreef]

You will like the Mitras. I promise.

Agree, you will love the Mitras.