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Help me pick new Lights!


RockyProndoa
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So I've decided to upgrade my lighting on my 6' mixed reef. I am currently running two 48" photon v1, and while they have done the trick for awhile, I'm looking for something more Apex compatible and well, something with a bit better color spectrum.

That being said, here is what I am thinking:

 

AI Hydra 52 x 4

Kessil AP700 x 2

Kessil A360W x 4

Radion XR30 Gen 4 Pro x 4

Radion XR15 Gen 4 x 4

Mitras LX7 x 3

Ideally, I want the light to be Apex compatible as I am slowly bringing all of my equipment over, so to do I want to be able to have access to my lights directly from my Apex screen. I love the shimmer of the Kessil 360s and is probably my #1 choice at the moment - but I am looking for input from you guys.

 

Let me know your thoughts!

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I would think you would only need 3 xr30 pros for 6’ tank unless you are more that 24” front to back. I love the lights and with a WXM module you get the controllability. On the xr15pro I would expect you to need 6 fixtures. I have a kessil fuge light and it is very nice, I can’t imagine you would be disappointed with any of thier choices but I haven’t used them myself but tanks I’ve seen them on seemed to be happy. I was considering the Ap700 when the deal in the xr30 pros came along I couldn’t pass up. I also doubt the mitras disappoints but I can’t remember knowing anyone who has one. I really don’t think you can go wrong with any of the fixtures you list. 

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Just now, buk said:

What are your light demands? Is it 6'of softies, mixed, stony? 

Mixed - mainly LPS with a few sps tossed in. However, if I'm upgrading I want it to be just that, an upgrade so that if I choose to go more into sps I will be able to do that. I understand I may eventually need to add another light, but I want to set a pretty decent framework now.

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27 minutes ago, Muttley000 said:

I would think you would only need 3 xr30 pros for 6’ tank unless you are more that 24” front to back. I love the lights and with a WXM module you get the controllability. On the xr15pro I would expect you to need 6 fixtures. I have a kessil fuge light and it is very nice, I can’t imagine you would be disappointed with any of thier choices but I haven’t used them myself but tanks I’ve seen them on seemed to be happy. I was considering the Ap700 when the deal in the xr30 pros came along I couldn’t pass up. I also doubt the mitras disappoints but I can’t remember knowing anyone who has one. I really don’t think you can go wrong with any of the fixtures you list. 

Thank you for catching that, yes, only 3 of the XR30s. And I'm getting the same general vibe elsewhere, with the XR30s getting the nod towards more sps dominant tanks and the Kessil for more LPS dominant tanks because of the respective light spectrums.

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I wouldn't say it's a spectrum difference as much as a power difference. The radions have the potential to put more par to your corals. That's why they are widely used for sps dominant tanks. The Kessils are great and I've seen the 360x's in person. They are cool but they just don't have the punch of the radions unless you use a ton of them. 

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2 hours ago, buk said:

I wouldn't say it's a spectrum difference as much as a power difference. The radions have the potential to put more par to your corals. That's why they are widely used for sps dominant tanks. The Kessils are great and I've seen the 360x's in person. They are cool but they just don't have the punch of the radions unless you use a ton of them. 

That's interesting as that was a bit of my concern with the 360s, they just seem darn small for a 6' tank. 

That being said would narrow it down to the AP700s vs the Radion XR30s. Radions are Apex plug and play, AP700 is not compatible at all, correct?

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Mitras dont seem to be in the running, but they are not controllable via Apex, just to clarify. They can be controlled via the GHL Profliux with the expandable wifi dongle. 

At this point, I would recommend the Radion XR30s just because I feel that it is more of what you are looking for. Yet, I think you will be happy with the AP 700 or the XR30s. Not saying you have too, but if you do buy them from Marine Depot, please use our club link. Helps us out some :)

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23 minutes ago, crimsonvice said:

Mitras dont seem to be in the running, but they are not controllable via Apex, just to clarify. They can be controlled via the GHL Profliux with the expandable wifi dongle. 

At this point, I would recommend the Radion XR30s just because I feel that it is more of what you are looking for. Yet, I think you will be happy with the AP 700 or the XR30s. Not saying you have too, but if you do buy them from Marine Depot, please use our club link. Helps us out some :)

I think I'm pretty sold on the XR30 Pros as well, just going to wait a bit for the price to drop, but when they do I'll purchase through Marine Depot to help the club. I just purchased a DOS and a few other items a few months ago through the link as well.

 

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I was originally thinking xr30s over my growout tank and bought them. But for my new tank I bought xr15s. Half the price for half the light. Double the fans. More options for placement. And if for some reason something goes wrong with one is half the replacement cost. I'll have 5 xr15s mounted in a 4' aquatic life hybrid fixture with 4 blue plus bulbs. Seems to be a pretty solid setup from what I've seen over other people's tanks. And I can run the leds a little lower

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15 minutes ago, buk said:

I was originally thinking xr30s over my growout tank and bought them. But for my new tank I bought xr15s. Half the price for half the light. Double the fans. More options for placement. And if for some reason something goes wrong with one is half the replacement cost. I'll have 5 xr15s mounted in a 4' aquatic life hybrid fixture with 4 blue plus bulbs. Seems to be a pretty solid setup from what I've seen over other people's tanks. And I can run the leds a little lower

This is the perfect example of a true conundrum. My gut reaction is to say, double the lights, double the potential problems, lol. But...I do see your point, and it is definitely something to consider.

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8 minutes ago, Sevitz5 said:

Can I throw something in the mix? Look at the Orphek Atlantic V4.  At $800 each you only need 2......a lot of the SPS guys online are praising them up as well as BRS review

It's funny you posted this because I literally just got done reading a large thread on a different forum praising these lights...I may have to dig in a bit deeper.

It also appears I may be waiting awhile for the Radion Gen5s to release, and not sure I want to spend $2500 on new lights, especially since there is really nothing wrong with my current Reef breeders v1 - I just WANT the upgrade, lol.

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7 minutes ago, RockyProndoa said:

It's funny you posted this because I literally just got done reading a large thread on a different forum praising these lights...I may have to dig in a bit deeper.

It also appears I may be waiting awhile for the Radion Gen5s to release, and not sure I want to spend $2500 on new lights, especially since there is really nothing wrong with my current Reef breeders v1 - I just WANT the upgrade, lol.

I hear ya, I got 4 Hydra26 HD on my 5’ tank that are less than a year old....  I too want to upgrade, but don’t need to. It’s more of a want issue. Lol

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3 minutes ago, crimsonvice said:

Isnt that always the case??? My wants and needs are hard to distinguish sometimes. lol

This is why I move everything to the 'Need' column; no more internal conflicts lol.

But in all seriousness, I'm probably ok in the $1-2k range, but anything more than that for lights and I have a tough time justifying it. If I'm going to spend that much on lights, I want a 400g+ tank... Speaking of....

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