Radion, Hydra 52 OR Kessil ***CONFUSED***

[kizz]

Hi Guys,

I have just ordered my Red Sea 450 Reefer. I am trying to decide on LED lighting and I am very confused on what to get.

Looking at:-
- Radion XR30w Pro
- Hydra 52
- Kessil A360WE Tuna Blue

Are these overkill? Should I go for the lesser models???

Tank Specs as follows:

System Volumes Display tank water volume: (L) 350 (92 gal)
In cabinet sump water volume: (L) 90 (24 gal)
Total system water volume: (L) 440 (116 gal)
RO reservoir volume: (L) 13.7 (3.6 gal)

System Dimensions
Display tank length: (cm) 150 (59″)
Display tank height: (cm) 55 (22″)
Display tank width: (cm) 50 (20″)
Total system height with cabinet (cm) 142 (56″)


PLEASE HELP :headwalls:

[moondoggy4]

Since the Red Sea is a sleek modern looking tank, I would chose either the Radion with the mount or the Kessils. Sorry but budget will play a big role in your decision. I would say you will need 3.


Welcome to Reef Central

[oseymour]

I had the AI Hydra and recently switched to the Kessil A360WE.

It was easy to see the different colors of the Hydra in the tank and I love the shimmer created by the Kessil.

[kizz]

Thanks guys. Budget isn't a problem and I would like to do it right from the start. Please keep opinions, pros and cons coming. All 3 are great units... I would like to keep a mixture of LPS & SPS.

[parrthed]

My LFS has all 3 on separate tanks and to me the Radion is the way to go. The radions appear considerably brighter and in my opinion the color blending is great. They have 2 XR15 pro on a 4x2 frag tank and the coverage is amazing

[Wazzel]

Those are all good lights and will serve you well. I run a Hydra52 on my tank and have good results. My second choice was the radion. I have no experience with the kessil unit.

[newe70]

You cannot go wrong with either of those LED fixtures, IMO. The Kessils will give you an amazing shimmering over the other two. I never have a Radion, but heard good things about it. I currently running three Hydra 52s over my 100g Artisan II Cadlights. The corals are responding extremely well over these bad boys in color and growth.

I would suggest to check them out in person at ur lfs and decide.

Good luck with your final selection!

[mypepper]

I'm using two Hydra 52's and one after market heat sink that CNC Reef manufactured, which I'm using with my spare Vega parts on my 90 gallon reef system.

Hands down, the Hydra 52 units are the best in my mind for the money.

Once I figure out how to downsize my picture file from my Samsung Note 4, I'll post a picture of my lighting setup.

Thanks,
Randy

[Coelli]

I went through this same decision process recently and wound up going with Kessils. I really love the shimmer and color from them.

[cody6766]

I'm a fan of Kessils over the others, just due to light blend and color. The other lights are a little stronger in the red/orange spectrum, but the Kessils are no slouch. The Kessils are also cheaper. All of the fixtures are well designed, but the Kessils are a little more unique in design.

There's no easy answer to this question. It helps a lot to be able to see them at a LFS because online pics are decieving. My vote goes: Kessil, Radion, Hydra

[EcoTech Service]

Hi Kizz- If you do end up going w/ Radions, I think two (2) of the XR30wG3 Pro fixtures with the Wide-Angle Lens accessory would work great on your Red Sea!

[kizz]

Thanks Guys!

I saw the EcoTech's in action today at my LFS, got to play around with them and connected with an iPad. I liked them very much compared with the Kessil, yet to see the Hydra in action I have been watching YouTube to help me out there.

So it's down to two now... Radion & Hydra... which I think are the same company now??? Correct me if I am wrong.

[newe70]

If you go with the Hydra 52, make sure to get the Director as well. This is an awesome controller and very user friendly.

[calistyle]

Radion needs to design a hybrid fixture.

Radion w/ t5 supplement is best option.

[Relativity]

I have the Radions but I would get the 52s.

[EcoTech Service]

Radion needs to design a hybrid fixture.

Radion w/ t5 supplement is best option.

That wouldn't exactly be pushing the envelope of innovation, now would it? :fun4:

[calistyle]

That wouldn't exactly be pushing the envelope of innovation, now would it? :fun4:

OK, OK.... How about Radion XxX - It'll be a Radium MH bulb surrounded by LED's w/ 2 sets of T5s (2 front , 2 back) and controller with liquid cooling, no fans. :bounce1:

Let me know when you need beta testers!

[adamyaws]

As a current AI Hydra owner (who's in the process of switching back to MH for a 31" deep tank) I would say look at the Radions. The hydras looked good on a shallower 90 gallon tank but the uber-deep thing I have does not look great. At this point I don't think it's really possible to properly light a deep tank with LED for SPS.

I seriously considered putting 4 Pro 30s on the tank but that wasn't practical nor was it cost effective in the short or long run.

[kizz]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions, advice and help. Hydar 52's arrived with the Director. Looking forward to firing them up!!!

[mordibv]

Hi Kizz- If you do end up going w/ Radions, I think two (2) of the XR30wG3 Pro fixtures with the Wide-Angle Lens accessory would work great on your Red Sea!


Even though the OP never stated what corals he/she will be keeping u suggesting 2 units over a 60 inch tank is just bad advice imho . Imho that tank would need at least 4 of those lights . Yes it would be run at lower power levels but at least shading shouldn't be an issue .The user already stated cost is not an issue and he/wanted to get it right .


That wouldn't exactly be pushing the envelope of innovation, now would it? :fun4:

Yes its great that you have good control features. Using off the shelf high bin led's isn't exactly innovative ? Isn't everyone else pretty much doing the same thing ? Manufacturing a light to use over a salt water enviroment with fans sucking in moisture wasn't a good idea either . It took you all 3 gens to figure that out ? For realz ? Users implementing t5's with leds including ectotech products obviously say's the light is lacking something which also coincides with that bad advice of of using 2 fixtures over a 60 inch tank . Even the suggetion of using 120 optics for better spread at the sake of low par is just odd advice . Just a guess but I say it's not enough fixtures . Obviously using t5's are a economical solution .
It's great the OP did choose his/her lights already . This is a prime example imho of the proper use of leds to what leds lack .

I refer to post 8 .
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2395155

Another good example . It has 4 hydra 52's an 1 26 in the center . FF to 56 seconds to see how many units are on the tank .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3XYkmZ-TqQ

It just gets frustrating to read repeats of the same odd advice when an honest /truthbfull answer coming from a respected manu is all it takes .

[kmu]

OK, OK.... How about Radion XxX - It'll be a Radium MH bulb surrounded by LED's w/ 2 sets of T5s (2 front , 2 back) and controller with liquid cooling, no fans. :bounce1:

Let me know when you need beta testers!


Been there and it was amazing!!!

Had a 250 watt Radium metal halide bulb overdriven to 275 watts, with royal blue leds to supplement and ATI blue plus and purple plus for extra color...

The growth and color of everything was great, really miss it now on my new tank where I only have the hydras

[kmu]

As a current AI Hydra owner (who's in the process of switching back to MH for a 31" deep tank) I would say look at the Radions. The hydras looked good on a shallower 90 gallon tank but the uber-deep thing I have does not look great. At this point I don't think it's really possible to properly light a deep tank with LED for SPS.

I seriously considered putting 4 Pro 30s on the tank but that wasn't practical nor was it cost effective in the short or long run.

Im currently running regular hydras on a 72x36x36 400g tank and the growth on my sand bed corals is very good, I got LPS and softies and do not see a difference in growth from the corals all the way on top of the rock structure to the ones down 34" deep in the water column... Now for SPS I cannot speak from experience, I do not have any of them... Got my blues at 100%, red and green at 30% and whites at 40%

[Reel North]

I have radions (g2 ) x3 on my 150 g. Tank is 6x18x29 high. Apparently I need between 1 and 3 more to make this actually work. Now I get to replace them with MH and T5. After a year it's been disappointing to say the least.

[oseymour]

Yes its great that you have good control features. Using off the shelf high bin led's isn't exactly innovative ? Isn't everyone else pretty much doing the same thing ?

I ended up going with Kessils because I've seen their lighting for photography and it's great. And they are one of the only manufacturers in our hobby that design and manufacture their own LEDS.

[mordibv]

I ended up going with Kessils because I've seen their lighting for photography and it's great. And they are one of the only manufacturers in our hobby that design and manufacture their own LEDS.

True .I see u have a 37 gallon tank . Let me know how that works out for u SPS wise .

[amcvay1979]

I went with the Hydra 52's for several reasons. Best bang for the buck, more light and more LED's compared to the Radions. Similar controls and settings and I liked the fact that AI's were made in my home state, less than 40 min away from my house, not that they offer a service desk or anything but I felt their customer service was very good. I liked the tank mount arms of the Radion's a little better and cost savings of the 52's over the Radions are pretty much wiped out after you spend the cash on the rails and arms to mount them, but you'd have to drop $ on the Radion arms as well. I think the Radions and 52's are about as bleeding edge LED technology as you can get today and the Kessils are very nice as well, just not as much control as the others, maybe a bit too much shimmer for me.

[tonyyloww]

52s ALL DAY!!!!!!!!:thumbsup:

[sadt3arz]

Kessil def has a nice shimmer and natural look though

[Hitch08]

It looks like the OP has selected the lights for his tank, so hopefully I can jump in here for some advice.

I am building a 120g 4x2x2 tank. If I were to get the Radion xr30 gen 3 lights, would two be sufficient or would I need three of them?

Thanks!

[toky916]

I took the hydra 52 bang for buck and no shadowing issue with so much light. Color blending is excellent compared to the old fixtures that had a problem.

[jminick2]

It looks like the OP has selected the lights for his tank, so hopefully I can jump in here for some advice.

I am building a 120g 4x2x2 tank. If I were to get the Radion xr30 gen 3 lights, would two be sufficient or would I need three of them?

Thanks!

Hitch I have exact set up with 2 g3 pros about 8 inches off the waters and it's more than enough with both lights at 50%

[chadfarmer]

That wouldn't exactly be pushing the envelope of innovation, now would it? :fun4:

tell that to ati

[Rmc123]

I'm setting up the Reefer 450 as well. After much research, including contacting AI directly, I decided to with 3 x Hydra 26's. The Reefer 450 is not a deep tank, and will be evenly lit using the 26's. The 52s are designed to penetrate deep tanks.

Good luck with the build!

[ravin01]

I was thinking of getting rid of my Kessils and going with a controllable ATI Sunpower. I have a 100 gallon tank and am putting in another 200 gallon tank in my downstairs tv room.

To do this I am putting tile under the two area's and had the high end LFS come to move the 100 gallon. The installer's see lot's of tanks. They thought it had been up and running 3 to 6 years. My tank is 1 year 3 months. I am rethinking whether I want to get rid of them and what I want to do on the new 200 gallon.....

Help

[ravin01]

And in fact one of them wants to purchase the Kessils and replace his other led fixtures.

[kenpau]

Radion needs to design a hybrid fixture.

Radion w/ t5 supplement is best option.

+1 +1 +1 +1!!! Although not specifically Radion/T5, just LED/T5.

That wouldn't exactly be pushing the envelope of innovation, now would it? :fun4:

LED/T5 definitely shouldn't be discounted by manufacturers as there are a lot of reef keepers out there putting this into practice. The very high end manufacturers such as Giesemann and ATI have listened to demand and made extrememly high quality Hybrids, I should know I sold my AI Hydra52s and bought one!

[kenpau]

I'm setting up the Reefer 450 as well. After much research, including contacting AI directly, I decided to with 3 x Hydra 26's. The Reefer 450 is not a deep tank, and will be evenly lit using the 26's. The 52s are designed to penetrate deep tanks.

Good luck with the build!

This is true however the penetration is directly below the light, I was getting about 30 PAR on the sand bed by the front and back glass using 3 x 52s on my shallow reef. It's a hard one to work out, these lights are very powerful so while trying to get sufficient light spread in all areas of the tank, if you turn your lights up to achieve this you risk cooking anything directly below the lights. I had numerous Acropora go pale because of the intense light, so I had to turn them down to 65%, that affected my PAR even more when moving off the centre line of the tank.

[Ryan edge]

So what did you guys go with? I am going after a reefer 350 and don't know if I should go with 3×ai 26s or 2×52s. Please help

[Mark426]

It just gets frustrating to read repeats of the same odd advice when an honest /truthbfull answer coming from a respected manufacture is all it takes .

Amen. I love Ecotech and your products but......You know that 2 Radions over a typical 60 inch SPS tank is just not going to overcome the inherent shadowing all LED fixtures have (at the moment anyway). Its been said here 100's of times.

IMO..better to be up front or remain silent.