Anything new/better than these LED lights?

S

schabiazabi

New member
I'm trying to confirm if you guys know of better LED lights than AquaBeam 1000 Ultra Reef White. For the area coverage I have not seen LED lights with better parameters, so I'm wondering.

Right now I'm in a need for a 55G reef tank LEDs. The tank is going to hold SPS at 20" max. High end LEDs is the obvious choice, but being able to receive proper fixture parameters from the manufacture and compare apples to apples is not.

Please list anything you've got that is high end LED. Maybe I missing something brand new on the market.
 
schabiazabi said:
Please list anything you've got that is high end LED. Maybe I missing something brand new on the market.
Click to expand...

Yes, you are DEFINETLY missing something!

EcoTech Radion - Best LED available IMO.

AI SOL - Second choice - amazing quality.

Also coming soon, that will probably kick some serious WRASSE :spin1: is the AI Phoenix. Can't wait to see it...
 
EcoTech Radion

EcoTech Radion

Yes, the EcoTech Radions seem great, but I can not find the full spec for these lights.
It seems it is caped at 20,000k only.

Those royal blues are not actinic blue. I need actinic blue as well for zooanthellic algae. It's very hard to compare apples to apples when looking at LEDs. No one wants to publish the full spec. Royal Blue means nothing to mean without the parameters.

Do you know how the red and green looks like? I'm not sure if that's a benefit, unless you like cyanobacteria, and bleached corals.

I like the unit and I do not mind turning off the red plus green, but I hate to pay for something that I'm not using.
 
Last edited:
I'm astonished you guys have been using the Radions for long enough to say that.

Anyway as the proud owner of an Aquabeam 1000 I can assue that most anything is better than it as a potential light for your tank. The overall appearance is too yellowy green, and the areal coverage isn't great. Also mine faded in intensity rather quickly as the passive cooling seems not to be ideal.

There are a lot of solutions out there - the AI Sol looks very good, as does the Radion potentially. The extra green red LEDs should not be an issue as you suggest - lots of people add in pink T5's successfully, this is similar.
 
schabiazabi said:
Yes, the EcoTech Radions seem great, but I can not find the full spec for these lights.
It seems it is caped at 20,000k only.

Those royal blues are not actinic blue. I need actinic blue as well for zooanthellic algae. It's very hard to compare apples to apples when looking at LEDs. No one wants to publish the full spec. Royal Blue means nothing to mean without the parameters.

Do you know how the red and green looks like? I'm not sure if that's a benefit, unless you like cyanobacteria, and bleached corals.

I like the unit and I do not mind turning off the red plus green, but I hate to pay for something that I'm not using.
Click to expand...

recife111 said:
Vertex is the best hands down.
Click to expand...


Both of you get a :thumbdown and a facepalm.

Sounds like some shilling from the OP when he talks about the Ecotech like that. What do you have to base your knowledge on? Ever heard of a Radium metal halide? Did you know that the Radion LED system has the same spectrum?

Red and green won't grow cyano. Again, where is your "knowledge" coming from?

Vertex makes a great system but to say it is the "best" you better quantify what the "best" is. What is good to you, isn't good to me.

Ecotech and Ecoxotic have the best systems available in my opinion. They don't cost an arm and leg and totally modular. Plus both companies are here in the US and have great customer service if you need it.
 
schabiazabi said:
Yes, the EcoTech Radions seem great, but I can not find the full spec for these lights.
It seems it is caped at 20,000k only.

Those royal blues are not actinic blue. I need actinic blue as well for zooanthellic algae. It's very hard to compare apples to apples when looking at LEDs. No one wants to publish the full spec. Royal Blue means nothing to mean without the parameters.

Do you know how the red and green looks like? I'm not sure if that's a benefit, unless you like cyanobacteria, and bleached corals.

I like the unit and I do not mind turning off the red plus green, but I hate to pay for something that I'm not using.
Click to expand...

They HAVE published the full specs - down to the exact LED emitters they are using. Just go to the CREE web site and pull technical documents for all of the different emitters - I have.

Also, you are confusing the spectra needed to grow zooxanthellae (two types of photosynthesis with dual peaks in blue and red) with the spectra necessary for coral pigmentation development. They are not the same.

You are tossing out a lot of incorrect information and mixing terms that should not be mixed. You understand that color temp (your 20K figure) is for all intents and purposes irrelevant when it comes to discussing LED's? That "actinic" lighting is just a fancy name for some bulbs that generate near-ultraviolet spectra - and that there are different types of "actinic" lights? If you have cyano and bleached corals I will almost certainly guarantee you that green and red spectrum lighting is not the cause...
 
Id be interested in seeing what the new Ecoxotics can do, read an article that they were doing 240 par on the sand of a 24" tank with the lights 18" above the surface. Not to mention the ability to add tons more light to the fixture... you could easily double the lights in one of those things. They also give out the wave lengths 8000k,10000k,12000k, 402nm,445nm,452nm. Plus they are far more affordable than AI (Never priced out EcoTech)
 
just my two cents. The multichip LED pendants seem like they "mimic" full spectra MH closest vs the flat array type systems. Kessil A150 (with 350 somewhere in the pipeline), Orphek dif pendants. the ecoxotic cannons, etc...
 
Looks like people are misinformed when it comes to reef light. I will write a short summary what I think is the best light for reef.

I'm not a shill. I did not make up my mind. As of now I'm looking for the best LED light for my reef tank. Having a quick look at some of the lights tells me none of the lights are optimal even though the technology exists. That is probably because the lights are produced with the intention of being sold as oppose to being build for reef.

Do not get me wrong, they are very good, but not optimal and therefor not what I'm after. Give me some time and I will spell out what I think is the best light these days and then I'll list what is missing in all those fixtures listed above including mine.
 
I sure like my Aqua Illuminations SOL Blue fixture, and with the recent price drop, that's the LED fixture I would (and did) buy.
 
schabiazabi said:
Looks like people are misinformed when it comes to reef light. I will write a short summary what I think is the best light for reef.

I'm not a shill. I did not make up my mind. As of now I'm looking for the best LED light for my reef tank. Having a quick look at some of the lights tells me none of the lights are optimal even though the technology exists. That is probably because the lights are produced with the intention of being sold as oppose to being build for reef.

Do not get me wrong, they are very good, but not optimal and therefor not what I'm after. Give me some time and I will spell out what I think is the best light these days and then I'll list what is missing in all those fixtures listed above including mine.
Click to expand...

I look forward to it :)
 
More tested and with many other reefkeepers growing SPS like crazy: Aquaillumination SOL Blue

I have 12 of them and they are AMAZING.

The Ecotech looks good BUT is new and we should give more time...
 
TheFishTeen said:
Yes, you are DEFINETLY missing something!

EcoTech Radion - Best LED available IMO.

AI SOL - Second choice - amazing quality.

Also coming soon, that will probably kick some serious WRASSE :spin1: is the AI Phoenix. Can't wait to see it...
Click to expand...

Ecotehc Radion the best? mmm so far on paper.

IMO as of today for LED the best is a good DIY.
 
Jvak said:
These have impressed me.... Check them out on facebook, they seem to have a really good following with a lot of sps heavy tanks.
Click to expand...

While I have no long term personal experience with Orphek the guys at Reef Builders have pretty much stated that they are garbage based on effective spread. I have seen a few in person and the color is OK (better than AI Sol Blue for sure) but I wasn't that impressed.

Waiting for my Radions.

Edit: schabiazabi I'll be eagerly waiting for your analysis of why current RGB fixtures that share a nearly identical spectrum with a Radium bulb do not provide the proper spectrum for zoox algae. Would you mind sharing some of your background on the topic of LED lighting?
 
Am I missing something? I thought the ecotechs hadn't shipped yet? How can something that hasn't hit the market yet be "the best"? I'm hoping they turn out to be a fine product but until we see some real world results it's all just speculation at this point. Personally I've been milling this over alot and am leaning towards the SOLS. The price point is decent, the seem to have a good track record although I've came across enough mixed reviewed that I haven't pulled the trigger just yet. I really do like the idea of an RGB light spectrum but I'm not ready to go full led yet and will be doing led/t5 combo so I can make up for whatever colour I'm missing w/my t5s.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

K
Fluval Reef 4.0 LED Nano Power Level for 15G?
Replies
3
Views
261
kingyking888
K
sickman
Juwel Lido 200 - really reef tank ready all in one? Really Really?
2
Replies
39
Views
1K
Reefing102
Reefing102
T
Alternative Lighting for Biocube 29
Replies
0
Views
123
thommyboy12183
T
jasonfrey
New Dalua LEDs - From the X4 Reefer Pro to LED strip lights. Check them out at:
Replies
0
Views
241
jasonfrey
jasonfrey
T
New 55g setup. Advice for fish appreciated
Replies
6
Views
461
Uncle99
Uncle99
Back
Top