Best LED for 48x24x24

aandfsoccr04

aandfsoccr04

Active member
What would you all say is the best LED fixture that is plug and play for the 4 foot long by 2 foot deep by 2 foot high? How many would you say I would need of your favorite brand?
 
Following this...

So far I'm trying to decide between the Ecoxotic and the EcoTech and would love to hear others opinions
 
2 AI Sol's would get the job done. With a controller you are still under $1k and they are designed to work with all of the existing major controller manufacturers out there.
 
Best is subjective of course but if money is no option You should look at:
Vertex Illumina and Pacific Sun Metis line as very nice all-in-one fixtures that can offer more then just cool white and blue LEDs.

If you don't mind modular units, 2 Ecotech Radions would work well. Pacific Sun also makes some very nice modular units with their Black Python line.
Aqua Illuminations are also a modular option although so far they are restricted to only cool white and blue leds.

There are other nice units also. Take a look at the last issue (Sept/Oct) of Coral Magazine as they focused on LED lighting with a very comprehensive article on all the latest LED fixtures.
 
Looking for lighting that you all have tried that you found worked and how many you would recommend for this sized tank. Thanks for the responses.
 
EcoTech and Ecoxotic is where I would be looking. I wouldn't touch the AIs but that is just my preference. They are ice cold in color and don't render colors the best TO MY EYES. Some love them, I hate them.

The new Ecoxotic Panorama PRO fixtures will be super nice and totally modular. Add and remove as you see fit. I am not sure how wide of a tank they will cover though. I would guess 24" but have never heard or seen for sure.
 
If you don't mind some accented lighting then you could always look into either DIY or PAR 38's with some ecoxotic panorama pros thrown in. I have done a similar thing where I used 4 panorama pros and 3 PAR 38's to brighten certain parts and to give the option of adding sps to different depths depending on the area of the tank. It turned out really well, sadly I no longer have pics due to me being stupid and not backing up old photos on my laptop.
 
aandfsoccr04 said:
What would you all say is the best LED fixture that is plug and play for the 4 foot long by 2 foot deep by 2 foot high? How many would you say I would need of your favorite brand?
Click to expand...
Well... here's the problem the Radion (EcoTech) and Panorama Pro (Ecoxotic) referred to in various postings do not yet exist... well... Radion just started shipping. But literally like a week or two ago (although someone I am sure will find this post and say that they had one for a month ;)). Furthermore, there will not be any real/field testing results for some time as people get them and play with them and post some experiences. So... you can only really compare/consider those two based on paper specs.

AI Sol's exist and you can buy them and there is a significant body of experience out there if you use the "Search" button. Most people I think from my searching love them. But... AI is coming out w/a new product line, currently called Phoenix, which they will sell along side the Sol's for $100 more per unit.

So it kind of depends on a) how soon do you want the lights, b) how much of an adventurer do you feel like being on this? ;)

I personally am too in the process of figuring out what will my light setup be on the 90G (48l/18w/24h) build I am in the process of putting together (no rush on this for me though, since my progress has been extremely slow so far).

I discounted the Radions so far because they are ridiculously expensive IMO @$750/per fixture. This is a last year price for a LED fixture this size. Yea they have some cool features but really I think it's just bells and whistles. I do like them a lot actually but their coolness is just not worth $250/more per fixture compared to the AI's and upcoming Panorama Pro's...

So now I am sort of swaying between the AIs and upcoming Panorama Pro's. One thing for sure, whatever I get will have to be black so the current crop of Sol's is out for me because they are white/silver and they don't make black. From that stand point Panorama Pro's sound more appealing. But... what annoys me w/Ecoxotic is the fact that unlike everybody else in this crowd (including me, w/a DIY fixture I made for a BC29 a while ago) they don't use Cree LED's in their fixtures. They use a lot more by count of some less powerful LED to come up w/similar Wattages per fixture size.

I guess there is a separate argument here - what's better, fewer more powerful, or more less powerful emitters. And no, this argument never ends pretty so I am not trying to start it ;).

But... I feel like I don't know what I am dealing with w/Ecoxotic lights... because they don't even say what emitters they use. So if I want to I can't just go to a spec sheet to compare apples to apples w/other fixtures. The only comparable number is really wattage they draw, which is not a very good point of reference if that's the only data point you have. In effect I have to basically trust other people who say they are good, but still don't really know what makes them go! W/the others, Radion and AI, because I know the LED emitters they are using (clearly stated on their spec sheets), and I have used the same ones (XR-e's ) or sort of... I know exactly how much power their fixtures will put out and what to expect.

Ok, that said I am thinking that for my 90 I will start with 2 AI's (either SOl's or Phoenix) mounted length wise or two Panorama Pro fixtures (23" wide ones). The latter would probably give a bit better coverage but like I said, I don't know how they compare to anything else. In your case, since your tank would be 4" wider you could probably go w/two Panorama Pros, 2 Radions or 2 or 3 or even 4 Sol's mounted front to back. Or start w/two Sol's/Phoenix'es mounted lengthwise and go from there (always can add more later).

Spacey :)
 
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Ecoxotic use CREE emitters or Edison at times. The majority of their stuff is CREE though. My RGB from them is using CREE emitters.

The PROs have been out for some time now, just not the fixture portion. That will be out within a week though if everything goes right.

I don't understand the bells and whistles about the Radion. You mean choosing your spectrum, is bells and whistles? I guess all lighting is full of bells and whistles. I've been choosing my spectrum since day one in this hobby.
 
Well... I guess I meant the spectrum choosing and wireless sync w/Vortech's but I do agree that in an ideal world ability to do that should just be "normal" and come naturally w/the light. That said, it currently is not a "stock" feature on any other light (except the Panorama Pro RGB modules within limited range - their 16 settings). If I din't care about $250 extra per fixture and people who get them confirm that they are as good as the paper specs say they are etc. I would most likely go for Radions myself.

But... given that I am going to have to move planets to try and figure out how to convince "certain" part of my family to let me get the lights for a $1000 (let alone $1500) I am going to be fine w/no wireless sync w/my MP40 ;). Sure I would like to play w/the spectrum, but I think I can "live" w/out it for some time lol.

Besides I have been leaning lately against the centralized control mentality through one controller and for using as many "native" and separate controllers as possible. That's because of the single point of failure problem and when that point does fail you are crippled w/all devices and have to re-wire everything. Instead of being just inconvenienced to a limited extent. I had my Apex die on me few weeks ago, and while Neptune fixed it for free and everything, it still took 2 weeks to get it back functional from the moment it died so... but... that's a different story.

Spacey :)
 
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5pacey said:
Well... I guess I meant the spectrum choosing and wireless sync w/Vortech's but I do agree that in an ideal world ability to do that should just be "normal" and come naturally w/the light. That said, it currently is not a "stock" feature on any other light (except the Panorama Pro RGB modules within limited range - their 16 settings). If I din't care about $250 extra per fixture and people who get them confirm that they are as good as the paper specs say they are etc. I would most likely go for Radions myself.

But... given that I am going to have to move planets to try and figure out how to convince "certain" part of my family to let me get the lights for a $1000 (let alone $1500) I am going to be fine w/no wireless sync w/my MP40 ;). Sure I would like to play w/the spectrum, but I think I can "live" w/out it for some time lol.

Besides I have been leaning lately against the centralized control mentality through one controller and for using as many "native" and separate controllers as possible. That's because of the single point of failure problem and when that point does fail you are crippled w/all devices and have to re-wire everything. Instead of being just inconvenienced to a limited extent. I had my Apex die on me few weeks ago, and while Neptune fixed it for free and everything, it still took 2 weeks to get it back functional from the moment it died so... but... that's a different story.

Spacey :)
Click to expand...

I will agree that storm mode and some other things on the Radion are pointless. Some how our reefs have been just fine without that crap for years. I actually think the lightning is bad for fish and can have very negative side effects. Too many companies don't research that part and just jump on the bandwagon.
 
Well I'm not really in any hurry to switch to LEDs but I am definitely interested in all the bells and whistles and being able to dim them and change your tank colors whenever you feel like it. I'm not a big fan of the 750 dollar price tag so unless it drops in the upcoming few months I don't think that will be the route I go. I'm not too big on being a guinea pig or properly termed early adopter. I might go with the AI phoenix since their price range is a little more reasonable for someone like me and seems to get good reviews about being a solid fixture.
 
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