Reefstarter2
New member
you think the 26 can penetrate a 24 inch deep tank ? I was thinking about getting 3 for a 180 standard dimension tank .
Hydra 26,52,maxspect,Radion pro oh my!!
- Thread starter DocHogan
- Start date
robertifly
Premium Member
I didn't get the 26 I got two 52's, but looking a kenpau's par readings the 26 will penetrate if you have enough of them.
I actually saw a 180 6ft tank with 3 of the 26's. It looked really good. The lights were suspended from the ceiling and Im not sure of the exact height but there was no noticeable shadowing. There were all kinds of corals and the colors were just awesome. Im guess the 52's may be better if you can afford them as there are obviously more pucks. Also even if you decided you needed more than the 3 26's you could add more easily with the connector rail and space them however you wanted.
kenpau
New member
Far out, I'm surprised at that. The PAR reading I got showed me that 3 52s isn't enough on my 5ft tank!
I definitely second that. These lights are powerful, I was running mine at 90% and my acropora slowly got more and more pale, not bleaching but just losing colour. I've now turned them down to 65% peak during the day and I'm getting much better colouration.
You can look at my PAR map above to see what the 26s can do, granted it is 5 of them, but they are only running at 80%. AI told me that 2 26's are more powerful than 1 52 (perhaps they cool better). Anyway I can get over 300 par at the bottom of the 24" tank with the lights a total of 30" above the bottom at 80% intensity. I am still a big fan of using 26's over the 52's and having more fixtures to help shading issues unless the tank is over 24" deep.
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I can't give you any technical data and the 180 I saw didn't look as good as Harts but it was pretty impressive. What I really liked about it was the colors of the corals and this HUGE anemone that was in the center of the tank. He also had some clams on the bottom that were spotless. My tank is doing great so far and the color improvement is noticeable. The other thing I like over the Radions was that the fan on the XR15 pro ran all the time, even when the lights were off. I have yet to have my AI 26's kick on unless I crank the intensity up a lot. Not that this is a big deal as both fans are really quite but it was one of the little things that pushed me to the 26's.
kenpau
New member
This is correct, the reason I need more than 3 52s on my 5ft tank though isn't the PAR but the spread, the optical angle is poor on these lights, meaning you need a lot of them to combat shading and to get sufficient light to the whole tank.
That wasn't directed at you, but the comment about hydra 26 and PAR on the bottom of a 24" deep tank is all. I suppose the 52's at the same height don't really cover much more area since they have 2 clusters but they are just a few inches in front, so side coverage wouldn't change and length would only be about 4" more unless you hang them higher.
Think you would have been better off with 5 or 6 hydra 26s?
Think you would have been better off with 5 or 6 hydra 26s?
kenpau
New member
Thats cool mate, I knew it wasn't directed at me. I think I would have been better with 1 or 2 more 52s switched into parallel rather than in series like I have them now. I honestly think that for a wider tank like mine (750mm) 1 52 per ft is the way to go.
Good write up kenpau01, I've been running a old 6 tube HO T5 39 wt 36" over my tank that is 36l x 24h x 24d but I've been itching to upgrade to better lighting but haven't been convinced led only is an upgrade. What LED/T5 combo did you end up ordering if you don't mind telling?
kenpau
New member
Good write up kenpau01, I've been running a old 6 tube HO T5 39 wt 36" over my tank that is 36l x 24h x 24d but I've been itching to upgrade to better lighting but haven't been convinced led only is an upgrade. What LED/T5 combo did you end up ordering if you don't mind telling?
????
rickztahone
New member
Sry to bump up an old thread, but I am looking at possibly getting a Maxspect Razor 420 to cover a tank that is 36" long and 12" high. The other I am looking at is the Hydra 26 but I am not sure that will cover a footprint of 36" long and 2 of them would be out of the question for me. Thoughts? How about the smaller AI primes? Sorry to piggy back on the thread
rickztahone
New member
Thank you for the reply. How do you feel about the Maxspect one? It claims to cover up to 36"
I am using the Maxspect Razor on a 3ft long 65 gallon tank and it works just fine. The coverage is good and will light it pretty evenly. It just depends on what your wanting to keep. I have supplemented the tank with two t5 bulbs in addition to the razor to minimize some of the shadowing I was seeing from the led's.
rickztahone
New member
Thank you for that feedback. It helps a lot. Seeing as this tank is a 12" high tank, I may be able to get better lighting.
After looking at options I eventually went with hydra 26s too, 5 of them on my 120. The reds and oranges are more intense then I could capture in the photos below. I have never invested time learning how to edit photos (or even take pics) to try and get capture that though, so just white balance and highlights turned down.
FYI PAR map and current FTS:
Hi!
Wow what colors!))) May I ask you what camera and settings did you use? Because all of my pictures come out blue/purple! I'm not professional but would like to take great photos of my tank....
Thank you!
