Hydra 26 or Radion xr15

[Life Down below]

I have a 155 gal bow mix reef. dimensions 72" long, 24"center, 18" on either end and 24" tall. My tank has 2 support brackets on top of the tank that supports the glass one at 1/3 and the other at 2/3 of the tank they are 3" wide non transparent. Also my tank has a wood top. My light's can as high as 14"1/2 From top of water to top of light I have a neptune apex classic. I'm trying to decide weather 6 hydra 26s or 6 radion xr15. I don't want to do 52s or xr30. With the 26s and xr15s I can space them closer to the edges of the tank . From what I've seen at lfs the 26s lighting looks better but I'm concerned about the wireless, can i add the hydra to my apex? Would they give me better coverage having double the pucks. I read they are 80 degree coverage compared to radion 180 degree. My cheap Chinese leds give me hot spots and lots of shadows right now. Do i half to buy any extra equipment to control the hydra's. All in all the hyras will be $300 cheaper than the radions

Please give me your inputs

 

[rffanat1c]

Radion radion radion. I don't use mine with my Apex, just with reef link. So worth it to me.

 

[Indymann99]

AI Hydras work fine with Apex. You will need the APEX AWM wireless control module.

 

[BrettDS]

I have no experience with the hydras, so I can't really offer a comparison, but I will say that I love the three Radion XR30 pro's that I have over my 72x24x30 220G tank. The XR30's work over my rectangular tank, but if I had it to do over again I would go with 6 XR15's just to give me a little more freedom in placement.

Also, I got the radion diffuser kits for my XR30's earlier this week and I can't tell you how much I love them. They make a huge difference in color uniformity at the sand and make the tank so much nicer to look at. If you get radions definitely get the diffusers as well.

 

[Life Down below]

I heard you can't control the Hydra 26 is at all with Apex

 

[Indymann99]

I heard you can't control the Hydra 26 is at all with Apex

You need the Neptune AWM module

Apex Fusion interface gives you LOTS of control.

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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/152505950@N07/38634929200/in/dateposted-public/" title="APEX Fusion AI Hydra 1"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4753/38634929200_576f4a7c4f.jpg" width="500" height="351" alt="APEX Fusion AI Hydra 1"></a>******** async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/152505950@N07/39549136405/in/dateposted-public/" title="APEX Fusion AI Hydra 2"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4615/39549136405_681d5b436d.jpg" width="500" height="344" alt="APEX Fusion AI Hydra 2"></a>******** async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Life Down below]

I have SPSn top and Acans down in the bottom do you think that six xr15 will be too much light for those. I'm possibly considering one xr15 on either end and two separate xr15 s in the middle of the tank

 

[Life Down below]

Are u using hydra 26 hd series with the wxm module? Because I know the older models you can run on apex

 

[BrettDS]

I have SPSn top and Acans down in the bottom do you think that six xr15 will be too much light for those. I'm possibly considering one xr15 on either end and two separate xr15 s in the middle of the tank

I'm pretty sure you just listed 4, which might be a little light. 5 or 6 would probably be better depending on the arrangement. I have 3 XR30WPros's over my 220, which is the equivalent of 6 XR15's.

 

[Life Down below]

Thanks for all your advice. the radions will cost me $300 more total than the hydras but I'm still waiting to see if the hydra 26 HD can be run with Apex. I heard the older models are comparable only. Also there's the decision on reliability between the two. Wich ever I decide I'm going to to get 6x what we discussed

 

[Indymann99]

Are u using hydra 26 hd series with the wxm module? Because I know the older models you can run on apex

I have Hydra 26 NON-HD

I would read up on the benifits of the HD...vs non.

 

[Misled]

Since I really didn't see the answer to this, I'll throw this out there. Once programed, the Hydra's work on their own. I programed mine with an IPhone. They can be done with any IOS system, android system or pc with Wi-Fi. Changing the program can be done at anytime and adjustments for acclimation can be done from the app used to program them.

 

[Leviluvrr]

Have any of you had issues with the AI dropping it’s connection? Reading alotnkfnreciews where people are having to delete the light from the app and then add it back in again and start all over. What is the consensus on this?

 

[d0ughb0y]

hydra hds cannot be controlled by apex. note this applies to HD.
I've never had the light disconnect. It automatically reconnects when unplugged/plugged.
I've had two at one point, a 26hd and a 52hd. I never configured the two to master/slave. I think that is where the disconnect happens. I think AI had several firmware upgrades already, so if you plan to get multiple all linked together, your best bet is to contact AI support directly rather than relying on info on the internet. If you only plan to get one, ignore any mention of disconnects, as that does not apply to single unit.

I see no point in controlling via apex, other than the novelty of it, which should wear off pretty quickly.

The only negative I see with hydra is the ramping seems to be using 8bit resolution, as I can notice the light level change during ramp period. They could have used 10 or 24bit resolution so the transition becomes unnoticeable. But this is a minor issue. Other than that, you can't go wrong if the price meets your budget.

I have never owned a radion, only seen them at lfs and they do look nice.

 

[Leviluvrr]

I am planning on getting 4 ai primes over a 48”x18” Tank. Feel like I could spread them more evenly than I could with two 26s. So I will need to connect them.

 

[Leviluvrr]

Originally planned on getting two xr 15 pros, but I don’t like the fact that you have to have a reefkink to control them wirelessly. Am also concerned that two of those may not be enough.

 

[d0ughb0y]

email AI support and ask about disconnect concern, they will answer in a day, if not the same day.
I contacted them before buying my units. I asked about the wall clearance required by the hms mount since it was not documented anywhere and they sent me an engineering drawing of the parts, including the length of the back screw so I know exactly how much space is needed.

 

[Leviluvrr]

&#55357;&#56397;&#55356;&#57340; I will do that now. Thank you.

 

[MikeC1408]

email AI support and ask about disconnect concern, they will answer in a day, if not the same day.
I contacted them before buying my units. I asked about the wall clearance required by the hms mount since it was not documented anywhere and they sent me an engineering drawing of the parts, including the length of the back screw so I know exactly how much space is needed.

Out of interest how much room did you need?

 

[Jesterrace]

I have a 155 gal bow mix reef. dimensions 72" long, 24"center, 18" on either end and 24" tall. My tank has 2 support brackets on top of the tank that supports the glass one at 1/3 and the other at 2/3 of the tank they are 3" wide non transparent. Also my tank has a wood top. My light's can as high as 14"1/2 From top of water to top of light I have a neptune apex classic. I'm trying to decide weather 6 hydra 26s or 6 radion xr15. I don't want to do 52s or xr30. With the 26s and xr15s I can space them closer to the edges of the tank . From what I've seen at lfs the 26s lighting looks better but I'm concerned about the wireless, can i add the hydra to my apex? Would they give me better coverage having double the pucks. I read they are 80 degree coverage compared to radion 180 degree. My cheap Chinese leds give me hot spots and lots of shadows right now. Do i half to buy any extra equipment to control the hydra's. All in all the hyras will be $300 cheaper than the radions

Please give me your inputs

Personally, I feel the dual puck config offers better coverage than the single. The Hydras have the advantage of not needing the seperate wifi controller. I would say that for the money the Hydras are the better buy as they are pretty comparable but have the controls built in and are cheaper to buy. Also of note is the fact that Ecotech Marine (the folks who make radions) owns AI. I run a pair of Hydra 26 HDs on my 90 on a rail mount and they seem to do well. Also as far as the disconnect issue is concerned, I haven't had it other than when I first tried setting them up. I had a real challenge and then the lights synced for an update and ever since then they have followed several adjustments and every week when I do water changes and kill the power to my setup, they re-sync in a few seconds after I turn them back on.