LED's over a standard 120

C

chimmike

oxygen abuser
I'm still undecided. Kessil 360s look great and I'd only need 2 of them. The center brace is kinda throwing me.

BUT, I'd prefer a little more controllability and avoid having to supplement with T5's. SOOOO

I'm also looking at the radion pro. BUT I don't know if I can swing, or justfy swinging $1500 for the two that i'd surely need.

Are there any other really decent options other than those two?

I can't help but think I'd need 2 AP700's if I wanted to consider those.

I also can't help but wonder if Kessil will be adding the adjustable spectrum stuff from the 700 to the 360 in the future, or if that will be a "new" model 360 I should hold out for.

ugh.
 
I like the AP700s after seeing the BRS review. I run 2 Radion G3 pros and wish I had 4. Spread is ok but not great and I use the wide angle lenses. Power or intensity is not a problem with the Radions I have to run mine at 60% or else the PAR is too high and I bleach the corals. The issue is having an even spread both across and down.
 
I'm in the same boat. Working on 120 setup myself and have gone through tons of threads on LEDs. If budget is an issue I came across some good reviews for Reefbreeders Photons
 
I am planning for 4 AI hydra52 units for my 120. I have 2 on my 60 and got 2 used at a good price. My tank does not have a brace so I could probably get by with 3, but since the price was right on the used units I opted for 4.
 
My 120 long has a brace too. I dont know what to do about the middle. I have two Apollo leds that are pretty long but Im pretty sure the spread wont cover all of it.


Im planning to put 2 long 6ft T5s on both sides of the LEDS.

Not sure yet.
 
Johnseye said:
I like the AP700s after seeing the BRS review. I run 2 Radion G3 pros and wish I had 4. Spread is ok but not great and I use the wide angle lenses. Power or intensity is not a problem with the Radions I have to run mine at 60% or else the PAR is too high and I bleach the corals. The issue is having an even spread both across and down.
Click to expand...

yeah I have to think at that point adding 2 more would just mean you have to turn down the intensity a lot just to get the better spread.

Wouldn't that mean you could do with for xR15's instead of 2 G3's and get better spread and sufficient PAR?

or do 4 offset Kessil 160's for better spread and good par rather than 2 360's?
 
chimmike said:
yeah I have to think at that point adding 2 more would just mean you have to turn down the intensity a lot just to get the better spread.

Wouldn't that mean you could do with for xR15's instead of 2 G3's and get better spread and sufficient PAR?

or do 4 offset Kessil 160's for better spread and good par rather than 2 360's?
Click to expand...

The only issue with using the smaller units like the AI Hydra26 or ETM XR15 is you loose front to back spread. Kessil is in a similar, but worse situation since the source in much more compact. Point sources are what they are.

You really don't have to turn the intensity down that much. Remember the spread on these units are not that great.
 
What about the hydra 52? A pair of those will save about $400 versus a radion, and looks like you get the spectrum controllability you don't get with the kessil 360's.
 
Kind of a tough call if the tank has a center brace. You're bound to get a nasty shadow line with the AP700 (which I have and love) because the AP has the lights only about 12" apart. With the 360 lights in your case, you'll have more adjustability (and aiming) to try to illuminate around the center brace. I have a set of 360s I just took off my tank.. great lights and it was a shame to take them out, but the AP700 is world class compared to the old school cannons. PAR is significantly higher at lower intensity setting due to the optics as well.
 
I have been researching lights for days on this sized tank and I'm no where near a decision.

The center bace is a concern.

I assume it's not a good idea to remove this?
 
only thing I've seen people suggest is removing the brace and replacing with an acrylic brace....but i'm not sure i'm confident in the adhesion between abs and acrylic?
 
I also have the same tank. I've been running 2 of the Onyx dimmable fixtures and supplementing with t5 to eliminate shadows. I've just purchased 2 more. Ideally, I'd be abel to run 3 of them but the center brace issue... So I'll just have even better coverage and I can turn them way down to about 50%. If you're still unsure about which unit to get, I definitely urge you to check these out. $300 for a new dimmable unit or $199 for refurbished. Rapidled has superb customer service and they warranty these for 18 months fully. If the units have issues within 5 years, you can replace for $75. I've not seen a better warranty. And for 4 fixtures, you're looking at $800/1200 (refurb/new) and getting terrific color/coverage/etc. Best is if you also have Apex and can dim using this controller. Otherwise, you can get manual 3 channel dimmer. Anyway, I am really happy with these units as you may have guessed.
 
I use 2 x AI Sol blues on my 120 and have great growth and color. On my frag tank (also a 120) I use a A360W on just one side, nothing on the other. The color and growth there is great as well. The spillover to the other side is enough to grow Kenya trees and mushrooms. I'm currently saving up for another A360W for it.
 
Just supplement with T5, you don't need more than 2 bulbs and they don't need to span the whole tank. You might need a canopy for this, but I think you and your corals will be much happier in the long run because of it.
 
A1t2o said:
Just supplement with T5, you don't need more than 2 bulbs and they don't need to span the whole tank. You might need a canopy for this, but I think you and your corals will be much happier in the long run because of it.
Click to expand...

just trying to avoid this :(

I do have a canopy.
 
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