Thinking about making the switch.... (1 Viewer)

[Mark L.]

The time is coming for me to update my lighting. For quite a few years I ran an ATI 48" 8 bulb Dimmable Powermodule. It was a great fixture and I didn't have any issues with it over the years. I upgraded that old tank back in 2012 to my current 24x24x98 tank. When I made the switch LEDs were all the rage. They really came a long way and people were getting great results. I decided I wanted to go 100% LED so I bought 5 Ecotech Radions. At the time it was the original Radion XR30w fixtures. To this day I still have those original 5.

Now that it's time to upgrade again I'm having a hard time deciding between the following....

1. 5 - Radion XR30w Pro
2. 2 - ATI Dimmable ATI2611 48" 3x75W LED & 8x54W T5 LED-Powermodule
3. 2 - ATI Dimmable ATI2607 36" 2x75W LED & 8x39W T5 LED-Powermodule

I wish they made a 40-44" fixture. I'm thinking 2 48" will not fit over the tank but 2 36" will look to small. I have a lot of coral right in the middle of the tank. Having an 8" gap between the fixtures may cause shadowing over those corals. Can't decide!!

 

[PSXerholic]

The time is coming for me to update my lighting. For quite a few years I ran an ATI 48" 8 bulb Dimmable Powermodule. It was a great fixture and I didn't have any issues with it over the years. I upgraded that old tank back in 2012 to my current 24x24x98 tank. When I made the switch LEDs were all the rage. They really came a long way and people were getting great results. I decided I wanted to go 100% LED so I bought 5 Ecotech Radions. At the time it was the original Radion XR30w fixtures. To this day I still have those original 5.

Now that it's time to upgrade again I'm having a hard time deciding between the following....

1. 5 - Radion XR30w Pro
2. 2 - ATI Dimmable ATI2611 48" 3x75W LED & 8x54W T5 LED-Powermodule
3. 2 - ATI Dimmable ATI2607 36" 2x75W LED & 8x39W T5 LED-Powermodule

I wish they made a 40-44" fixture. I'm thinking 2 48" will not fit over the tank but 2 36" will look to small. I have a lot of coral right in the middle of the tank. Having an 8" gap between the fixtures may cause shadowing over those corals. Can't decide!!

#2 would be my choice.
Fortunately I stick to MH/T5/LED for a while now ;-)

-Andre

 

[steveb]

What is the length of your tank Mark? Never mind...

I would go 2x48". The fixtures may overhang a little but the actual bulb length is 46" IRC...

 

[Mark L.]

I'm thinking 2 48" but they put off a LOT of heat. The fans suck air in and it exists on the end of the fixture. Not sure if butting them up against each other would cause heat issues. Then, on the other end the big cord comes out. I couldn't turn them 180° because the cords will hit each other.

May have to cheat on MARSH and jump to the national boards to see what others are doing.

 

[eraser2001]

Add couples t5 to your original set up and if you want also change only led cluster from radion and put g3 pro

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[steveb]

May have to cheat on MARSH and jump to the national boards to see what others are doing.

lol or contact the manufacturer. They may have some insight..

 

[Mark L.]

Add couples t5 to your original set up and if you want also change only led cluster from radion and put g3 pro

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That was an option but I'm not so sure I want to continue using these Radions. They are getting pretty old and a lot of salt spray in them. The fans are looking pretty rough.

 

[Mark L.]

lol or contact the manufacturer. They may have some insight..

I sent ATI an email. Waiting for their reply. I'm sure they will recommend the most expensive option.

 

[chris85]

1iy 48in and overlap the bulbs in the middle!!!
2:36in with and extra led fixture in the middle
3:Stick to what you have and send me the new ones!!

I vote #3

 

[Mark L.]

LOL I bet you do Chris!

 

[flipside]

Man... that's a tough call.

Personally, I'd wait a few months to see how Dennis' tank turns out with whatever he stocks in there. Maybe ask him to take some growth pics.

Because, if those new Radion's do what they tout, Ecotech may have finally hit the nail on the head. The numbers make sense, but there's still "some" gray area.

 

[malira]

Do you have a canopy or are you looking for something aesthetically pleasing also?


The ATI 48" is really 46 13/16" so 2 are just over 93 1/2". So you can have almost 4 1/2" in between them for exhaust. It still would be rather warm but if you want t5s over your tank and who wouldn't want t5s over their tank it's doable. I think the 36" would leave you with 70" of light over a 98" tank. That's a big gap.

I'v seen Diesel's power module and it puts out beautiful light. Plus you can ramp up the LEDs and t5s differently so you have like 4 channels to get various color combos. If I could afford it that's what I would get.

I know they say you need more than the recommended amount of LEDs to get great growth. Would 5 XR30ws be enough for an 8' tank to get the great growth? Then you have the shadowing issue.

 

[Mark L.]

Man... that's a tough call.

Personally, I'd wait a few months to see how Dennis' tank turns out with whatever he stocks in there. Maybe ask him to take some growth pics.

Because, if those new Radion's do what they tout, Ecotech may have finally hit the nail on the head. The numbers make sense, but there's still "some" gray area.

I may very well do that Leo. My biggest issue with my current LEDs are the growth patterns of my sps. There is no color/polyps/growth on the underside of the coral. If a branch is perfectly vertical its color & polyps are awesome. If the branch is anywhere from 45° to horizontal there is literally no color or polyps on the underside(just dark brown to whiteish). When I look at my tank from the top down it is stunning. Can't believe its my tank. When I look from the front in, it's kinda disappointing. Corals just don't have the color like they do from the top. If the new Radions can somehow give full light distribution like T5s then I'm all over them. Hell I even thought about making a bracket to mount 5 horizontal like I have them and another 4 to mount at a 45° angle to blast the fronts of the coral. I can't see the back side so I'm not too worried about them LOL.

 

[Mark L.]

Do you have a canopy or are you looking for something aesthetically pleasing also?


The ATI 48" is really 46 13/16" so 2 are just over 93 1/2". So you can have almost 4 1/2" in between them for exhaust. It still would be rather warm but if you want t5s over your tank and who wouldn't want t5s over their tank it's doable. I think the 36" would leave you with 70" of light over a 98" tank. That's a big gap.

I'v seen Diesel's power module and it puts out beautiful light. Plus you can ramp up the LEDs and t5s differently so you have like 4 channels to get various color combos. If I could afford it that's what I would get.

I know they say you need more than the recommended amount of LEDs to get great growth. Would 5 XR30ws be enough for an 8' tank to get the great growth? Then you have the shadowing issue.

No canopy and yes it has to be aesthetically pleasing. I like a very clean look. Nothing wrong with DiY lights other than they look like they are DiY Ha! I guess I should have measured one. So are you saying the actual metal housing on the 48" are really 46 13/16? I know the bulbs aren't actually 48". If the housing is only 46 13/16" that may just work.

Yep Ben's tank looks awesome with his T5/LED combo. Dennis has the same unit at FJW but he didn't have the cable hooked up so I couldn't play with the color combos and ramping. He also doesn't have the bulb combo I would probably use so it was hard to judge on his tank. I just forgot to get an actual measurement of the housing itself.

I think 5 of the new Pro's would be enough. Heck I could go 6 really. Like I said, my 5 now are the original gen 1 unmodified units. The very first that came out. I get pretty good growth from them. The pros have actinic LED's and more watts/par. Only issue like you say is the shadowing. Maybe Leo is hinting that Ecotech has fixed that with the new units coming out. I'm keeping my fingers crossed since I love the look of LEDs.

 

[flipside]

I totally understand. If I were you, I'd call Ecotech and talk to them. Big commitment, either way.

 

[malira]

No canopy and yes it has to be aesthetically pleasing. I like a very clean look. Nothing wrong with DiY lights other than they look like they are DiY Ha! I guess I should have measured one. So are you saying the actual metal housing on the 48" are really 46 13/16? I know the bulbs aren't actually 48". If the housing is only 46 13/16" that may just work.

Yep Ben's tank looks awesome with his T5/LED combo. Dennis has the same unit at FJW but he didn't have the cable hooked up so I couldn't play with the color combos and ramping. He also doesn't have the bulb combo I would probably use so it was hard to judge on his tank. I just forgot to get an actual measurement of the housing itself.

I think 5 of the new Pro's would be enough. Heck I could go 6 really. Like I said, my 5 now are the original gen 1 unmodified units. The very first that came out. I get pretty good growth from them. The pros have actinic LED's and more watts/par. Only issue like you say is the shadowing. Maybe Leo is hinting that Ecotech has fixed that with the new units coming out. I'm keeping my fingers crossed since I love the look of LEDs.

My son has a 48" ATI Sunpower and that is the measurement I got.
Ben was telling me his lighting scheme and it was way more complicated than I was used to. He was controlling in the colors on the leds.

I been wondering why they haven't spread the leds out more and put them at a 30° to 45° angle to compensate for the shadowing? It seems like a no brainer.

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[below radar]

BRS just released this review on the new Giesemann Verve
https://youtu.be/xK56iQ2IrYQ

 

[webster1234]

Mark, I'm running the 8 bulb ATI dimmables. Just measured them, butted end to end, they are 94" outside to outside. I just turned one of them 180 degrees so that the exhaust comes out each end. The only drawback is that you have to reach across the top of one of them with a mirror to set the time. Other than that, they are awesome. I'd say they are pretty clean looking. And the cords and cables all come out of the top so they flush mount to each other with no problem. I even attached some supplemental blue led strips for a little more blue pop.

 

[reeftopia]

I ran the ATI power modules for 2 years on my 700. Spent small fortune replacing all the high end bulbs.
Moved over to leds and aint movin back. The t5s may do better on smaller systems. To tell you the truth
I have seen awesome tanks on MHalides. Leds and T5s I think water chemistry may have more to do with
color than anything else. Ben s tank was awesome long before he started T5s

 

[fq600]

I would do 2 36" + 1 radion to fill the gap in the middle or 2x 360w kessils.

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