Bpb
2500 Club Member
For an all in one solution, I would. Kessils look better because of the shimmer , but the reef breeders are a bit better at filling in shaded areas. I use both on my tank
Kessil AP9X or Radion XR30 G6 Pro
- Thread starter WarChief
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For an all in one solution, I would. Kessils look better because of the shimmer , but the reef breeders are a bit better at filling in shaded areas. I use both on my tank
If we're to compare photons vs the ap9x:
Photon pros: Lighting your tank with photons is way cheaper than lighting it with kessils, no shadowing issues, larger quantity(density?) of color popping blues than kessil (imo)
Photon cons: Extremely poor color blending/disco ball effect in comparison a number of other lights on the market
Kessil pros: Best color blending, unrivaled shimmer, closest to halide look (from my use case), fixed correct spectrums (won't let you play with the light like a toy)
Kessil cons: Shadowing issues will be a problem if doing sps (due to the nature of the puck design) and will require supplementary light (can add more blues if desired or more kessils $$$), Shimmer can be too intense for some (ironically supplementary light solves this but $$$)
If you were on a budget with only these 3 (photon, kessil, radion) as an option then the photons would win for me (I do actually like the noopsyches more than the photons for budget and forgot to mention those in my led rant).
But since this is a blank check from the wife (appreciate it while you can and good job putting a ring on that!
) then as stated earlier, kessils win for me.
I would not try to light a 6 foot display tank with 3 XR30s. 3 Would get you there, depending on what corals and placement.
If you are taking suggestions, 3 Reefi Unos would be on my short list for a 6 foot tank.
If you are taking suggestions, 3 Reefi Unos would be on my short list for a 6 foot tank.
minus9
5000 Club Member
If you don't have personal experience with their customer service, then talking about them in a negative way doesn't help you or the company (or the reefing community) and is completely pointless. It's okay to give your opinion about what you know, but adding your two cents based on hearsay doesn't do this hobby any good. All of the fixtures mentioned here will grow any coral when properly implemented. It comes down to personal preference and your goals. From personal experience, I can tell you that Kessil's customer service is nothing short of stellar, but I get that it's not always the case with every situation.
I love Kessil's for the fact that the spectrum is great and they create contrast within an aquarium/tank and they give you unique mounting and lens options, which most other fixtures don't. If I were to use LED only over a 4' tank or larger, the only LEDs I would use would be Kessil, Reefi Uno Pro's (2.0) and Quanta Pro bars. I would personally choose Reefi's over Radions all day long, their spectrum, cost and form factor (and lens options) are great and for half the cost of an XR30. All I can say about using LEDs, most people don't use enough when lighting a tank, especially when it comes to sps/acropora and they simply under-illuminate their systems.
OP
OP
So I am getting 3 Kessil 360Xs tomorrow. I am going to get 2 XR15 Radions in about two week. I will place from left to right 360X, Xr15, 360X, XR15, 360X as my setup. If I decide I want more I will add some AI Blades 66" in front and back of these.
Edit: I meant to say "I would not try to light a 6 foot display with 2 XR30s"
Well, that will do it!
minus9
5000 Club Member
I get it, people are trying to be helpful, but too often in this hobby things get pushed around with no real world first hand experience and that doesn’t benefit anyone. I wasn’t trying to be d!@& about, it’s more about getting accurate information. We as a whole need to be better about that kind of thing. The thing we have to remind ourselves about is, opinions aren’t always based on facts or personal experience at all. Happy reefing!
Whole heartedly agree on the goal that we should all attempt to spread the most accurate info as possible to better help our fellow hobbyist succeed. Can't say anyone will benefit long term if we intentionally spread misinformation to cause the downfall of anyone or any product that is genuinely functional (not you vibrant)
You'll get the larger density of blues and the amazing shimmer and contrast that kessils can provide (radions will mute it a bit which some people like)
I assume you're picking the xr15 blues or are you planning on more of a generally warmer look with the pros?
That lighting combo and layout sounds solid to me!
You'll get the larger density of blues and the amazing shimmer and contrast that kessils can provide (radions will mute it a bit which some people like)
I assume you're picking the xr15 blues or are you planning on more of a generally warmer look with the pros?
OP
OP
Blues would be the preference! I dont like the warmer look.
Danny McElroy
Active Member
If you haven't already made a decision, I ran the Kassil's for a year and a half on my 6' 210 gallon SPS tank, and they were very nice and grew corals well in an Aquatic Life T5 Hybrid fixture, and I just recently switched to the Radion Pros Gen 6 and now I see why the Radions get all the hype. The color pop and definition I see in my corals now is significantly better with the Radion light spread. I also like how the Radions get a darker blue than the bluest setting on the Kessils. Both are great, but my vote goes to the Radions. The only down side to the Radions from my point of view is lousy Mobius app, however hopefully that goes away soon when the Apex module comes out someday.Wife gave me a blank check for my lighting. I am relatively new to the hobby and want to get the best lights possible before I get to where I can add corals. I plan to run a mixed reef and will have fish in my tank. I currently am running a 120 gal 6 foot long tank. About 22" tall. Thanks for the input!
Danny McElroy
Active Member
That's a great idea!!!
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