Quality vs. Quantity: Reef Lighting

mini-fred · Jun 27, 2024

My main tank has a "yesteryear" higher tier lighting setup.. its 250gallon system volume with 4x philips coralcares gen2, assisted by 2 orphek or3 blue plus.. costed me an arm and a leg..

Then against my opinion on chinese lights.. i setup a 50gallon with a single noopsyche k7 pro v3 (ab+ profile from the group here).. and to be completely honest.. ever since thats running im seriously considering ditching the coralcares.. and getting a giesemann stellar with 4 of those k7 pro's keeping the orpheks with it (2x 80w t5 + 2 orphek blue+ + 4 noopsyche k7..

The k7 visually just looks plain better giving corals that pop that im missing from the expensive coralcares.

Derrick0580 · Jun 27, 2024

I’m in the boat of you get what you pay for. Tried viparspectra lights over a frag tank in the past. Didn’t like the color, modified the led layout according to other online suggestions…spectrum seemed to boost gha growth. Switched it out for a photon. My main tank is running 3x xr15 g5’s. Buy it right the first time or you just keep dumping money into it until you are happy!

billyocean · Jun 27, 2024

Derrick0580 said:
I’m in the boat of you get what you pay for. Tried viparspectra lights over a frag tank in the past. Didn’t like the color, modified the led layout according to other online suggestions…spectrum seemed to boost gha growth. Switched it out for a photon. My main tank is running 3x xr15 g5’s. Buy it right the first time or you just keep dumping money into it until you are happy!

Each experience will vary. I run viparspectras and will compete with the best of the best in acro coloration. Out of the top 3 most important things my opinion is lighting is #3...with water chemistry #1 and flow #2

mh0ward · Jun 27, 2024

Aaron75 said:
You're around the $1000 price mark regardless of 2 radions vs 4 primes. I'd look into 2 Reefi Uno 2.0 Pro. Otherwise, as others recommended, the Noopsyche k7 v3 would work nicely, though they've seemingly had some shipping issues recently.

I got the prime for my frag tank for $186 shipped from Premium Aquatics this week after their 10% off code. That’d put 4 of them at around $750

c4haskett · Jun 27, 2024

Stinson Beach Aquatics said:
Hello all!
As I continue to plan my first saltwater tank, I have a quick personal preference question for you all in terms of lighting. My current plan for the tank is a Waterbox 125.4 Frag (78g). As a beginner, I would start off with softies and lps with plans of moving up to sps corals when I gain enough experience. My current dilemma is between quality (two Radion xr15s) vs quantity (two AI Blades, or four AI Primes or Hydras). All seem to be great lights but Radions seem to be stronger whereas AIs seem strong but I would need more of them. What do you guys think? Is it better to buy a couple of really powerful lights like Radions or buy at least 4 of some good, but not as powerful lights? Thanks!

- Patrick

I never understood the radion hype. I had two xr15 gen 5's over a 3ft tank and could barely hit 220 on the top of my rocks. I have since broken that tank down and run a 15 gal nano with an AI prime. I think the output, color and shimmer is much better than the radion. Lots of better options than overpriced radions in my opinion.

c4haskett · Jun 27, 2024

PharmrJohn said:
Just be aware there have been some recent complaints concerning Noopsyche. Customer Service issues. I was reading a thread either yesterday or the day before on the issue. That being said, I've never dealt with them, just passing on what I've read recently.from another member.

I am one of them. I bought a k7 pro III. It would not run an automatic schedule unless my phone was connected to the lights the entire time. No help from customer service. Just the ole run around. Its a shame. They had the best color I've seen in a light (subjective).

Aaron75 · Jun 27, 2024

mh0ward said:
I got the prime for my frag tank for $186 shipped from Premium Aquatics this week after their 10% off code. That’d put 4 of them at around $750

With mounting brackets? And still, we're talking 240 total watts from primes vs 540 from the Reefi's.

Manose · Jun 28, 2024

For the the 125.4 you are only going to have 14in of water to light and pretty much anything listed here can do way beyond that. If you have a lfs close go and look at what they have and see how it looks first.

Stinson Beach Aquatics · Jun 29, 2024

Great! I will definitely look into all of these options. I really appreciate everyone’s insight.

jonelder68 · Jun 29, 2024

2x Reefi uno 2s and 2x Quanta pros and you’ll be set for anything you want! Not to mention the absolute best bang for your buck.

minus9 · Jun 29, 2024

jonelder68 said:
2x Reefi uno 2s and 2x Quanta pros and you’ll be set for anything you want! Not to mention the absolute best bang for your buck.

I couldn't agree more, I wouldn't spend crazy money on the big name lights. You could simply use a couple Quanta Pro bars and be done. Luca has a new version that has dimming and upgraded diodes coming out soon. Also, if you're considering Radions, then just get Reefi Uno Pro's instead.

jonelder68 · Jun 29, 2024

minus9 said:
I couldn't agree more, I wouldn't spend crazy money on the big name lights. You could simply use a couple Quanta Pro bars and be done. Luca has a new version that has dimming and upgraded diodes coming out soon. Also, if you're considering Radions, then just get Reefi Uno Pro's instead.

Not to mention Daniel (Reefi owner) and Luca (quanta owner) have the absolute best customer service! Instant, within minute responses. Before I ordered I sent fake emails saying I was having troubles with the lights. Both replied within minutes! The big name companies were a 1-5 day response time. That alone sold me on both. Not to mention the prices and the reviews are all positive. What more can you ask for?