Radion G5, G6 or Neptune Sky??

[alabella1]

I am planning on upgrading my lights. Currently have Radion G5 Pros on my 150g corner tank. I'm all apex right now except for my MP40s and my G5s. Should I grab the upgrade kits and get my lights up to G6s or should I take the plunge and move to some Neptune Skys?? I have the Pros now. Should I stick with Pro or go Blue? Decisions, decisions.

I've looked for any reviews or comparisons but they have all be for G5s vs Sky and it's kind of split mainly due to the coverage and the improvements on shadowing with the sky. Now the G6s seem to have a larger spread and less shadow, so perhaps that puts them back ahead of the Sky? Also worried that this is Neptunes first go at lighting... maybe the Sky2 will come sooner than later and be awesome after they address any current Sky complaints.

 

[Reefer Matt]

Any of those options will work. Is there a reason for needing to upgrade?

 

[Poochaku]

All answers depend on your reason for upgrading

 

[Tamberav]

Not sure what you hope to gain?

Considerign the cost of upgrading multiple radions, it may actually be better to add another fixture instead.

What I mean is… say you have 3 G5s. 4 G5s or 3 G5s and a G6 is probably a better investment then 3 G6s (example).

What I am saying is… don’t spend your money on replacing your G5s with G6. Just buy more G5 or G6s to add to your already existing leds.

Ecotech and Neptune are now both owned by BRS so it is very possible we will see Ecotech products become supported by Apex.

Pro vs Blue is just personal preference so that’s entirely up to you. Both should work just fine. Everyone will have different opinions on which they like better.

 

[stephj03]

Controllable Orphek bars

 

[kpoj9]

save your money and don’t upgrade. Radion G5 are great as is.

 

[Max93]

If you do anything, reefbrite halides/led hybrid. Don’t get anything else.

 

[fishmonkey]

I am planning on upgrading my lights. Currently have Radion G5 Pros on my 150g corner tank. I'm all apex right now except for my MP40s and my G5s. Should I grab the upgrade kits and get my lights up to G6s or should I take the plunge and move to some Neptune Skys?? I have the Pros now. Should I stick with Pro or go Blue? Decisions, decisions.

I've looked for any reviews or comparisons but they have all be for G5s vs Sky and it's kind of split mainly due to the coverage and the improvements on shadowing with the sky. Now the G6s seem to have a larger spread and less shadow, so perhaps that puts them back ahead of the Sky? Also worried that this is Neptunes first go at lighting... maybe the Sky2 will come sooner than later and be awesome after they address any current Sky complaints.

telegraham has the best videos imo on lights. heres one on the sky

 

[alabella1]

so no real votes for the sky huh?

 

[craigvh]

I love the Sky's. The G5s were loud and I hate mobius. But in your case I doubt I'd spend the $ to upgrade. My 2 cents.

 

[alabella1]

And now the game just got turned on it's head. $200 off the Sky. Does this mean they are gearing up to drop the Sky 2? Now the cost of a sky is less than the upgrade kits for the G5s to G6s.

And I'm sorry... I am an idiot and left out part of this. I already have a SKY in my hands. So i could either go 1 Sky, Grab a second Sky (and sell my G5s) OR upgrade my G5s to G6s and sell the sky. I totally forgot to say I have both the Sky and the 2x G5s in hand.

 

[ADAM]

Choosing between the above options I would go with EcoTech.

If your 150 corner is shaped the same as my 92corner I think the flexibility of three lights would have to be far better than only two for “real world coverage”

 

[BigMax]

Considering the implications of the 25% discount on Neptune Sky today. Bertram Capital (Aperture) 'runs' these companies (Neptune, BRS and Ecotech) could they be re-positioning the portfolio and getting Neptune out of the lighting business as lighting is one of Ecotech's mainstays? Or Ecotech could be redesigning the Neptune fixture for greater economies of scale, for the greater good of the 'group'? It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

 

[ADAM]

Considering the implications of the 25% discount on Neptune Sky today. Bertram Capital (Aperture) 'runs' these companies (Neptune, BRS and Ecotech) could they be re-positioning the portfolio and getting Neptune out of the lighting business as lighting is one of Ecotech's mainstays? Or Ecotech could be redesigning the Neptune fixture for greater economies of scale, for the greater good of the 'group'? It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

+
Was just thinking the same and coming back to edit my previous post…

@alabella1
Found your build thread: From my lighting endeavors over the last 10+ years of having a corner tank the 3 light sources will be better than two for getting even par coverage and less shading with our pie shaped tanks

 

[alabella1]

Choosing between the above options I would go with EcoTech.

If your 150 corner is shaped the same as my 92corner I think the flexibility of three lights would have to be far better than only two for “real world coverage”

I only have 2 radions. In hand I have 1 XR30 Pro G5, 1 XR15 Pro G5 and 1 Neptune Sky. So my options are roll with the G5s, upgrade them to G6 or grab another Sky. Money aside and I have almost everything Apex except for lights and MP40s, many are saying just go all apex for max control.

 

[ADAM]

I only have 2 radions. In hand I have 1 XR30 Pro G5, 1 XR15 Pro G5 and 1 Neptune Sky. So my options are roll with the G5s, upgrade them to G6 or grab another Sky. Money aside and I have almost everything Apex except for lights and MP40s, many are saying just go all apex for max control.

Once the light program is set you don’t really “need” to be able to control them like you might would for ATO, heaters, pumps, leak sensors, etc

If you were choosing between EcoTech MP40/ Vectra Pumps and Neptune WAV/Cor Pumps I would go with Neptune if I wanted easier control in one place.

I really doubt you’d be happy with the coverage from 2 sky over your display.

 

[Jon's Reef]

I have had both G5 (pro and blue) and SKY.

Both are very close. SKY is a bit better at reducing shadow because of its larger footprint. Also the control implementation is much better in Apex Fusion. Yes... once you set it you should not be changing it often... but when you just want to go to photo mode, it is much easier in Apex.

I think the cooling on the SKY is actually better. It has 2 big fans that barely ever run vs the Radion fan that is just audible when it turns on. Both are quiet.... SKY is more silent.

Biggest difference is the color. SKY puts out a more "pure blue" color, where Radions are more greenish blue (doesn't matter if you do blue or pro). Since you have both, pick the one that looks best to you on your tank.

One other tip that I have found... ideally add 1 kessil into the mix. Even a little one. The kessil adds a lot to the look.

 

[alabella1]

I have had both G5 (pro and blue) and SKY.

Both are very close. SKY is a bit better at reducing shadow because of its larger footprint. Also the control implementation is much better in Apex Fusion. Yes... once you set it you should not be changing it often... but when you just want to go to photo mode, it is much easier in Apex.

I think the cooling on the SKY is actually better. It has 2 big fans that barely ever run vs the Radion fan that is just audible when it turns on. Both are quiet.... SKY is more silent.

Biggest difference is the color. SKY puts out a more "pure blue" color, where Radions are more greenish blue (doesn't matter if you do blue or pro). Since you have both, pick the one that looks best to you on your tank.

One other tip that I have found... ideally add 1 kessil into the mix. Even a little one. The kessil adds a lot to the look.

I thought about possibly putting some LED bars in to supplement, but tell me more about the kessils

 

[Jon's Reef]

Adding Kessil to Sky:

Visual comparison of SKY with and without kessil

Thought some may be interested in what a little Kessil shimmer adds to the mix. Tank is 36x30x24. Pics taken with orange filter. 2x SKY only (ATI B+ setting) 2x SKY (ATI B+) with 1 A160

www.reef2reef.com

Sky vs Radion G5:

SKY vs Radion G5: Real World Comparison

Wanted to share a comparison of the SKY and Radion G5 XR30 Blue on a real world system. Tank is 36x30x24. Both lights were mounted 8" off of the water line. Glass was cleaned before each test. Due to the 30" width, the lights were mounted front to back. All pics taken with iphone 13 and...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Tamberav]

I only have 2 radions. In hand I have 1 XR30 Pro G5, 1 XR15 Pro G5 and 1 Neptune Sky. So my options are roll with the G5s, upgrade them to G6 or grab another Sky. Money aside and I have almost everything Apex except for lights and MP40s, many are saying just go all apex for max control.

an the option to not upgrade the G5's and add another G5 or G6