What Led fixture to get

[NanoCat]

I have a custom tank being build for me and was wondering what people would recommend as a led setup for it.

The tank will be 24" long 16" wide and 17" tall and about 25 gallons.

I am upgrading my 14 gallon biocube which currently has a AI Nano w/controller but I don't think this is going to cut it for the new tank.

I have SPS and some LPS/Soft corals.

I am thinking of either the Ecotech Radion (love the controls and have mp10) or the AI Sol.

Anyone who has these fixtures I would love to hear about their ups and downs.

Let me know what you think.

Thanks in advance.

[reefgirl189]

I love my radions. They are a breeze to program (unless you only have a mac) and they look sleek and classy. Although I've never owned the AI sol they certainly have a few things going for them. Just keep in mind that you're going to need two of them to cover your area compared to one radion.

ETA there are several good AI sol VS. Ecotech Radion threads on this site. They go into a bit more detail on the pos and negs of the two fixtures.

[jorjef]

Just keep in mind that you're going to two of them .......to cover your area........ compared to one radion.


Ignore this statement..... There is no way you will need two to cover your area. Not only that one Radion will not equal the coverage of two Sols I don't care what anyone says.

[reefgirl189]

Ignore this statement..... There is no way you will need two to cover your area. Not only that one Radion will not equal the coverage of two Sols I don't care what anyone says.

No one said anything about them equaling eachother. I was talking about coverage and was referring to the manufacturer specs :rolleyes:

[sphelps]

There are too many threads comparing these two fixtures already, plus everybody knows that if it doesn't have at least 8 colors it's not worth talking about anymore :lol:

[Madreefer]

Although I've never owned the AI sol they certainly have a few things going for them. Just keep in mind that you're going to need two of them to cover your area compared to one radion.

Hmmm i'm confused. You've never owned them yet you suggest that it takes 2 Sols to 1 Radion. All this has come from debates on other threads where most of the posters dont even own either.

[Nano]

One ai sol covers 24x24x24 inches your could get away with that no problem I have one on a 24"cube no problems with coverage. I like radions for the color spectrums but for what your paying for it it would be a waste for a tank that size, as more then likely you wouldn't even use it at half power. I only run my ai sol at 35% and my corals are doing really well under it. Might even think of holding out til the ai Vega comes out, it has many of the same color spectrums as the radion but still a fraction of the cost

[Lampshade]

Check out:
http://www.manhattanreefs.com/lighting
In the LED section he has par values over area coverage. LED PAR values are a mess right now while people argue about "good PAR" vs. "bad PAR" but gives you a good idea of the coverage of the fixtures

Overall it comes down to what you want to spend. You can make anything work from a used 250W halide for $100 to a $800 radion fixture.