Who won the Battle Royal? The Radion G5 XR30 versus AI Hydra 64? AskBRStv Live
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 ต.ค. 2024
- Last week we asked TH-cam and Facebook to vote on the light of their choice....they were overwhelmingly NOT the same! Today we discuss what sets these two lighting options apart and why you may choose one over the other.
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I know Im asking the wrong place but does someone know a trick to log back into an Instagram account?
I somehow forgot the password. I would love any assistance you can offer me!
@Nathaniel Bode Instablaster :)
@Brooks Ricardo i really appreciate your reply. I got to the site on google and im trying it out now.
I see it takes a while so I will reply here later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
@Brooks Ricardo it worked and I actually got access to my account again. Im so happy!
Thanks so much you really help me out !
@Nathaniel Bode you are welcome :)
Great vid guys glad to hear my comment about the Orpheks at 25 mins I was trying to say it would cost you less for 2 orphek rather than 4 radion G5 to cover same area 👍
Orphecks are amazing lights, my buddies ship uses just those.
Hi guys, Thank you for reading my comment on today's video, it was a nice surprise. My intent was not to bash the performance of the G5s, it is certainly one of the best LEDs on the market. My concern was the ROI for the new to experienced reefer. We all have responsibilities and budgets and can't always afford the best.
In my past experience as a hobbyist with stereos and orchids both of which turned into businesses, I know we all get excited when the latest greatest top of the line products hit the market and we want to share them with everyone, and that's great, and we should, but my fear is that we sometimes focus too much on the best of the best and do a disservice to some of the other products that can give the customer 90% of the performance for a lower price point.
The pinnacle of reefers in the hobby today mostly aspire to grow sticks and other hard corals. I would propose that you do an experiment to grow only SPS, take 3 identical tanks with identical equipment the only difference being the lighting, 1 tank gets fluorescent lighting, the second gets hybrid fluor/led, and the 3 gets LED. The lighting should start at the lowest price point to the highest so everyone from the newest reefer to the experienced can see the ROI, or (the growth and color differences) for the money.
Randy, you always say that you want to bring more people into the hobby and achieve success, this might be a way to do that and actually show value but also a return on their investment for the new and more experienced reefers.
Here is one quick example, when I owned my stereo store and potential customers would come in and wanted to listen to the best equipment, they knew they couldn't afford it but they heard it. I saw they were discouraged with the high price. I said to them what if I could give you 85 to 90 percent of that sound for half the price? Needless to say, I sold them the lower price product more often than not because they could hear the value and I earned their trust in the process.
I thank you for all you do. You and your staff are the pinnacle for this wonderful hobby, please let them know.
Sorry for the long comment just thought I would give my dollar and ten cents worth. Thanks, Tom Clark
Well put sir.
Keep up the great work brstv
I was debating to my self on these two lights today.I found this video and I'm definitely going with the G6 for my new tank.Thanks BRS.
Me too 😊
Ultimately I'm happy they decided to go with a more spread out approach, and considering AI and Ecotech are effectively the same company you have some tight "puck" like lights if you wanted to really throw the PAR at something (i.e. a coral, and who cares if the sand bed has similar light) and you have an option to get a more spread out light too if you do want everything with a relatively even illumination.
Or buy a diffuser for practically nothing for the AI...or make one for practically nothing on a 3d printer. Light spread and how even that light is is solved for less than $50 dollars.
I can’t afford ether so black boxes is the winner lol
Hey, fair enough!
Dsuny pop Bloom all the way, and they are Programmable. Just don't tell the corals 😂.
@solo636 vispectra is crazy powerful for 600 less lol some black boxes get the job done
Love brs. You guys get into depth with your contents, very informational stuff.
When I first saw the hydra and primes I thought you could see alot of inspiration taken from the gen 4 radion, I was surprised they didnt look into more diffused spacing with a new light but guess that was saved for the gen 5 radion and AI get a generation behind with upgrades
Excited to finally get my XR30 Blues all hung, they look super sleek and really love the AB+ profile :)
Yes spill i have 3 64hds and at 13inches i do get the spill but the coverage and par works great and grows claims on the sandbed. 150 gal 6ft long
At 8:45 the point that they are mounted higher in coral farms, well its true but what casual hobbyist at home will have a tank 8 inches to 12 inches deep aka table tanks. the distance will stay the same since most aquarist will have a thank that will be commonly at 24 inches.
Bring in the GHL Mitras as well for a real Battle Royal boys!! They're basically a perfect mid ground between the Hydra's puck design and the Radion's new blanket style design, been around for ages as well and just as proven!!
The ghl are not good
@@TechGuy42ilm Would agree. Had one of the first released in 2013. The software was archaic and the lights weren't great for coral. Radions are hands down the best light out there.
When you show all the par measurments.. and say 6" or 8" mounting height of the fixture... How deep into the water are you taking the par measurements?
In this case, it is 6 inches deep. So the top 1/4 of most tanks and where the tops of many corals are found.
I sure hope these lights onlegs give warnings to people to flip it the other way (because most of them you can) or mount it some other way because you are so right! I mean if its sold that way you think all is good!
Was hoping to see these over a tank side by side and a comparison of how they perform over tall tanks would be helpful too. I have a 27" tall 150DD and like to see how well these do in the bottom half of my tank where most of my corals reside.
00:16 “Ummm..hmmm…” I love the smirk 😆
hi guys, awesome vid.
you didnt mention the average par per watts. works out to be thery similar for both lights.
I'm pretty sure we are about to get a waaaaave of black boxes duplicating the Radion Spectrum. At this point the mystery is gone and the technology is present to duplicate this at $170 (black box price). I know BRS does some chinese-ish products like Reef Octopus so my suggestion is that BRS comes out with it's own high quality BB for much less.
Saint Nova it blows my mind that the black boxes are not exactly like a radion. It’s not rocket science, they could sell 1000s of them.
Hey the noopsyche lighting is kinda getting there. I’ll say another year or two. If they had a internal battery so you don’t have to reset them I would maybe use them
@@Nick-Magi I think the fear has been quality control, and longevity in the BBs. Many persons have been running them for ages without issue though so now it's more about customer support. Id prefer to effectively cover my reef with multiple, more affordable fixtures than try to work my aquascape all willy-nilly to fit a high end flashlight.
It’s simple. Build a black box to the radion blue diod spec. Even if there are only 50 leds. It’s far cheaper and will be fine for most shallower tanks. The issue is that the led companies are not reefers and have no clue. That’s why Dalua is now doing well. They are reefers getting lights made that do the job.
Dalua are expensive!!
Radion vs Atlantik is the test I’d like to see
I agree. Price was only touched on once with theGen 5 vs 64hds. Let’s go the other way... Is two Atlantik better than three Radion?
Cheers. Guys love your honesty 👍great and knowledgeable vid 👏👏🏴😀
Hey guys i bought 3x 32 hydras from ebay for $550.... will these do the job for my 5ftx2x2 tank? How high?
What light would you suggest for a 90 gallon 48 inches across and 22 inches height by 18 inches deep mixed reef tank? Do I get one or two lights? Finally what type of mount and when testing my par what would be my ideal par reading for center and edges? Thank you for any help as I want to be successful at this hobby and spend a lot of time in my researching and take this very seriously.
If you're deciding between the Hydra and Radion lights like we talk about in this video, you may be better served going with two of their smaller models instead so that you can get better spread. Two Hydra 32's or two Radion XR15's for a mixed reef over a tank of that size.
Each light has their own mounts, but before you get that far, check out Randy's setup guide videos on the Hydra 32 and Radion XR15 so that you can see some of the par data and suggested mounting heights.
This was one year ago, since i bought 3 pairs of gen 5 radions every single time the blue channel never matches on pairs, so one gives a green hue the other a very blue hue, the radions are also extremely flat (dull) lighting not like the gen 4 where, the colour of sps ab+ spectrum is completely night and day and highest price sister company still has tv static less yes, but still has it, the ai line of leds a year on are the cheaper sister company but all of them match each other and they have a crisp colourful spectrum and a nice shimmer, much better than the radion gen 5, my question is how can a big company like ecotech deny they have some major flaws in the radion especially at its price point, ive even had brand new units with leds on the puck that wont turn off even calibration does nothing which seems like its ecotech get out of jail card when it comes to its major flaws. Ive learnt that the most expensive sometimes are not the best, yes i have learnt it the hard way, never waste my money again, im not an ecotech hater i run mp40qd and vectra m2 and l2 and love them, the leds never ever again !!
Hey, are the par levels taken from the bottom of the tank or the surface of the water? How tall is the tank and What intensity on the radions?
I have been using AI and will stick with that make
I whant to replase mi coralife 32 lights for somethin very smat. With out take aut the hold. What light you recomendé to me
My Evergrow IT2060 win 😁
Keep it up!
Good info !
I'm looking to add lights to a 48"x30"x30". It is my hope for a mixed reef tank. What would be your recomendation using AI's? 3 64's or 8 primes, or some other configuration?
While 8 Primes will certainly help with spread, Due to the 30" depth, you're likely best off with three of the 64s instead. I'd suggest mounting them from front to back to help cover that 30" width of the tank.
Wonder why EcoTech didn’t design the Radion g5 with the diffuser built in?
Why? You’ll go out and pay extra anyway.
Yeah they were talking about that diffuser before G5 was released... People agree to pay these ridiculous prices.
At the end of the video you discussed 3x ai primes for a mixed reef breeder. How would that work on the 65g with the same footprint, 6” taller, but has the brace in the center across the top? There will be some blockage straight down and from the sides, is that an issue? Thanks guys!!!
Im completely in the Black box camp here.
Radion 14 versus hydra 32 is only 55 bucks but when you move up to the bigger size hydra 64 versus radion 30 Its 210 bucks. In order to eliminate the hot spots and not mount so high its just a no brainer to go with radion 14's! But dont get why they double the price for bigger ones, most company dont do that, usually you would get a discount to move up to a bigger size!
Im pretty sure I’ll be purchasing the radions. In all tests I’ve seen, I think they are the best overall but there are a lot of options.
I am looking into lighting. What are some options besides kessil and AI? If ya dont mind. I have a current in small bank and a coral life in my small tanks but moving up and want more par and color pop!
Set lights up well, in the right intensity and spectrum. Then never touch them again. Your goal is replicating the dependability of our sun, not putting a mood light in your living room.
Their is no rational argument for needing to control your lighting remotely. An emergency (equipment failure or small fire. etc.) is the only reason why you would want to mess with it.
It is essential that lighting remain consistent each and every day for every photosynthetic organism on the planet, their lifecycles are regulated by it. And any changes that do occur are only minor changes each day in seasonal variation, not in drastic swings. Given the tropical nature of reef organisms, seasonal variation in light is extremely minor. Set it and forget it
Uh except when you add new corals and you want to acclimate them so you dont BBQ them to crisp......
How about a comparison of Tile vs Carpet?
This is a poor comparison as the radion in the uk is £200 more ! The lights also have a big difference in wattage ! If anything this video shows how good of value the hydra 64hds are !
Curious why they'd be 200 more in the UK, it's not like AI is a UK company making them and it's all VAT on the Radion. Does the UK have a "Well if it's new it's gotta be taxed more" tax?
@@Mike__B They are $200 more than the AI in America as well.
The reason we made the comparison is because reefers ask us all the time if the $200 is worth it :) This is a personal decision but hopefully the information we shared makes it a easier decision.
@@BRStv So is it worth it in your minds? There was such a minute difference in spectrums. I would like to see the same corals in the same tank with the same set up under both of the lights as a comparison when asking the question of whether or not the $200 dollars is worth it. I say that having seen many beautiful tanks under those AI's. My local shop has 3 experienced reefers who run it. All 3 have more than 20 year's in the hobby and I asked them what they preferred between AI, Radion's, and Kessil's, and all 3 said they preferred the AI'S all things considered. And they have tanks with all of those lights over them. I don't notice a difference at all in the corals between the 3 tanks as they are all beautiful.
@@lonestarpatriot876 My mistake, when he said 200 more I thought he meant 200 more than what it normally is. Plus I didn't know what the price differential was between the lights
Winner is my T5, DIY Cree 3w dual strips, 250w MH in one fixture 🤓🤪🤪🤓🥳. Boom, Mic Drop 🤪🥳🤪
AI seems to be unwilling to create a useful and detailed instruction manual (can't find one anywhere for new 32's) to instruct us as to how to use the app correctly to create a light schedule. Could you guys create one for us? There would be many happy people if you do :)
What depth were these par's taken at? I dont recall it being mentioned
BRS, how wide are those diagrams? I want to get a sense for how many inches wide the light distribution graph is for. Thanks!
We test these lights on a 24" x 24" 60 gallon cube as well as a 48" x 24" 120 gallon system.
I'll keep my T5's. These things are so over priced it's ridiculous!
I completely agree. They make corals look great but if you know what you are doing the corals will still look amazing without them. The price just cant be justified for me whatsoever.
Nothing wrong with using T5's :)
I agree with you, but everyone has a specific budget in this hobby.
WWC used T5’s with reefbrite strips adding pop for years and their colors were insane. Thinking about doing the same as I have a 6 bulb Ati power module which has been a good light. Heavy and bulky but still a good light.
50 dollars worth of leds, 20 dollar computer, 10 dollar heatsink, 10 dollar fan = 900 dollar Radion. Newbies will pay...
I hear AI gives a clearer look and Radions give a softer look, is that true?
The Radion does have a more diffused look (with better spread), so I could see that.
I like your work but this is not a good comparison to me as there is about a $200 dollar difference in price. I can 3d print a diffuser for practically nothing or just buy one from people who have already made them. The difference in price simply can't be ignored and makes for a bad comparison because they are not comparable in price.
The reason we made the comparison is because reefers ask us all the time if the $200 is worth it :) This is a personal decision but hopefully the information we shared makes it a easier decision.
I use current lighting are they ok
Guys would you suggest going for the Ecotec radions xr15 pro or blue over the Reef LED 90 from Red Sea. I am wondering if I should buy the deluxe version of the 3xl 900 reefer tank that includes the lights or just buy the tank and buy the XR15’s separately. The tank will have both fish and coral.
Lots of personal preference there, but after seeing the results of some light tests, the Radion's spread is ultra flat and hard to beat. If you're looking for "best," I'd suggest the XR15s. That said, both fixtures will grow coral.
@@BRStv Thank you for your quick reply. I needed your input because I was wondering if I could get similar results by just going with the deluxe version of the tank that comes with the lights bundled for a much lower cost. However, I am going to take your advise and buy the radions xR15's.
I was thinking of getting 4 of them for the tank. Do you think that is good enough?
Also is there a diffuser for the G5 and if yes is it worth investing in the diffuser for the G5's?
If I have a small tank like a 36 bowfront and I buy two radion 14 and tune way down am I going to lose color intensity and pale colors? My 10 gallon with a current is like that. If I turn down green I get lime and red I get pink ect! I know one would suffice but cant mount one with the center bracket, plus two looks so much better! I plan to upgrade very soon and I also thought this would take the sting off later buying two now and two later, or would it make more sense to get 2 ai prime or red sea 50 watt. I actually hate the way the tiny primes look though so that sucks, then considering photon or zetlite and forget about the other plan. I just dont want an overpowered system with low intensity lightening giving out pale blue ect, I have no idea if it works that way though
Winner is in the back. T5 !!!
Went hybrid with my system and realized how "wrong" the ATi Blue+ bulbs look for "blue". Got so used to the "pure" blue from royal blue LEDs and just wasn't prepared for the look. Got used to it eventually, and running both is fine, except I might have too much light now.
At this g5 power consumption rate and how many units need to cover, lets say 5 fts tank. I just cannot see why 48"/60" T5 fixture supplement with LED is not a true winner.
Also we hang our trust on Radion completely since no one really know that new g5 will work the same way as g4.
If they could make a slim fixture on a bracket T5s would still be the best.
@@dc110770 Light spread won't be great plus heat concern.
But what about a 30" deep plus tank, would you think that 3 hydra 64s would be better then 2 g5s almost same cost.
We don't have par data for depths of 30" (we don't have a 30" deep test tank), but I think that's a fair assessment.
I ran halide for the longest time and the shimmer they produce is astounding. Do leds give that halide shimmer??
Check out the Kessils, you will not be disappointed.
Kessils are probably the closest thing out there to the halide shimmer right now.
prfinest07 I will! Thank you!
Bulk Reef Supply I’m just a little concerned about the dispersement with those. They seem to be a focused beam?
@@jeffmays7192 Not according to our recent testing! Actually, the Kessils are some of the top performing 90watt LEDs that we've seen so far in this regard! th-cam.com/video/ZrElOlcPm9E/w-d-xo.html
I dont like a ton of blue or a ton of white so If I went with radions which would be better? Only reason I would want blue would be for color pop, dosnt radion give more of that than other lights? haha. IOf thats the case maybe I would prefer not so much blue. I wish they just had one light! I love the spread of the g5 but having to choose is whats making me take forever to figure out a light! Can I get a blue tank out of the pro and a whiter out of the blue and I know you are supposed to pic a program and set it and forget it and I hear so much about this ab plus or pro or something. Please explain what that is?
The G5 Pro is your better bet cause you can always turn down the white to get a good mix between blue and white. The G5 Blue is going to be that more blue spectrum and it doesn't have enough white leds to make it whiter. If your looking for flexibility go with the Pro. Here's a good link to show you the difference between the pro and blue using AB+ spectrum. Keep in mind you can adjust the whites down on the pro if its too white for you. th-cam.com/video/Tsyshyyr_9Y/w-d-xo.html
Would you say two AI Hydra 32s would give out enough spread for a 48” tank?
For a softie/LPS tank, this shouldn't be an issue. Check out the video in the link below for a more detailed report on the Hydra 32 fixture 🙂
th-cam.com/video/fQ_1yQiNIdc/w-d-xo.html
im currently running the zetlight qmaven2 zt6800ii on my 4x2 feet sps tank. so far im able to maintain the colours on all my high end sps and getting decent growth. i get bout 400-450 par at top part and 120 on the sand bed. do u think i shud upgrade to radion g5s? will the diff b significant when im already getting good par lvl for my zetlight. thx
If you're getting the par you're looking for and the corals are doing well, I wouldn't change a thing! :)
This comparison is a bit apples to oranges. You can't compare a sheet of leds to a puck of leds. Clearly the outcome will look like this. Nevertheless, this does highlight how nice and how far the radions have come. For $150 more, you might as well go radions everytime now vs before.
Anybody help me with a question? How many of these lights would I need on a 125 6 foot tank.. my first one and I would like to have the option to grow whatever I choose to put in the tank…
With either the XR30 or Hydra 64, you'll want to go with three of them. This will allow you to grow anything from softies to LPS to SPS. Just dial in the overall intensity to meet the needs of the corals you decide to keep.
You guys should show these in action or maybe do a video of the place and all the tanks and differt lights used. Surely there must be some good options besides kessil, radion and AI. Does anyone make a good large led that would cover a 48 inch tanks? Even some the size of hydra and radion. I just dont like the look of the small ones and its hard to conceive that you can get such good coverage all the way to the front, where you may have corals in the sand bed!
There are a bunch of fantastic LED brands outside of Kessil, Ecotech, and AI. Reef Breeders, Orphek, Red Sea, and Maxspect are all brands that come to mind. Each offering a unique form factor.
Not bugging you guys with questions anymore. I i wll pay more and Radions it is! Now Please tell me you have the 14' in stock and I hope I dont have to buy anymore than mounts! So close to getting the hydras. Didnt want to have to mount so high plus be in the dark about setting them Also no need for diffuser! I dont like a heavy shimmer or disco. To me it kind of looks the same! Now, to figure out blues or pro's. Leaning more toward pro. I want alot of color pop but dont like a saturated blue tank! I guess I will go watch some you tubes of the two different ones on peoples tanks! Like to see how blu the blu plus program is! Can I get the blu plus out of the pro If I wanted too? Especially since it supposed to promote more growth! Thanks for helping me make my decision!
what is the tank dimension you used to test ?
We conduct all of our light testing in a 60gallon (24"x24" cube) and a 120gallon (4ft x 2ft tank).
g5 reminds me of a Chinese black box with the lenses off
Yep how black boxes were when they first came out...no lenses... looks like things have gone full circle 🙂
GET YOUR OVERPRICED HYPED UP DEVOLVED G5s...like wtf happened to all the puck hype is my real ?
Hi, what is black box?
Hybrid and T5 lamps are almost dead. If you look at the sales figures and how good the LEDs are now. My G5 Pro are ordered
T5's seem to be making a comeback with the new hybrid fixtures out there :)
@@BRStv Yes, but I think it will become more and more a niche product. LEDs are going to be much more powerful. When you see the results you get with them.
You still can not beat T5
You still cannot beat MH yet...
Cool video
Great video BRS!
Can someone link the AI Prime blanket video? I am building a 4' tank with hybrid lighting. I am thinking maybe T5s and 4 ai primes?
Hmm...I'm not sure what you mean by blanket video
@@BRStv Around the 42 minute mark Randy reads a question about AI primes and talks about adding 8 to a 4' tank. he references a recent video in which you guys looked at PAR from multiple Primes over a tank, but I do not see a link anywhere. I am assuming it was part of a more comprehensive video, but I would like to watch it to see what my options are with regard to adding LEDs to my T5 hybrid fixture (no LEDs yet while I fill and cycle). Looking for the most cost effective and user friendly lights that will provide good color and growth. I'm not opposed to gen 5 radions, I just want to be able to see if it is the best option to justify the cost.
It's annoying that the folks that sold me on automaton years ago are now being forced into a corner by manufacturers playing juvenile games, based on nothing more than hubris and poor management decisions. "why would you want your controller to control you lights?" Here is why..... my system can change lighting settings based on feed modes and output configurations. I mean really, I say "Alexa ask apex fusion to go 12k" ... and it goes 12k or "alexa ask apex fusion to go just blue" ... and it goes All blue. Feed modes have preset lighting conditions with a single command. I am not giving that up, nor should we as consumers. You guys need to speak up and tell these manufacturers to quit acting like children. It's a small industry and this kind of stuff cost them all money (retailers includes) and leaves hobbyists deserving better.
I agree with everything said here and have quietly advocated for it behind the scenes. That said, if I am being real with you, I don't see a world where Neptune and Apex are active partners. With the paths they are on it is like asking Apple and Android to support each other. Apex will tell you they are happy to have the radion work on their platform right now and it is Ecotech's fault but if Ecotech had a controller there is no world where Neptune is designing products to work on their platform. So our response in the video was, as concerns to lighting, what's the most important, biological performance, visual performance or apex ready? Because I can still plug them into an apex outlet for on-off function the apex ready is a distant concern to the first two.
Guys reviev Giesemann Vervve please, it looks like cheaper alternative to Radion but also top quality
did you get vervve ?
Whats going on with the BRS 360 home Build?
Tank, stand, and sump get moved to Ryan's house at the end of the month! :)
Do vs orphek
Why don’t y’all check some Photon V2’S
That's not a product that we currently sell, but you never know what the future holds!
There both over priced I run maxspect razor rsx200 over a 4ft tank on 60% of its total power verry happy no need to spend 1000nds of dollars on lighting halides rule t5 excellent I did get sucked into led but think it's a gimic
This is insanity.
Hi
HI!
Bulk Reef Supply I just bought a radion G5 pro .... which existing program do you recommend for a mixed tank? ..... AB +? ..... or which others? the tank has sps on the top and lps on the bottom .... what do you recommend? thanks for reply