Reef Radiance or Photon 48 or Photon 48-V2

[RICKY81]

Hello guys,

I'm trying to get back into the hobby of reefing, I had a 210gal previously but due to economical and work related issues i had to put it aside for about 3 years. Now that i'm back, i noticed that LED's are the NEW deal for lights and coral. I currently have an old T5 with MH but i want to upgrade to LEDs. I finally narrowed it down to 2 brands but stuck with 3 different lights. I have a 75gal tank (standard 48 x 18) and i want to do SPS and some clams, my tank has already been going for about 3 months. Now the time has come make a decision to buy new lights. What do you guys recommend would be best for my tank. The Reef Radiance or Photon 48 or the NEW Model Photon 48-V2? While price can be a concern, i was also given the green light by the wife to buy the Photon 48-V2 if i wanted too, but then i look at the Reef Radiance 2-24's for $488. I don't mind paying the extra money if that means i am getting a heck of a better value, but if i am getting the same value, then i might just go for the Reef Radiance. I'm thinking of getting 1 light fixture of 48" or should 2 - 24" be better? Any advice and guidance into the right direction is greatly appreciated. I'm going to have this 75 gal tank temporarily for approx 2-3 years, then i will go back to my 210 gal, so any lights purchased can be used for that one too.

[Zack]

I've heard nothing but fantastic things about the Photon series of lights but can't really comment on the other brand. The few tanks with Photons I've seen all looked incredible. Have you considered RapidLED? Their Onyx fixtures are also really nice.

[leliataylor]

I am going to chime in here, not because I know a lot about all the different lights, but because I was in the same place you are now last year. Both Reef Breeders and Reef Radiance are known to have excellent customer service. Both offer warranty servicing within the US, although Reef Breeders offers a 2 year warranty vs. Reef Radiance 1 year. Ocean Revive offers lights with identical cases and remotes to the Reef breeders photons and the RB superlux, with a slightly different color array and a 1 year US warranty. Ocean Revive IT series are almost identical to the photon and their T-247 are almost identical to the RB superlux. They can be purchased on ebay under the seller name aqua2goled which is Ocean Revives user name. They are currently selling a It2080 (48" led) for $429.00. I have seen them sell on auction for slightly over $250.00.

My Reefbreeders Photon 32" and my OR-IT2060 are very similar, even the remote controls are interchangeable. There a two differences, 1. when the channels are set identical the Photon gives a softer more blue light and a much nicer shimmer, 2. I paid 250.00 for the photon slightly used and 149.00 on Ebay for the OR light. I also have a Reef Radiance Lumentek Pro 16" which produces light color more similar to the OR light. The primary differences are when you turn it off the light gradually fades out (I really that effect) and it is a lot more hassle to program it.

LED's remind me a lot of cars or cell phones, each year the companies develop new models with new features and drop the price on last years models.

As for the effects on coral growth, I will leave that to someone with a great deal more knowledge than I.

[RICKY81]

I've heard nothing but fantastic things about the Photon series of lights but can't really comment on the other brand. The few tanks with Photons I've seen all looked incredible. Have you considered RapidLED? Their Onyx fixtures are also really nice.

Hey Zack, thanks for the info... I've only heard people talk about Reef breaders, but then I saw Reef radiance and that's where I got stuck.. I will definitely look into RapidLED

[RICKY81]

I am going to chime in here, not because I know a lot about all the different lights, but because I was in the same place you are now last year. Both Reef Breeders and Reef Radiance are known to have excellent customer service. Both offer warranty servicing within the US, although Reef Breeders offers a 2 year warranty vs. Reef Radiance 1 year. Ocean Revive offers lights with identical cases and remotes to the Reef breeders photons and the RB superlux, with a slightly different color array and a 1 year US warranty. Ocean Revive IT series are almost identical to the photon and their T-247 are almost identical to the RB superlux. They can be purchased on ebay under the seller name aqua2goled which is Ocean Revives user name. They are currently selling a It2080 (48" led) for $429.00. I have seen them sell on auction for slightly over $250.00.

My Reefbreeders Photon 32" and my OR-IT2060 are very similar, even the remote controls are interchangeable. There a two differences, 1. when the channels are set identical the Photon gives a softer more blue light and a much nicer shimmer, 2. I paid 250.00 for the photon slightly used and 149.00 on Ebay for the OR light. I also have a Reef Radiance Lumentek Pro 16" which produces light color more similar to the OR light. The primary differences are when you turn it off the light gradually fades out (I really that effect) and it is a lot more hassle to program it.

LED's remind me a lot of cars or cell phones, each year the companies develop new models with new features and drop the price on last years models.

As for the effects on coral growth, I will leave that to someone with a great deal more knowledge than I.

Cheryl

That's great guidance, I hadn't thought about Ebay, will definitely look into it.

[Troy Valentine]

I have 3 Reefbreeder fixtures; 2-16" Value and 1-Photon 48. All 3 were purchased in 2013, and IMO at that time they were the best bang for your buck when it came to leds. Their compact LED configuration made them great for growing coral, but I found caution must be used when it comes to the "whites" they use. I found the spectrum to be far too intense for the corals initially, and for me there was a learning curve to dial in the intensity. I lost several large colonies because of this. With that said a couple of months ago I went with the 16" SB Reef fixture for $129, and almost immediately I noticed a difference in the coloration of my corals. I plan on going with these lights on my new system. Recently had a chance to see the new Photon V2 in action. It seems to be better than the original design. But only time will tell.

[usmcsgt]

I have 2 of the new reefbreeder v2 they are awesome lights with great control of the spectrum


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