 db7080 wrote:
So another observation! I have read a lot about about people running vaga's at "no more than 50 and 60 percent" but other people running the radion say they run them at 100 percent. So wouldn't the Vega's get a better spread because you could just hang it higher and turn up the intensity? |
Um, that's opposite of what I found. Of course, if nothing else, the internet is good for finding the reverse of any argument. I'm sure it's conditional on each situation so let me share some of what I found.
AI: Is designed to cover 24" x 24" with max par delivered 4" above the water. Max depth? Depends...
$1000-$1500 (for my solution)
AI Vega FAQ
When I called AI they were very helpful. The rep I talked to suggested that with my tank I should ideally plan on a fixture for every 12"-18" if I wanted to grow "anything". As in anything I want. That would mean up to 3 fixtures for me and about 6" off the water.
Radions: 8" off the water is the minimum suggested hang height. 9" up gives a spread of 30". 11"-13" off the surface yields 42" coverage. Max depth? Depends...
$500-$1000 @ gen1 (for my solution) or $650-$1300 @ gen2
Radion Setup Guide
This means that for me, 2 radion fixtures is borderline overkill.
Here is my situation. After a 6 week long acclimation period, my radions will max out at 75% power. I don't have a lot of SPS yet but before I started using the built in acclimation feature, 90% power started to bleach and fade everything including stuff on the sand. I have 2 radions (gen1 at the time) about 16" off the water and the tank is ~28" deep. My tank is 36" x 36" and there is not a dim spot to be found save those in the cave or intentionally shadowed. 100% power might have melted my LR ;) There is much power in those little LEDs. I have since upgraded my Gen1 to the new Pros. As such I started my acclimation over. Starting at 50% and ramping to 75% (for now) over 6 weeks. I restarted because the Pro not only adds UV and other color but because the lens is more powerful and there are more LEDs overall.
I would have needed or could have used, 3 Vega or 2 Radions. With the original Gen1 it was cheaper for me to go Radion. They were designed to be higher off the water and thus out of my way plus given that I could upgrade the fixtures later (and I have) it was a no brainer.
A couple links I still had bookmarked.
Light spectrum of various LEDs
A TRT thread asking your same question but for the Sol not Vega
Radion Gen1 vs Gen2
Edited by JohnnyHeavens - February 25 2013 at 4:59pm
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