Replacing my Maxspect Mazarra P-Series - Options Please?

KeishaKornbread

KeishaKornbread

Banned
With all the issues plaguing my Maxspect Mazarra P-Series I bought last month, I wanted to investigate some other LED options to replace them. I’m really interested in the Ecotech Radions and they would be my first choice. I realize they cost an arm and a leg, but at this point after my horrible experience with my Maxspect Mazarra P-Series LEDs, my main concern is the build quality, reliability and ease of mounting.

I have a modest sized rimless tank that measures 36” w x 18” h x 12” d. The water, when calm is at 16” h. My MP10s are usually in nutrient mode which includes my programmed wave so with the water level a bit close to 18” h the lights should have enough space between the surface to avoid splashing and salt creep. I don’t suspect that penetration will be an issue for my setup.

I want something that is totally self-sufficient and automatic. This is what drew me to the Mazarras. I just want to program my photoperiods and let it go to do its thing. I have a mixed reef that includes a bit of everything.

The other important factor is the mounting. As I am a renter in my flat, I would prefer not to install some sort of contraption into my ceiling or walls. The Mazarras mounted to the tank and this was idea for my situation. I have yet to see a similar option for the Radions.

I’m also looking for opinions on the Radions or any other LED options I may not be aware of. I realize the Radions get the most exposure due to Ecotechs marketing machine, so I’m all ears. I have yet to see these lights in person. I’ve only seen them online in videos and in pictures.

Lastly, I am not interested in any DIY jobs or building my own LED array. I would rather have my lights already wired and completed. I can see myself being electrocuted trying to tinker around with wires, bulbs and such. It will not come out pretty.

Can you kind people shed some light on some lights? That was my terrible attempt at a joke.

Thanks!!!
 
The radions look awesome in person. I saw them a bunch of times on Teds reef tank. If u could I would do a radion no questions ask. And if u don't want to hang them in the ceiling u can make sumthing to hang them out of conduit.
 
Do you absolutely NEED to have LED lights over your tank? Is there a certain feature of the LED that is a deal breaker on other lighting options? You could get a very nice 36" long T5 fixture you can hang right over the top of your tank, or use a leg kit to stand on top of your tank, that would look great, work great, and (arguably) provide much better color than LED. The Radion really is about as good as it gets for LED right now if you dont want DIY, but you are well aware of the premium pricetag it comes with. For your tank, you will definitely need 2 of them. At that price, You could have a top quality T5 fixture and bulbs for years to come, on top of the ability to easily swap out different bulbs to get different looks as new ones are released by manufacturers. With the 12" depth of your tank, you may have a hard time with a 6 bulb fixture since it will likely be deeper than your tank, but a quality 4 bulb fixture with individual reflectors and good bulbs would do just fine with the 18" tank height. If you really love the dimming feature of the LED, there are T5 fixtures with dimmable ballasts as well, and can just as easily replicate solar cycles.
 
My tank is up against a wall with less than 1" between the glass and the wall. My return and overflow are on the side of the tank, as the tank is in a corner. Everything about my setup was custom to meet the needs of my application, so I needed a lighting solution that was customizable and able to grow with little cost after the substantial investment upfront. I'd have to drain this badboy and putz around behind the tank to install stand light hangers back there so that really won't fit my needs...and I don't really like them. The aesthetics of my flat are pretty modern with nice clean lines and I'd like my setup to reflect that, which is why I don't want anything unfinished or DIY. This is going to be rather tough.

As I live in a building that is over 100 years old, I suspect the majority of the wiring in this building is not much younger. I'm just kidding...sort of. My electricity costs a month are more than I would like and I was attracted to the cost of running an LED setup. I don't mind spending a grip upfront knowing that the cost to run it would be substantially less than operating a MH or T5 setup.

I once had to use a window AC unit during the summer while my central air was being repaired and I had to run to the circuit breaker box to reset it more times than I cared for. I haven't had a problem with these LEDs in that regard. I think MHs would bring back those problems. And T5s would be less but not as less as an LED setup. And I don't have the available space to store a collection of replacement bulbs and have no interest in hoarding them either.

Also, I want full-spectrum. I'd rather not have to upgrade every couple years. I like that the Mazarras and Radions have LEDs that are easily replaced and future-proof. I wasn't interested in the AI Sol Blues due to it's lack of the other colors in the spectrum.

Money isn't really my inhibitor with my setup, so I'm not shy about spending on the lighting....but I'm no fool and don't want to spend $2000 on lights that don't have the ability to grow with the needs of my little babies in my tank, nor do I want to waste money on trash, which is how I feel about my purchase of these Mazarras.

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I'm about three months in on my Radions. I couldn't be happier, I almost went with Mazarras. The programing is really easy, and the ability to adjust each color to your personal prefrence and those of your corals is a big plus. I used celiling mounting and have them about 10" above water level at this time. I have 93G cube and two MP40 in nutrient/wave mode too. I can not express enough how customizable you make these LEDS, but that is up to you. You can also set a very simple and relizble program, to set and forget based on your time commitments. PM me if you want to discuss further or over the phone. Check out Ted's YouTube videos to see just an small sampling of their flexability.
 
Halcon said:
I'm about three months in on my Radions. I couldn't be happier, I almost went with Mazarras. The programing is really easy, and the ability to adjust each color to your personal prefrence and those of your corals is a big plus. I used celiling mounting and have them about 10" above water level at this time. I have 93G cube and two MP40 in nutrient/wave mode too. I can not express enough how customizable you make these LEDS, but that is up to you. You can also set a very simple and relizble program, to set and forget based on your time commitments. PM me if you want to discuss further or over the phone. Check out Ted's YouTube videos to see just an small sampling of their flexability.
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Thanks, Don! I really appreciate the offer to pick your brain and I will certainly take you up on that offer. Do you have a link to Ted's videos?
 
If you want color spectrum and expandability with LEDs, you could look at the Ecoxotic Panorama Fixtures. I will be the first to admit, they are not as powerful, but at 24" they still put off over 200 PAR. They are 100% expandable, about half the cost, and can grow with your tank size. They offer UV, red, blue, yellow, any color you want can be placed in there. They have inline dimmers, transformers instead of ballasts. Overall it's a cheaper setup financially, but still a solid piece of equipment. They have tank mounts that allow them to swivel up and down. As of now, other than getting spotlight options, it's the only high-end fixture on the market with inexpensive expandability.

I will also add they do not have built in programmers, but you could easily use timers. I'm getting my controller today, and will have some extras you could have for free.
 
yogoshio said:
If you want color spectrum and expandability with LEDs, you could look at the Ecoxotic Panorama Fixtures. I will be the first to admit, they are not as powerful, but at 24" they still put off over 200 PAR. They are 100% expandable, about half the cost, and can grow with your tank size. They offer UV, red, blue, yellow, any color you want can be placed in there. They have inline dimmers, transformers instead of ballasts. Overall it's a cheaper setup financially, but still a solid piece of equipment. They have tank mounts that allow them to swivel up and down. As of now, other than getting spotlight options, it's the only high-end fixture on the market with inexpensive expandability.

I will also add they do not have built in programmers, but you could easily use timers. I'm getting my controller today, and will have some extras you could have for free.
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Thanks!! I've looked at these and they are a pretty nice package. Thanks for the offer on the timers, too! I've toyed with the idea but I now only have one plug left in the 2 strips in my stand.

I currently have the following connected under there. 2 MP10s, 2 heaters, fuge light, return pump, skimmer nano powerhead in intake chamber, ato.

One surge protector is plugged into the other so there is only one cord from my setup to the wall. I don't think there is anyroom for timers under there, even if I unplugged the main light conenction.

Radions are winning the battle as of now, for my application. That price tag is making my stomach turn and will cut into my Fiji budget next month. And it looks as if I may be forced to hang something from the ceiling. My ceilings are around 11' high....so this will be a challenge. My landlord won't have a problem with this, but it was something I was really trying to avoid.
 
If you like SPS, I would go with T5's. I don't trust LED's with SPS and I've owned different LED's and my SPS just did not like them, they changed in color and some just flat out died on me. The monti's don't seem to mind them.
T5's will give you the best color out of your corals IMO.
 
ColaAddict said:
If you like SPS, I would go with T5's. I don't trust LED's with SPS and I've owned different LED's and my SPS just did not like them, they changed in color and some just flat out died on me. The monti's don't seem to mind them.
T5's will give you the best color out of your corals IMO.
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Absolutely 100% agree with everything here. For the price of one Radion, you can have a killer 4 bulb T5 fixture and bulbs, have money to spare for corals and fish, and the money you don't spend on the 2nd radion will cover bulb replacements for like 6-8 years with annual replacement. Some of the SPS I had under LED, I thought looked great, many of them are now at home under T5 lighting in new tanks, and their color is absolutely stunning now.
 
chgoblknazn said:
So going to T5s would be a lateral move?
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Not exactly. Different technology. T5 start with less par, but the wider starting coverage and deeper penetration than LED, more useable evenly distributed light makes it deeper into the tank. Put it in perspective, I had a 4 bulb T5 that did over 200 par at 22" deep and about 600 par at the waterline. I had a LED fixture that blasted out over 1300 par at the waterline and only made little over 250 par at the same spot 22" down. You are lucky to have a relatively shallow tank only 18" tall since LED doesn't drop off nearly as bad at that depth as say in the 24"-30" range, but the price will quickly escalate as you add more modules to expandable systems for wider color spectrum, or in the case of the Radions, paying up front for the extras already packaged in.
 
If you look in for sale threads in other forums, there are alot of Radions for sale, you can probably get a couple fixture there cheaper if you want. Also alot of AI's. But they are being sold for a reason. People are going back to either T5 or Hallide. I would have kept my LED's if I only had LPS and softies, but since I wanted a SPS heavy tank, I had to sell them for T5's. Also went back to T5 because I bought a bigger tank and have much better coverage with T5's.
 
sparky5785 said:
What about the new orphek fixture??
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It is indeed a gorgeous and adequete fixture, and I beleive one of those will provide enough coverage for my entire setup, but they have not arrived stateside yet and I can't find any material/video on them. I'm quite interested in them though.
 
I have DIY LEDs from reefledlights and Ive have really good growth from my sps. There color look awesome and I wouldnt change anything on my setup. It's just ur preference I bet when t5 was introduce ppl were skeptical about them also. I've had leds since my nano cube.
 
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