Atreum Lighting Hydra 1000 Review

Atreum Lighting is a USA based grow light company. They have a great reputation for making innovative high-efficiency LEDs. The new Atreum Hydra 1000 is a cool little grow light with some innovative features.

The Atreum Hydra 1000 is a small quantum board style grow light meant for 2’ x 2’ coverage. It features quality components and has some features that make it stand out in the market. It features algorithmically spaced diodes and an on-board digital power display. It is sleek, well-made and has great efficiency. With a power draw of 115 watts, it is the smallest light I have tested which is able to fully light a 2’ x 2’ space.

The Atreum Hydra 1000 features Samsung LM 301b diodes and a Mean Well driver. They are top end brands and models. There are 208 Samsung LM 301b diodes. Half are 5000k and half are 3000k. They also include 9 Osram 660nm diodes and 1 Osram 730nm diode. In total, there are 218 diodes. The published power draw is 110w, so there are just under 2 diodes per watt. This is at the low end among competitive fixtures.

The Atreum Hydra 1000 uses “algorithmically” spaced diodes. There are relatively few diodes near the center of the panel and a concentration of diodes at each corner. In theory, this should help make the distribution of light more even. However, it is a small light so the impact of moving the diodes is not very significant.

There is another innovative feature that I think is pretty cool. The Atreum Hydra 1000 has a digital power meter incorporated into the dimmer control box. According to Atreum, it is an independent power meter that measures the DC output from the driver to the LED panel in real time. On the model that I tested, when the dimmer was at full power, the digital display read 98w. My power meter recorded a draw at the wall of 115w (at 120v). The difference in the measurements is primarily a result of the efficiency of the driver.

The dimmer is continuously adjustable, and the digital display provides an excellent way to set precise dimmer settings. The display reads in watts. Since the maximum power is very close to 100 watts, it also acts as a measure of the dimming percentage. If the output power were not exactly 100 watts, setting the dimmer could require a bit of math. However, for this fixture, it is perfect.

The dimmer is among the most accurate that I have tested. This is not a surprise since setting the dimmer is actually setting the power draw of the LED panel. As you can see in the chart below, the power percentage almost exactly matches the dimmer setting at each position. The maximum PPFD is slightly above the power draw and the dimmer settings. This is due to the diodes being more efficient at lower wattages.

One of the distinctive features of the Atreum Hydro 1000 is the color. The aluminum heatsink is a profound black. It creates a striking visual aesthetic, but as a rule, I am reluctant to put anything black into a grow space. I discussed this with Mike Lin, the founder of Atreum Lighting, and he had a very interesting response. He agreed that black absorbs more light and heat than a reflective surface, however, he pointed out that it also has better emissivity. Black surfaces dissipate heat better than reflective surfaces. Furthermore, on the top of a heat sink, heat dissipation is more important than light absorption. The impact of the color is minor, but his response showed me how much thought they put into this little fixture. Furthermore, the Atreum Hydra 1000 does run pretty cool. I measured the maximum temperature on the driver at 51.7 C (125.1 F). The heat sink only got up to 48.2 C (118.8F)

The Atreum Hydra 1000 performed very well in my PAR tests. In my official PAR test, it had a maximum PPFD of 1000 µmol/m² at a hanging height of 28.5cm (11.25in). The lowest PPFD was in a corner at 451 µmol/m². Aside from the corner squares, the entire area is in the prime photosynthetic zone between 500 and 1000 µmol/m². It is on the small size in terms of power draw, but it does a great job covering a 2’ x 2’ canopy.

In the official test, the Atreum Hydra 1000 produced an average PPFD of 642.3 µmol/m². This converts to a Usable PPF of 231.2 µmol. I measured the power draw from the wall at 115 watts (at 120v). That gives the Hydra 1000 a Usable Photon Efficiency of 2.01 µmol/w. This is an excellent efficiency for such a small LED grow light.

I ran a second test at a higher hanging height. At 35.5cm (14in) the Atreum Hydra 1000 was able to get the entire map above the 500 µmol/m² threshold. At this height, the maximum PPFD is only 791 µmol/m² and the Usable PPF fell slightly to 218.9 µmol. The Hydra 1000 will produce great results anywhere in the 28.5-35.5cm height range. The 28.5cm (11.25in) in the official test should be considered the minimum hanging height in a 2×2 tent.

The Atreum Hydra 1000 has very competitive price. It is offered for about $150 on both Atreumlighting.com and US Amazon. It is $190 CAD on Amazon in Canada. On all these platforms you can use discount code CocoHydra5 for 5% off. That brings the price in the USA to $142, which gives the Atreum Hydra 1000 a cost efficiency of $0.61/ µmol. It is a great price for this highly efficient and innovative fixture.

I think the Atreum Hydra 1000 is a great little light. I love it for seedlings and clones when the digital dimmer will really come in handy. Although the benefits from the algorithmically spaced diodes and the emissivity of the black color are small, I appreciate the thought that went into the design. It is an efficient, well-made, and sleek looking fixture. If you are in the market for a cool little grow light, the Atreum Hydra 1000 is great choice.