Anyone running Radion's at 18" above their tanks?

[seandanekind]

Hey all -

I'm building out a Planet 155. Kicker is that I've gotten used to having my lights much higher than normal over my tanks. I currently have a Red Sea 170 with a single Kessil A360x + 55 degree reflector hanging form a decorative chain (with the power cable weaved in the chain) about 13" above the tank. I love the clean look, and near zero light spill.

But... as you can see this little tank is mostly Anemones and a few LPS. The 155 will be SPS dominant with some LPS lower down. It's also a 48x30" footprint, so a little more area to play with light spill.

I'm thinking of 3 Radion XR30's with diffusers + 2 Kessil a80's or a160's just for the lovely shimmer... just not sure about Radion's at that height. I mocked up a photo with some AI Primes to show my ideal height around 18" above the tank.

I've also thought about running 3 or 4 Kessil A500x's with the 55 deg reflectors

I thought about Orphek's, but all the videos I've seen show pretty bad disco-ball effect, and I can't stand that.

Does anyone have experience with Radion's at 18"? Photos/Videos?

 

[alindell]

I have 3 over my 5 foot. It might be a little overkill. I Think 3 over a 6 foot with SPS mounted high would be fine. I mount them above between 8 to 10 inches above. 24x20 is what I would recommend for xr30. Kessils are nice for shimmer effect but I have had good success with the aquatic life t5 led system. Basically a HO t5 4 bulb system with the radions mounted in the middle. The t5 help spread an even flat light, extend the light around the width of the aquarium and help prevent Shadowing which is what SPS dont like.

 

[alindell]

More than enough for sps