This is not the end all, super experiment, just my process is deciding how to light my new setup. The biggest conclusion is that there is no winner, all great lights and more about personal preference. Tank is a Waterbox 220.6 (72x26x24).
I like a whiter look during the day and an evening blue with white shimmer. Mixed reef with 200-300 par on top for sticks (rock top at 12", giving rock to surface 300-400+), 150 in the mid for euphyllia and 100 on the sand for shrooms and etc. I like the fill of T5, but don't like the color and lack of control. Have experience with SKY vs Radion (see one of my previous posts), prefer a fuller spectrum look over the SKY. In my previous tank I settled on Radion G5 Pro with a Kessil a360x in the middle.
With the new tank I would like to get more violet in the spectrum (400-450 nm) so the G6 and Reefi Uno 2.0 Pro look like good candidates. I will probably still have a kessil in the middle for the shimmer. I prefer to buy things used, so XR15s go for ~300-400, XR30 600-800 and Reefi are hard to find used so 500 new or 400-500 used. Based on the results below, it would be something like 4 XR15 (1200-1600), 2 XR30 (1200-1600) or 2 reefi (1000). Of course could go with more lights, but that is the minimum to meet my needs.
To start with, here is the rock layout on the left of the tank with test points. For par measurements the MP40s are off.
The various configurations that I tested include:
1x XR15 G6 Pro mounted on an RMS mount (8")
*2x XR15 G6 Pro mounted on an RMS mount (8")
*1x XR30 G5 Pro mounted on an RMS mount (8")
1x XR30 G5 Pro with diffuser mounted on an RMS mount (8")
1x Reefi Uno 2.0 Pro 90 deg reflector at 8"
*1x Reefi Uno 2.0 Pro 90 deg reflector at 16"
1x Reefi Uno 2.0 Pro 90 deg reflector at 24"
1x Reefi Uno 2.0 Pro 120 deg reflector at 8"
*1x Reefi Uno 2.0 Pro 120 deg reflector at 12"
1x Reefi Uno 2.0 Pro 120 deg reflector at 16"
Lights are at 100% all channels. The * configuration data represent what I felt was "best" for each light and will be included in this post, the other data will be shown in a second post.
Par map of the * setups
All 3 lights can reach my goals. The XR30 and Reefi can be turned down quite a bit while the XR15s will need to be run closer to 75%. From the par perspective, 2 XR15 will be needed for each side of the tank (4 total), 1 XR30 (2 total) or 2 reefi (2 total).
Par is only part of it, shadowing is important too. Here are pictures taken from the front.
The 2 XR15 seem to have better wrap around light, not surprising as it is the most distributed source. The shadowing of the XR30 seems to be the next best followed by the Reefi 120 and then Reefi 90.
The Reefi seems to have color splitting along the shadow lines. This color splitting is also seen in the shimmer leading to more of a disco effect. I believe this is due to the color channels being seperated in their own reflectors rather than mixed with the blues. The disco is also present in the Radion when the pumps are on, but is much smaller and goes away with the diffuser. Holding the diffuser under the Reefi does not eliminate the disco effect.
Also, the Reefi seems to have a more pink hue. I tried tuning the color channels, but it always seemed to have a pink undertone. Here is a side by side pic of reefi on the left and XR15 on the right. You can see the pinker hue and the more pronounced shimmer/ disco lines. Note that this is with the pumps on.
In the end, I think I prefer the Radion color and more blending. That does result in some additional side glare, but I can fix that with a shade. Blending the colors in the Reefi is harder because the "color" channels are isolated to their own reflectors in the middle leading to color separation in the tank. If Par was my #1 concern, definitely Reefi is the winner. I think I will be going with the XR15s for now, then possibly upgrade to XR30s as my needs change.
Other things that are on my mind, but not necessarily driving the decision are aesthetic of the RMS mount (I found my optimal Reefi height to be higher than the RMS, so can't make an adapter), ecosystem (I have MP40, Vectra and Versas and never had an issue with Mobius), and past good experience (not only myself, but also that many coral vendors use them (and I don't care if they get a deal on them... they still use them and they work!)).
Again, this is really a personal decision. All are good solutions and will not be the reason a tank succeeds or fails. Just putting my thoughts and data out there for others!
I like a whiter look during the day and an evening blue with white shimmer. Mixed reef with 200-300 par on top for sticks (rock top at 12", giving rock to surface 300-400+), 150 in the mid for euphyllia and 100 on the sand for shrooms and etc. I like the fill of T5, but don't like the color and lack of control. Have experience with SKY vs Radion (see one of my previous posts), prefer a fuller spectrum look over the SKY. In my previous tank I settled on Radion G5 Pro with a Kessil a360x in the middle.
With the new tank I would like to get more violet in the spectrum (400-450 nm) so the G6 and Reefi Uno 2.0 Pro look like good candidates. I will probably still have a kessil in the middle for the shimmer. I prefer to buy things used, so XR15s go for ~300-400, XR30 600-800 and Reefi are hard to find used so 500 new or 400-500 used. Based on the results below, it would be something like 4 XR15 (1200-1600), 2 XR30 (1200-1600) or 2 reefi (1000). Of course could go with more lights, but that is the minimum to meet my needs.
To start with, here is the rock layout on the left of the tank with test points. For par measurements the MP40s are off.
The various configurations that I tested include:
1x XR15 G6 Pro mounted on an RMS mount (8")
*2x XR15 G6 Pro mounted on an RMS mount (8")
*1x XR30 G5 Pro mounted on an RMS mount (8")
1x XR30 G5 Pro with diffuser mounted on an RMS mount (8")
1x Reefi Uno 2.0 Pro 90 deg reflector at 8"
*1x Reefi Uno 2.0 Pro 90 deg reflector at 16"
1x Reefi Uno 2.0 Pro 90 deg reflector at 24"
1x Reefi Uno 2.0 Pro 120 deg reflector at 8"
*1x Reefi Uno 2.0 Pro 120 deg reflector at 12"
1x Reefi Uno 2.0 Pro 120 deg reflector at 16"
Lights are at 100% all channels. The * configuration data represent what I felt was "best" for each light and will be included in this post, the other data will be shown in a second post.
Par map of the * setups
All 3 lights can reach my goals. The XR30 and Reefi can be turned down quite a bit while the XR15s will need to be run closer to 75%. From the par perspective, 2 XR15 will be needed for each side of the tank (4 total), 1 XR30 (2 total) or 2 reefi (2 total).
Par is only part of it, shadowing is important too. Here are pictures taken from the front.
The 2 XR15 seem to have better wrap around light, not surprising as it is the most distributed source. The shadowing of the XR30 seems to be the next best followed by the Reefi 120 and then Reefi 90.
The Reefi seems to have color splitting along the shadow lines. This color splitting is also seen in the shimmer leading to more of a disco effect. I believe this is due to the color channels being seperated in their own reflectors rather than mixed with the blues. The disco is also present in the Radion when the pumps are on, but is much smaller and goes away with the diffuser. Holding the diffuser under the Reefi does not eliminate the disco effect.
Also, the Reefi seems to have a more pink hue. I tried tuning the color channels, but it always seemed to have a pink undertone. Here is a side by side pic of reefi on the left and XR15 on the right. You can see the pinker hue and the more pronounced shimmer/ disco lines. Note that this is with the pumps on.
In the end, I think I prefer the Radion color and more blending. That does result in some additional side glare, but I can fix that with a shade. Blending the colors in the Reefi is harder because the "color" channels are isolated to their own reflectors in the middle leading to color separation in the tank. If Par was my #1 concern, definitely Reefi is the winner. I think I will be going with the XR15s for now, then possibly upgrade to XR30s as my needs change.
Other things that are on my mind, but not necessarily driving the decision are aesthetic of the RMS mount (I found my optimal Reefi height to be higher than the RMS, so can't make an adapter), ecosystem (I have MP40, Vectra and Versas and never had an issue with Mobius), and past good experience (not only myself, but also that many coral vendors use them (and I don't care if they get a deal on them... they still use them and they work!)).
Again, this is really a personal decision. All are good solutions and will not be the reason a tank succeeds or fails. Just putting my thoughts and data out there for others!