How many Radions X15 Blues for my SPS tank?
- Thread starter Peluche
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Have you considered some of the larger form factor LED lights that help minimized shadowing in SPS heavy tanks? Something like Neptune Sky, Phillips Coral Care, ATI Straton, etc.. I think Giesemann is coming out with a similar fixture but it look real pricy
Mixed but the upper part of the tank is all for sps.
Gotcha, the XR30s will be better in the long run to mitigate some of the shading vs the xr15s or AP9X's. Any pendant style light will struggle with a heavy SPS load due to shading. So you will be balancing the amount of shimmer you get with the amount of blanket coverage unless you decide on a hybrid setup or something more complex that integrates different LEDs
Get the diffusers they protect the leds from splash. You would be surprised how fast salt builds up on them.
You can always do two + supplemental lights on the side (ai blade, reef brite, etc.)
I have 3 XR15 PRO on a tank 4x24x24. I have all blues at 100% but the whites are lower. The schedule intensity is 100%. This results in ~250 to ~350 par wall to wall.
I would assume that you would get ateast similar numbers with BLUE on a 4x15x17 tank. Coverage would be even better with reflections on the glass in the narrow tank.
I grow acropora like this.
I would assume that you would get ateast similar numbers with BLUE on a 4x15x17 tank. Coverage would be even better with reflections on the glass in the narrow tank.
I grow acropora like this.
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Very interesting Par numbers that are very different from those from other reefers, using the same lights. This is why I am hesitating so much.
G5 or G6?
As they say “numbers don’t lie” so here are my numbers. I see a lot of people throw shade (no pun intended) without presenting facts.
I say put 3 XR15 on an RMS track mount and if you eventually need a 4th because you are the man at growing acropora you can always add another light.
A better question might be “does the G6 spread light too much for a 15” deep tank?”. That would be my concern. That might send me toward 3 Reefi Uno 2 because you can adjust the spread.
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G5 but read on…If the same LEDs draw the same power, they make the same photons. The issue people see is PAR being reduced by greater spread. This is the inverse-square law.
On a tank 15” deep you might not want all the spill the G6 will create. THAT is wasted PAR. So, you might look at the G5 used or Reefi 2.
I would like to move to a 72x32 tank in a year or so. Even then I would probably buy 2 more XR15 and add AI blades. Modular is nice, IMO.
Look at my build thread. I have almost the exact size tank and do sps and have a torch island on one side and a hammer/octo garden on the other.
i did 2 xr15’s with 4 t5 bulbs and couldnt be happier.
i did 2 xr15’s with 4 t5 bulbs and couldnt be happier.
G5 are getting harder to come by here now. Unless I find used ones. Bigger spread in a narrow tank is, indeed, not necessarly a good thing. That would reduce my Par greatly, if I decide to go with the X15 G3.
You need to run the g6 xr15s lower to achive higher par levels. I have a 30 gallon and run 1 xr15 pro g6 at 6 inches above water and at 5-6 inches down to the rocks I have 350-370 par. Sand bed is only 18 inches below the light and I get over 200 par in the middle and just over 100 par in the corners. One friends 75g at 6 inches 2 exr15 g6 pros were able to get upto 400 6 inches under water to the rocks. He sand bed in a 2 foot tall tank is getting over 200par. He has since added a total of 4 xr15s as it will be mostly sps and the back sand bed can get over 300 par easily.
With the lights lower the wider beam angle can actually reflect the light off the glass and get the par into the tank. Obviously, if you go lower than the 6 inches we tested at you will see even higher par levels. With that said I would agree and go with the xr30. Though the same would apply, if the xr30 is ran lower you will see alot of par.
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