Lighting for 8ft tank (Xr30 g3 or Xr15 g5)

[DD Corals]

I was planning on setting up a 8ft x 3ft tank and was wondering what lights would work best for my needs? It’s a fiberglass trough meant for growing out coral. I was eying some used Xr30 g3 radions. Wondering what people think about getting used vs new led lights. If I had to go new my choice would be xr15s g5 rather than xr30. If I were to get the xr30 I would get a supplemental light like an Orphex in the future to prevent shading of corals.

Any advice is welcome.

 

[DD Corals]

Also what is the difference between Xr30 gen 3 vs Xr30 gen 5?

 

[rtparty]

Any Gen 3 Radion is too old at this point and there is no support for them.

The Gen 5 was discontinued over a year ago for the Gen 6. The newer gen Radions have much better spread and a better spectrum overall. You’d need a minimum of 8 XR15s to cover an 8*3 setup.

 

[PM Corals]

It’s heavily dependent on what you are planning to grow, but I wouldn’t cheap out on lighting.

 

[DD Corals]

Mix of everything I’d say. I have a xr30 gen 3 on my 40 gallon breeder setup and it’s been working amazing for the past 4 years.

 

[DD Corals]

I’m trying to keep the costs generally lower. If I needed to upgrade the lights on a later date I would but I’m fine with getting used lights. I currently have two Noo-Psyche over my 75 gallon tank which have been doing me wonders. So maybe it’s more of a question for me is to get used radions (easier control) or some sort of Chinese light (still good just not as easy to control)

 

[bradreef]

I would look at a few options. The gen 3s are OK but I have seen some that aren't putting out the par they should because of the age. The noopsyche are about the best bang for the buck except for reefi uno 2. Or you could buy the xr30 Chinese copy's.

 

[disaster999]

It’s heavily dependent on what you are planning to grow, but I wouldn’t cheap out on lighting.

i wouldnt over pay for them either

 

[DD Corals]

I don’t want to spend 5k on lights right away. I know it might be better that way but I want to keep the costs of the setup as low as I can without ruining the quality as much. That’s why I’m debating on either Chinese lights or used radions. I’d rather spend the rest of the money on some corals I’ve been wanted to get.

 

[disaster999]

have a look at the A8se or even the A8pro on aliexpress. They are the G5/G6 clones but at literally 1/4 the price. Those come with CREE chips and Meanwell power supply so they are just cheap knockoffs.

Or even the Noops K7 V3s. Plenty of people use them on their tanks and have great results

 

[Ironwill723]

Luca Martino on Instagram: "Introducing the Quanta Atlas, the new flagship light that has reset what your expectations should be for a pendant light. 720 LED’s, 240 watts of power, primary radial lens and secondary aluminum reflector (can be purchase

317 likes, 100 comments - quanta_lights on July 7, 2024: "Introducing the Quanta Atlas, the new flagship light that has reset what your expectations should be for a pendant light. 720 LED’s, 240 watts of power, primary radial lens and secondary aluminum reflector (can be purchased with or...

www.instagram.com

Luca Martino on Instagram: "The design philosophy of the Atlas. And you already know the Quanta method. Find the most cost effective and highest quality “chassis” for the goal. The goal was coral health and growth. The most reliable and highest perfo

172 likes, 34 comments - quanta_lights on July 8, 2024: "The design philosophy of the Atlas. And you already know the Quanta method. Find the most cost effective and highest quality “chassis” for the goal. The goal was coral health and growth. The most reliable and highest performance form...

www.instagram.com

 

[mini-fred]

I run both the noop k7 on my wifes tank and have 3 (soon 5) a8se from funtechnik on alibaba

Both are good, but i dislike the discoball effect on bigger tanks that the k7 gives me.. a8se are great so far

 

[DD Corals]

I run both the noop k7 on my wifes tank and have 3 (soon 5) a8se from funtechnik on alibaba

Both are good, but i dislike the discoball effect on bigger tanks that the k7 gives me.. a8se are great so far

Is that a mix of t5 and noop k7 fixture?

 

[DD Corals]

Luca Martino on Instagram: "Introducing the Quanta Atlas, the new flagship light that has reset what your expectations should be for a pendant light. 720 LED’s, 240 watts of power, primary radial lens and secondary aluminum reflector (can be purchase

317 likes, 100 comments - quanta_lights on July 7, 2024: "Introducing the Quanta Atlas, the new flagship light that has reset what your expectations should be for a pendant light. 720 LED’s, 240 watts of power, primary radial lens and secondary aluminum reflector (can be purchased with or...

www.instagram.com

Luca Martino on Instagram: "The design philosophy of the Atlas. And you already know the Quanta method. Find the most cost effective and highest quality “chassis” for the goal. The goal was coral health and growth. The most reliable and highest perfo

172 likes, 34 comments - quanta_lights on July 8, 2024: "The design philosophy of the Atlas. And you already know the Quanta method. Find the most cost effective and highest quality “chassis” for the goal. The goal was coral health and growth. The most reliable and highest performance form...

www.instagram.com

Very intresting, never heard of these till now. Definitely going to consider this.

 

[Solo McReefer]

Or you could buy the xr30 Chinese copy's.

I would love to see that


Anyway, XR30 Gen3 LEDs had grown a LOT of coral back in the day

It would be interesting to hear from someone here saying they can't. I bet there's a few really

 

[Ironwill723]

Very interesting, never heard of these till now. Definitely going to consider this.

No problem...here's a link to their website. The Atlas is coming out in a few weeks I believe...

LED Light Bars for Coral Reef Aquariums | Quanta Lights

Quanta lights offers premium LED lighting solutions for aquariums. Our LED light bars are designed for coral reef aquariums and can also be used on saltwater and freshwater aquariums. Quanta lights offer value, innovation, and incredible spectrums that are simple to use and built to last.

www.quantareef.com

 

[mini-fred]

Is that a mix of t5 and noop k7 fixture?

No its giesemann stellar t5 with a8se fake radions in them.
1 arrived broken so currently 3 leds and 4x t5
Will go to 4x a8se

I have a noop k7 v3 pro on the wifes seahorse tank. Ill replace that with a8se when new tank comes this saturday… i dont like the discoball on the noop k7. But thats personal preference. Both are excellent lights

The main tank came from 4x coralcare v2 with 2x 80w led strips.. now on the a8se + t5 Best decision ever

 

[WhatCouldGoWrong71]

I was planning on setting up a 8ft x 3ft tank and was wondering what lights would work best for my needs? It’s a fiberglass trough meant for growing out coral. I was eying some used Xr30 g3 radions. Wondering what people think about getting used vs new led lights. If I had to go new my choice would be xr15s g5 rather than xr30. If I were to get the xr30 I would get a supplemental light like an Orphex in the future to prevent shading of corals.

Any advice is welcome.

I’m building out a 96x36x25 peninsula. I should have the display from GC within 2-3 weeks. I am going over kill on lighting, but it will be SPS dominate and MH will only be unused during white period. So This tank will have 8 XR30 G5s, 2 - 8 foot twin T5 runs and 3 metal halides.

On average I paid under $400 per XR30 G5 used. Ecotech has a but load of parts still for the G5, when they run out G6 parts are interchangeable. I have a total of 14 XR30 G5s. Ecotech’s service department is fantastic. I send in a light about every 3 months. The most I have ever paid out of pocket is when a LED cluster goes down. As long as the fixture doesn’t have water damage I e been charged repeatedly $199 to upgrade to a G6 cluster. Every time I send a light back I look for the worst top (part with mesh for fan) and if I have any lights with a cracked lens case, I’ll swap out the bad ones for the ones on the lights going in for service, they always change those parts out at NC. I think $1K a light is pathetic over priced. However, the devalued price coupled with great service makes for a real strong scenario. At least for me.

 

[bobnicaragua]

On a big wide tank, metal halides shine!

 

[DD Corals]

I’m building out a 96x36x25 peninsula. I should have the display from GC within 2-3 weeks. I am going over kill on lighting, but it will be SPS dominate and MH will only be unused during white period. So This tank will have 8 XR30 G5s, 2 - 8 foot twin T5 runs and 3 metal halides.

On average I paid under $400 per XR30 G5 used. Ecotech has a but load of parts still for the G5, when they run out G6 parts are interchangeable. I have a total of 14 XR30 G5s. Ecotech’s service department is fantastic. I send in a light about every 3 months. The most I have ever paid out of pocket is when a LED cluster goes down. As long as the fixture doesn’t have water damage I e been charged repeatedly $199 to upgrade to a G6 cluster. Every time I send a light back I look for the worst top (part with mesh for fan) and if I have any lights with a cracked lens case, I’ll swap out the bad ones for the ones on the lights going in for service, they always change those parts out at NC. I think $1K a light is pathetic over priced. However, the devalued price coupled with great service makes for a real strong scenario. At least for me.

One reason for getting radions is the customer service but I am unsure about getting it second hand. But I agree 1k for a light is way too expensive at least for me.