Quanta Pro Only - Recommended Lighting Mix

RI Aquarium · May 10, 2024

Looking for recommendations for Quanta Pro lighting mix to replace (2) Radion gen 5 Pros over a RS Reefer 300 XL

I am thinking:

10am-12pm
- (2) Mesa Blue Pro
- (1) Mess Blue

12pm-7pm
- (2) Mesa Blue Pro
- (1) Mess Blue
- (2) Tropic Sun

7pm-9pm
- (2) Mesa Blue Pro
- (1) Mess Blue

9pm-11pm (moonlight)
- (1) Mess Blue

What do you all think of the proposal? Anyone run a similar configuration?

Thank You

jbrady429 · May 10, 2024

I can’t speak to your proposed configuration exactly, but I am running two 36” Meso Blue and one Reef Crest Daylight over a 40 gallon breeder and am getting excellent results.

RI Aquarium · May 10, 2024

jbrady429 said:
I can’t speak to your proposed configuration exactly, but I am running two 36” Meso Blue and one Reef Crest Daylight over a 40 gallon breeder and am getting excellent results.

Just what I am looking to learn about.
1. You chose the Reef Crest over the Tropic Sun. Any reason?
2. Why the ratio of (2) Mesa Blue Pro to (1) Reef Crest? 2-1 instead of 2-2?

Thanks!

shakacuz · May 10, 2024

jbrady429 said:
I can’t speak to your proposed configuration exactly, but I am running two 36” Meso Blue and one Reef Crest Daylight over a 40 gallon breeder and am getting excellent results.

have any pictures? i’m also looking for a light configuring for my 40B

jbrady429 · May 11, 2024

RI Aquarium said:
Just what I am looking to learn about.
1. You chose the Reef Crest over the Tropic Sun. Any reason?
2. Why the ratio of (2) Mesa Blue Pro to (1) Reef Crest? 2-1 instead of 2-2?

Thanks!

One correction: I have two ReefCrest Daylights and one Meso Blue (sorry about that!). I could have easily gone with two and two, but the PAR levels would have been really high, even with the lights 8” off of the water surface (the two-and-two combo was hitting 400 PAR in places).

I went with the two ReefCrest and one Meso Blue because the PAR levels were where I wanted them and the overall color looked good to me. The ReefCrest lights help to bring out colors that look good under “daylight” bulbs (like a pink Cotton Candy Stylophora), but I still get the “pop” of deep blue lighting. For me, it’s a great combination. The two-and-two combo also looked really good, leaning just a little more to the deep blue look.

I have not seen the Tropic Sun in person, so I’m not sure what that would look like. I do know it’s a lot more of a straight-up “daylight” bulb though, so it probably has a lot more yellow and green in it than the ReefCrest does.

One thing to note about the ReefCrest light: I would highly recommend that you use those in pairs, and arrange them 180 degrees to each other (so the power cord of one is on the left and the power cord of the other is on the right). Because of the way the LEDs are arranged, the spectrum of the light is yellower/greener on the power cord side than it is on the opposite end. Using two together arranged as I described balances out this effect.