Which Nicrew for 75g mixed?

[spawn79]

So I'm setting up a new 75g (aqueon tank) mixed reef and had lighting questions. For various reasons I've decided to go with the Nicrew hyperreef lights. I'm on the fence on which one to go with. The 100w or the 150w? I'm not a stick head so it's going to be mainly softies and LPS but I do plan on a couple of SPS here and there higher up on the rocks after things settle out and mature.
I've seen some vids and info on par and it looks like 2 100w fixtures would be enough but I'm concerned that there will be a large PAR drop off on the sides due to them being a bit more directional. Light penetration at depth might also be an issue? Should I go with the 150w since there are 3 pucks for wider coverage and just turn them down or am I over thinking this and just go with the 100w version?
Thanks for the help. Lighting has changed just a bit since my last tank in '07 with MH and t5's.

 

[mizimmer90]

So I'm setting up a new 75g mixed reef and had lighting questions. For various reasons I've decided to go with the Nicrew hyperreef lights. I'm on the fence on which one to go with. The 100w or the 150w? I'm not a stick head so it's going to be mainly softies and LPS but I do plan on a couple of SPS here and there higher up on the rocks after things settle out and mature.
I've seen some vids and info on par and it looks like 2 100w fixtures would be enough but I'm concerned that there will be a large PAR drop off on the sides due to them being a bit more directional. Light penetration at depth might also be an issue? Should I go with the 150w since there are 3 pucks for wider coverage and just turn them down or am I over thinking this and just go with the 100w version?
Thanks for the help. Lighting has changed just a bit since my last tank in '07 with MH and t5's.

What's your tank dimensions? I have a smaller 20g tank, but its 24" long. For my system, I was debating the 50W or 100W and went with the 100W (par values below)

I'm using the 100W Nicrew lights I got on Amazon for $150. I'm quite happy with them!!

They seem to be a cheaper version of the AI hydra 32 HD series. They don't have the same level of control (just a simple timer that ramps between 6 time points) but they're powerful! You can also control the power of blue lights (a mix of blue and purple shades) and white lights (a mix of cool, warm, red, and green). I rented a PAR meter from my LFS and was pleasantly surprised.

Running 100% blue/white lights:

View attachment 2889584

I'm running them at 60% blue and 20% white:

View attachment 2889587

I position the lights at their tallest setting and I have no issues with light at the edges. I imagine you could easily use 2 of these on a 4-5 ft length tank.

 

[Spare time]

Two double puck lights or 4 of the single pucks. The 4 would be better for reducing hotspot intensity. This can also be reduced by hanging the light. I wouldn't worry about the corners as much. Usually additional pucks in a single fixture doesn't dramatically increase spread but rather increases intensity. If spread is the concern, multiple smaller fixtures is better.

 

[spawn79]

What's your tank dimensions?

Just the standard 48" 75gal tank.

Would be nice to find someone running the 100's on a 75 and see what they thought. I'm sure there's someone out there. I'm thinking the power would be plenty but since you can't see them in a store....
My only concern for the 150's would be the ability to turn them down enough for softies at the start. Sounds like they are adjustable enough though?

 

[mizimmer90]

Just the standard 48" 75gal tank.

Would be nice to find someone running the 100's on a 75 and see what they thought. I'm sure there's someone out there. I'm thinking the power would be plenty but since you can't see them in a store....
My only concern for the 150's would be the ability to turn them down enough for softies at the start. Sounds like they are adjustable enough though?

So my single 100W light on a 24" would be like one half of your tank! The only difference is that my tank is probably more shallow (only 14" tall) so the par values at the bottom of my tank would be closer to your middle.

The white and blue lights are adjustable in 5% increments with the controller. Here are my par values at the lowest setting (5% white and 5% blue):

As far as spread, the side-by-side pucks cover a good area (see below for current tank pic)! Getting multiple 50Ws is deff better since you can control locations but is more expensive.

 

[spawn79]

Well I went with the (likely overkill) 150's. They look pretty good. A lot heavier than I thought they'd be. One word of warning for anyone setting these up on a larger tank however which I think I've read elsewhere but can't remember now.
The mounts are not wide enough to accommodate the trim on a standard Aqueon 75gal tank. You have to use a Dremel or some other tool to shave down the trim on the inside. You then have to remove the nuts on the nylon bolts so they can retract all the way but be careful as they are glued on.
On top of the above problem you have to further modify the trim as the bolts are not low enough on the mount to clear the under side of the trim. The bolts contact the lip of the trim instead clamping to the glass. While this isn't super bad it would be if you are able to accidentally bump the lights or if you have other curious animals that might jump on the lights as they are a bit unstable. The best way is to use a rotary tool (dremel or something) to make a small notch on the underside of the trim lip in 2 places enough for the bolt to pass by.

While this is a bit of a pita it's not a deal breaker considering I can't see any of the modifications that need to be made. Certainly beats paying over $1k for similar name brand lights.

 

[spawn79]

So I guess I should fully finish a project before I post? Yeah, that would be better I suppose.

After getting these beasts fully on the brackets and set on the edge they are definitely too heavy to mount without fully clamping them on the side. Without the modifications I'm not sure it would be safe. I think they would put too much torque on the frame and maybe cause problems down the road.

Would these work without mods on a smaller tank? Likely they would as the frame width is decreased as well but without measuring myself I couldn't say which ones.

 

[Aluco]

I'm going to be setting up 2 50w nicrews on the ends of a 100g 4' tank with a radion xr15 in the middle. Hoping it's enough light. I'm thinking it should be good..

 

[spawn79]

While I'm a definite newbie and also don't know if you're shooting for SPS numbers or not I would think that the 50's might not have enough power. Plus the color mix might look a bit off as well unless you tweak the settings on the 15 to look like the nicrews. Since there is only white and blue adjustment on the nicrew you're kinda stuck

 

[Aluco]

While I'm a definite newbie and also don't know if you're shooting for SPS numbers or not I would think that the 50's might not have enough power. Plus the color mix might look a bit off as well unless you tweak the settings on the 15 to look like the nicrews. Since there is only white and blue adjustment on the nicrew you're kinda stuck

I'm thinking the overlap between each lights spread will blend the spectrums pretty ok.. according to the nicrew spectrum chart it matches up fairly well with the radion lights. I'm sure it will take some fiddling but I also picked up the nicrew controller so a bit more customization and presets.. (still only 2 channels tho)

As for the power, considering 1 xr15 can handle half the tank(24") spread wise, so I just need the other two 50w to power the other half, hypothetically it should work out. I guess I won't know until it's set up heh. But I'm really just needing about 16" of spread from each nicrew and I think they should be bright enough for tanks depth (19") it will be a mixed reef tho so either way I don't have any sps as of now..

 

[Aluco]

While I'm a definite newbie and also don't know if you're shooting for SPS numbers or not I would think that the 50's might not have enough power. Plus the color mix might look a bit off as well unless you tweak the settings on the 15 to look like the nicrews. Since there is only white and blue adjustment on the nicrew you're kinda stuck

You may be right tho idk, maybe it will look awful heh