XR15 gen 6 high intensity lens kit comparison

[KevinC]

I recently bought 2 xr15 gen 6 lights for my tank and was a little underwhelmed with the PAR values. The prevailing hypothesis from forums seems to be that the increased spread/coverage of the gen 6 decreases intensity at any one spot; advantageous for large tanks with lots of these lights overlapping, but maybe not so good for my little one (light mostly just shines in my eyes lol).

I decided to try out the high intensity lens kit to see if it would increase my output a bit! I ordered 1 kit and installed it on the right light (not the light on the left). At first, I just wanted to test it out, but after reading the par values I thought it would be a nice comparison for others to see the left/right differences.

Tank dims are 36" x 19" x 18". Lights are mounted with the RMS mounts spaced ~6" from each edge of the tank. PAR measurements were recorded with the VABIRA-aqua meter (I've compared this against an apogee at my LFS and the par values recorded from a variety of lights, xr15's included, are within 5% of eachother). Lights were set to the following values with point intensity at 100%:

UV: 100%
Violet: 100%
Royal: 100%
Blue: 100%
Green: 25%
Red: 25%
Warm white: 0%
Cool white: 40%

High intensity lens kit definitely has an improvement in par (right) compared to base lens kit (left).

I have a RBTA on the right (located at the 220 number) that seemed to perk up with the new kit!

I'm also curious to poll people's opinions. Since my goal is to grow some SPS corals at the 115-125 section of the rocks: do you think this is sufficient or is it worth getting another high intensity lens kit and pushing the lights together a bit? I want to avoid getting another fixture, for both cost and aesthetics lol

Pro or blue

 

[oreo54]

So if I have a smaller tank with an xr15 G6 above it, and I get this new lens, will I have less light spilling all around my tank? That would be awesome.

I feel like the light spillage has increased in my room more since "upgrading" from the G5 to the G6.

That's physics for you..
though lenses will never be as good as reflectors in minimizing spill

 

[Sesty22]

That's physics for you..
though lenses will never be as good as reflectors in minimizing spill

I knew I should've paid better attention in class..

I guess I'll snag the light and give it a try. I actually upgraded my G5 to to the G6, I've thought about reversing the upgrade, but maybe I'll try a new lens first.

 

[mizimmer90]

Pro or blue

I have the pro. I was going to get the blues (so I can make better use of the lights) but my LFS talked me out of it by saying the blues are "too blue". I like my tank a little whiter than the AB+ but not as white as the pros at full 100%.

Either way the pros only have 4 diodes of the warm white, which is the main channel I turn down. Not a terrible loss with some extra flexibility!

 

[mizimmer90]

So if I have a smaller tank with an xr15 G6 above it, and I get this new lens, will I have less light spilling all around my tank? That would be awesome.

I feel like the light spillage has increased in my room more since "upgrading" from the G5 to the G6.

My first image in the thread has the PAR values of the gen 6 (left) and gen 6 with the high intensity lens (right).

When I look at each light from the side, the default gen 6 blinds me and it really hurts to look at lol. With the high intensity upgrade lens, it's bright, but I can tolerate looking at it for a while; doesn't feel like the lights are searing into my retinas haha. Most of the par goes down instead of into my eyeballs!

I think these gen 6 lights really shine (pun intended) with larger tanks where you can overlap them! It's amazing that you kind of just get 100 PAR everywhere, even really far off to the sides (your eyes included)

 

[mizimmer90]

According to BRS the RMS mount is designed to do the same distance.
9" from the water to the light face (or should be).

At 126 degrees for the g6 I find it hard to believe the optimal height for both the g5 and 6 is the same.

g6 mathematically should be lower.
24" wide tank should have the 126 degree light like 6" off the water.
At 9" and 126 degrees a single led has a spot diameter of 35"

A 100 degrees at 9" is a 21" dia spot.
All rough estimates of course.

"

Do you know if there are any good ways to mount closer to the tank using a mount? Not sure if there are any nice DIY solutions!

 

[oreo54]

Do you know if there are any good ways to mount closer to the tank using a mount? Not sure if there are any nice DIY solutions!

Well I haven't found or seen anything commercial.
I'd personally probably just drop it using longer screws..
Not sure of the head style (seems some use machine, some pan head) but the
dimensions seem to be M5-0.8 X (length)

So going long at 3" or so 75 or 80mm

Prime-Line M5-0.8 x 80 mm Grade A2-70 Stainless Steel Phillips Drive Pan Head Metric Machine Screws (5-Pack) 9131492 - The Home Depot

Machine screws have a uniform diameter along their entire length and are designed to screw into threaded holes or to be used in combination with machine screw hex nuts. They are frequently used in machinery

www.homedepot.com

Grade A4 is better for sw..316 SS
A2 is 304 SS


You can always find some sort of tubing in say black to make it look a bit better than just painting the screws.

Using a nut (keeps the saw true and you can clean the thread a bit after the cut) and hacksaw one can cut it down a bit if necessary.

Keep in mind the increased risk of moisture if the tank is open top.

Think that would work.

 

[hanas]

Does anyone know when upgrading from Gen5 to Gen6, can you use the Gen5 lens with the Gen6 cluster? I hate the Cyan and Lime LEDs and don’t even run them currently, so I just want the other LED options that the 6 offers with the Gen 5 lens since it’s good on my tank now.

 

[Reef Puncher]

I run a 6 bulb 4ft t5 across the tank and 1 xr15 above my acro section under the t5. This is where the one xr15 sits under the t5.

what kind of par are you getting for your euphyllia zone in this image? mine are placed somewhat near my sps too and i cant figure out what to put my par at to not tick off one or the other

 

[Cichlid Dad]

If I remember correctly it was 165-

 

[Shanephillips27]

Not sure what acclimate is, but I have the point intensity set to 100% and then adjusted the individual values of the colors. I hope I'm making a dumb mistake though, as this would be an easy fix for the PAR lol.

I went to my LFS after testing out my par meter because I assumed it was the meters fault. But alas, it read the same types of values on their 6th gen xr15s, and also matched their apogee par reader. Interestingly the 5th gen had higher PAR values though!

The high intensity lens kit is where it’s at for the g6!

 

[Reef Puncher]

The high intensity lens kit is where it’s at for the g6!

yep im using it now. i like it because it keeps my acros sitting in 350-450+ par

 

[Shanephillips27]

yep im using it now. i like it because it keeps my acros sitting in 350-450+ par

Nice! What does your setup consist of how many lights? Schedule and overall intensity?