Don’t buy Radion XR15G6 if you want sps to grow

[MnFish1]

6 out of approx. 50 (quick count) diodes are whites
Par probably won't change drastically.
500 lumens worth maybe...
10 par @ 12" maybe

Actually - I would like a translation of what you said

 

[areefer01]

Well they switched from " beaming" black boxes to a more spread output. I can understand the frustration.


10.8...
Dli of the somewhat accepted 250 par over 12 hours .
Using 20% of 55 = 11.

Not sure I can do that but oddly numbers fall into place.

Maybe. But PAR is just a number and we always try to remind people to not chase numbers.

Dana has several papers on DLI and the effects of variability in DLI and/or photoinhibition. Remember I can run a light with lower par for a longer period of time and reach a number.

Edit: I should also say if the OP is unhappy with the light then simply return it and keep what they are. If the display is happy and looks good no need to do anything.

 

[92Miata]

That is a pretty " generous" interpretation ..


20% of about 2000 "par" (400) or using natural dli (55) virgin islands est surface level)
translates to 1200 par constant over 12 hours.
20% is 240..

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Rainfall-surface-light-PPFD-and-underwater-PPFD-over-4yr-in-St-John-US-Virgin_fig1_326559129

Not sure that ever applied in an aquarium environment unless one reproduces heat/ light differences over the course of a year.

Of course one would want to push past the saturation point to irritate them to " color up".

It's not at all a generous interpretation. The error bars on those numbers are probably +/- 100 ppfd - and that's made pretty clear in the thrust of the article - that pretty much all modern reef lighting is fully capable of photoinhibiting acropora.

And that's not even getting into the fact that we use PAR because we can measure it easily, despite knowing that a significant chunk of light in that range isn't hugely useful, and PUR would be way better. Two lighting situations having the same PAR means very little without spectral data.

 

[Hydrored]

6 out of approx. 50 (quick count) diodes are whites
Par probably won't change drastically.
500 lumens worth maybe...
10 par @ 12" maybe

12 in my case but I concur

 

[Manny’s Reef]

IMHO- the debate will never truly end

Not only that, the OP never gave the lights a chance to perform. The title claims that G6 lights will not grow SPS but the thing is, the OP does not have the requisite knowledge to make this claim. He ran the lights for a day or two? Took some par measurements? Then what? Put them right back into the box and wrote a complaint on R2R. Pretty irresponsible if you ask me.

 

[Troylee]

Not only that, the OP never gave the lights a chance to perform. The title claims that G6 lights will not grow SPS but the thing is, the OP does not have the requisite knowledge to make this claim. He ran the lights for a day or two? Took some par measurements? Then what? Put them right back into the box and wrote a complaint on R2R. Pretty irresponsible if you ask me.

Pretty much! Nobody can make these claims in 6 short months, IF you got them when they dropped! Sps grow slow.. I think water clarity plays a big role also in par if you wanna chase that!

 

[educatedreefer]

Thanks! I completely understand your frustration, as I went through the same when I switched. I started with two a360x and thought the same thing.

I think it is mostly a personal preference, but for me, I like my Kessil lights for the color and shimmer. There is nothing wrong with black boxes, they will grow coral. I just happened to find the colors got more intense on the acros with the "higher end" lighting. Maybe it is a color spectrum issue.

From your anecdotal experience, why do you think the colors got more intense with the “higher end” lighting? Do you think maybe it’s the difference in spectrum between the black boxes and the $$$ lights?
I’ve always seen black boxes on reef tanks that’s been run by OG reefers from the 90s but the hype of Radions is pretty real xD
I can’t afford Radions at retail price, but I’ve heard stories of black boxes burning up or causing fires so im too scared to try hahah

 

[92Miata]

Not only that, the OP never gave the lights a chance to perform. The title claims that G6 lights will not grow SPS but the thing is, the OP does not have the requisite knowledge to make this claim. He ran the lights for a day or two? Took some par measurements? Then what? Put them right back into the box and wrote a complaint on R2R. Pretty irresponsible if you ask me.

I disagree that it's irresponsible, or even the OPs fault.

The OP has been told repeatedly that he needs to hit a certain PAR level to grow SPS. These lights don't hit those levels. His reaction is reasonable. The problem here is people pushing the narrative that a single PAR reading tells you everything you need to know about lighting.

 

[educatedreefer]

For 75g I strongly believe you need 2 xr30. Not of course, I will never spend that much on a 75g either. I have halide and led on my 60g cube

What kind of metal halide fixture are you running and why not T5s x LED hybrid?

 

[educatedreefer]

This is why I went with halides. LED in my opinion, is SUPPLEMENTAL ONLY unless you’re loaded and willing to buy 4 fixtures at 2000 each to get the same effect as 1 halide.

How often do you find yourself replacing the metal halide bulbs? I run only LEDs but have thought about metal halide/ T5s.

 

[educatedreefer]

The fact tidal gardens and wwc both use Radions led me to believe these were the lights I needed. I figure those guys know way more than I do about corals and I would guess they have tried other types of lighting. Choosing XR15G6 to grow sticks was part my fault and lfs leading me to believe two would be enough. If anything I will add AquaticLife edge led bar. I get 300 par believe it not. It’s a great light.

You could also get the XHO light bar to “enhance” the strength of the Radions, but imo from what I’ve seen, in order to really get powerful PAR/light intensity getting more LEDs might be on “par” with a couple black boxes.
I think for a 75g you’d have to get at least 4 XR15s if it’s SPS dominated, but then again you could try to maybe combine your black boxes and Radions and opposing sides of your tank to visibly observe the differences in spectrum, diffusion, and coral growth over the next few months as a fun experiment

 

[educatedreefer]

And what information are you basing this on?

Have T5 miraculously stopped growing coral at an affordable price and nobody told the thousands of tanks they currently light?

MH was supposed to be dead in the horticulture world when T5 took over. Warehouses spent tens of thousands of dollars retrofitting for quantum boards.

15 years later, there's a huge swing back to them because they are just better.

There might be yet another swing back to metal halides since a lot of coral acquisition sites use metal halides in their holding facilities (although they don’t color up as well as LEDs the growth is definitely there)

 

[Reefer Matt]

From your anecdotal experience, why do you think the colors got more intense with the “higher end” lighting? Do you think maybe it’s the difference in spectrum between the black boxes and the $$$ lights?
I’ve always seen black boxes on reef tanks that’s been run by OG reefers from the 90s but the hype of Radions is pretty real xD
I can’t afford Radions at retail price, but I’ve heard stories of black boxes burning up or causing fires so im too scared to try hahah

I think it has to do with spectrum. I don't use Radions, but run Kessils. After a few years of reefing, you may find that the coral are worth more than the lights and equipment. Then it is worth the investment.

 

[JCOLE]

This is an age-old argument that will not die. Yes, LEDs will grow corals. The two most pressing issues are cost and application. If you have a smaller tank with mostly LPS or softies, the cost will be much lower than if you have a larger tank with mostly Acro's.

This was the reason I chose Halides. I just set up a new 500 gallon peninsula, and lighting it with Radions would have cost me more than $10,000. For $2,000, I purchased four 400W Hamilton Bali systems with five years of Radium bulbs. So, for the extra $8,000 spent on Radions, I could have purchased 22 years' worth of Radium bulb replacements, bringing my total to nearly 30 years of bulbs.

I've had my lights on for more than a week, my chiller hasn't run any more than usual, and my 1800 watt heaters have only turned on once or twice a night.

So, once again, it comes down to cost and application. I wouldn't recommend 400w halides for a 55 gallon tank.

This was taken about an hour after I moved the rocks over the weekend. It was extremely hazy after the move. It's a lot clearer now. Needless to say, I love how natural it looks. Not to mention the fact that I have light everywhere! I have 1200 PAR at the top and 200 PAR at the bottom of the rocks.

This was with only four 400W Radiums turned on.

 

[wrassie86]

I completely understand and you're certainly entitled to your opinion. fortunately there are choices if you're not onboard with Radions.
I also remember the days of metal halide and like i mentioned earlier started with t5. No question they grow coral but in the same breath there is a reason people went away from them. I personally don't miss spending $300 a year on new bulbs, having to mess around burning them in and pulling my cumbersome fixture down every 2 months to cycle them in. The metal halide crew probably enjoys not having to heat their home with tank lighting and investing in chillers.
There are pluses and minuses to basically any product we use in this hobby. its just a matter of determining which best suits your situation.

I think you have made many assumptions, not to mention I never said what I used for lights, nor do I care what anybody uses. As I said was looking for results, thought there might be some.

 

[MnFish1]

I disagree that it's irresponsible, or even the OPs fault.

The OP has been told repeatedly that he needs to hit a certain PAR level to grow SPS. These lights don't hit those levels. His reaction is reasonable. The problem here is people pushing the narrative that a single PAR reading tells you everything you need to know about lighting.

Well I disagree the whole topic is irresponsible - if you look at the title. No-one said its a 1000 gallon tank - IMHO - this person has a problem

 

[KevinC]

What kind of metal halide fixture are you running and why not T5s x LED hybrid?

honestly i have all 3 on my tank, but t5 becomes really irrevlent when I have halide. actually thinking of popping them off from the mh t5 fixture!

Why halide? because the shimmer is awsome and seriously. A brighter tank looks 1000% better than a underlit tank. Im not talking about blue light white light, but brightness in general. Color of the fish really shows!

Its just a personal preference tho, although i suppose if you run the new gen6 you dont even need t5 because the spred is so good

 

[landlubber]

I think you have made many assumptions, not to mention I never said what I used for lights, nor do I care what anybody uses. As I said was looking for results, thought there might be some.

oh my bad. i didn't realize writing out my anecdotes and the lighting options available was triggering and overstepping on an open reefing forum. have a wonderful day.

 

[Max93]

How often do you find yourself replacing the metal halide bulbs? I run only LEDs but have thought about metal halide/ T5s.

Once every 10 months is the way I’ll change mine

 

[smiley28]

12 pages.. is it me or are people confused by the ecotech trend from 4-6? or do they just not know 4 was the last fixture with a lot of punch then 5 was spread focused so yeah obviously going to have par drop.. then 6 was just a little better spread and slight spectrum adjustments right?? Haven’t paid much attention in the last 6 months so maybe I missed something.