need advice

[Beam]

Hello
my reef is now a little over a year old, after some bumps on my way, (cyano algae, swing in CA and ALK) I now have stability, coraline is growing, and it's time to add corals (the real fun begin $$$)
I started my tank (Red sea reefer 350) with 2 reef led 90
I was thinking of adding a 3rd one, and maybe even adding a hybrid lamp Aquatic life coral cover.

but at this point and with the investment that it requires i wonder if i would be better to sell my reef led and change it all for Radions. for example 3 XR15 pro gen 5 (without the addition of the coral cover ramp)
Is it worth it or am I just throwing my money out the window?

thanks for the advice.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hello
my reef is now a little over a year old, after some bumps on my way, (cyano algae, swing in CA and ALK) I now have stability, coraline is growing, and it's time to add corals (the real fun begin $$$)
I started my tank (Red sea reefer 350) with 2 reef led 90
I was thinking of adding a 3rd one, and maybe even adding a hybrid lamp Aquatic life coral cover.

but at this point and with the investment that it requires i wonder if i would be better to sell my reef led and change it all for Radions. for example 3 XR15 pro gen 5 (without the addition of the coral cover ramp)
Is it worth it or am I just throwing my money out the window?

thanks for the advice.

Do what best fits your budget
Radians or Orphek bars would be an upgrade

 

[Supa]

I would borrow a par meter start with a few lights and add more if you need more par…. Are you trying to grow sps only? You will need a ton of par may want to get more lights etc, if mixed or LPs you may can get away with fewer light

 

[Brymac1]

Depends on the corals you are wanting to keep. If you want to start off with softies and lps the two Red Sea lights would be plenty. If you want an sps dominant tank, I would invest in a T5 hybrid or add led strips.

 

[Beam]

I would like to have a mixed reef, with half and half SPS and LPS

 

[Supa]

I would like to have a mixed reef, with half and half SPS and LPS

Sweet! Just need to keeep In mind you need some spots in the tank with lower par for your softies/lps. Placemnt will be key to mixed reef success as you can’t just blast the entire tank with 400 par. You can always adjust light intensity as needed or hang lights higher if needed.

 

[Beam]

so I think I'll rent a PAR meeter before I invest in any kind of light and see where I'm at now before I go any further

thanks

 

[blaxsun]

I was going to suggest just adding a third ReedLED 90 if need be. It will cost you $365, but replacing with three X15s will probably cost you closer to $800 (assuming you can get $200-ish for each used ReefLED90).

 

[Little c big D]

I love the idea of adding the hybrid to to your l.e.d!

 

[Beam]

I was going to suggest just adding a third ReedLED 90 if need be. It will cost you $365, but replacing with three X15s will probably cost you closer to $800 (assuming you can get $200-ish for each used ReefLED90).

I was going to suggest just adding a third ReedLED 90 if need be. It will cost you $365, but replacing with three X15s will probably cost you closer to $800 (assuming you can get $200-ish for each used ReefLED90).

i have the sames numbers in mind, and it's certain that I'm leaving some $$ on the table, but in the long run, it's still acceptable

 

[blaxsun]

i have the sames numbers in mind, and it's certain that I'm leaving some $$ on the table, but in the long run, it's still acceptable

Sure thing. If you're planning to run a mixed reef (mostly soft and LPS), I think you'll be able to get away with a pair of XR15s. Heavy SPS might need a pair of XR30s.

I run a pair of XR30s and a single XR15 on my 71" tank.

 

[Beam]

I love the idea of adding the hybrid to to your l.e.d!

one of the options I may consider, would be to add a 3rd reef led to start, measure the PARS and if needed, add the coral cover a little later when I add more demanding corals.

one of the advantages of the coral cover, is the light distribution, and as it's also leds, we can program the colors as we like