Need more light for tank upgrade: Radion vs. Reefbreeders

[The Coug]

Hi all, I’m seeking some lighting advice for my new tank upgrade. I am upgrading to a 60” by 30” peninsula. I currently have 2 Radion XR30 G4 pros over my current tank (Reefer 350). I debating between adding a third Radion XR30 G5 or selling both my G4’s and just getting a Reefbreeders Photon V2 50 inch.

I like the aesthetics of the single Reefbreeder over the tank instead of 3 separate Radions but it’s hard to justify getting rid of the Radions. I’m also not sure how the coverage will be with the width of the tank. Both lights seem to cover 24 inches wide but I’m reluctant to get another light bank just for the extra 6 inches of width

I’m aiming for mixed reef with a mostly NSA scape. Any advice is appreciated. I’m not really interested in hybrids setups. Pic is current tank.

 

[1ocean]

I would go with Radion since you already like them and know they work. You could always reduce the intensity if its too much light or mount them front to back of tank instead of length of tank. I cant tell by the pic which way you have them.
I have 4 Gen 5 Blues going over my 300 mounted facing front to back since my tank is 30" wide.

 

[Mark Gray]

I will say this both work. I am not a fan of Radions. I know Adam at Battle corals uses Reefvreaders

 

[The Coug]

I will say this both work. I am not a fan of Radions. I know Adam at Battle corals uses Reefvreaders

The more I think about I’m leaning that way. I haven’t found good info about people mixing the Gen 4 and Gen 5 radions. It seems like mobus could be an issue and they may look unbalanced in a hanging rack.

 

[1ocean]

I agree with Coug that it would not be good to mix Gen 4 and Gen 5. Another reason why is the light spread would be different from each.
Gen 5 have more even and a wider light spread.
Once I get my 300 finally built and running I will have 4 Gen 5 blues.
And if I want some added light in a certain spot , maybe for SPS I am thinking of adding a few Kessil A 360 for that

 

[Melodydavis]

Hi all, I’m seeking some lighting advice for my new tank upgrade. I am upgrading to a 60” by 30” peninsula. I currently have 2 Radion XR30 G4 pros over my current tank (Reefer 350). I debating between adding a third Radion XR30 G5 or selling both my G4’s and just getting a Reefbreeders Photon V2 50 inch.

I like the aesthetics of the single Reefbreeder over the tank instead of 3 separate Radions but it’s hard to justify getting rid of the Radions. I’m also not sure how the coverage will be with the width of the tank. Both lights seem to cover 24 inches wide but I’m reluctant to get another light bank just for the extra 6 inches of width

I’m aiming for mixed reef with a mostly NSA scape. Any advice is appreciated. I’m not really interested in hybrids setups. Pic is current tank.

Love your tank!

 

[FoolintheRain]

I have a Photon V2 50 inch over a 60" x 30" peninsula and I am happy with it so far. I currently have it mounted 16" above the water and with the aquascape running down the center of the tank it covers the rockwork pretty well. I posted some PAR readings when I got them setup so you can get an idea and I did wind up getting two 60" LED strips to supplement but that was only because I wanted to get rid of the shadows for the fish swimming along the glass and at the top of the tank.

**** R2R Par Database ****

Adding my two cents Type of meter you are using for measurements: Seneye Reef Type of lighting.. be specific as possible and include things like manufacturer, age, length and type of bulbs for those t5 users, wattage and reflectors for the MH users.: Aquatic Life 48" DX18 - controlled by Apex...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[anthonygf]

I would prefer several fixtures as apposed to one in case of a light failure you will still have 2. With the one light fixture if it ever fails you will have no light and you would be in a rush to repair or find new lights.

 

[anthonygf]

I had 2 Kessil's on my 75 and needed a little more light so I found this Cobalt C-Ray 200 for a good price and still use the Kessil's. The Cobalt is good by itself for this tank but keeping the Kessil's in case of the Cobalt failing or a Kessil.

 

[mmorriso]

The maths isn’t as straight forward given you already have Radion”s, but in isolation, Photon V2’s are probably the pound for pound ($ for $) king of the LED lighting market.

With that said, if you’re happy with your G4’s, there’s no reason to change and I’m sure there are a lot of them on the market given the G5’s are here.

 

[JoeM]

Very cool tank, Coug. What size is size tank is that?