Some lighting advice please

[parclife]

Hey all, I’m in need of some help please with lighting choice I have a Redsea reefer s550 and currently have 2 Radion G6 XR15’s on it which were off my previous tank. They have been fine till now as no corals but don’t think the par down on the sandbed will be that great as it’s a deeper tank. I’m also looking to future proof and get some lights that will give me the option to grow all coral types . Dimensions added in the pics (cm and inches)

Was thinking radion xr30 or Redsea reefled 160’s.

Many thanks in advance as it’s a tough choice..

 

[Red_Beard]

throw some bars on the sides. with your width and depending on what corals you want, you may want 2 on each side. My tank is a 48 incher, but only 18 wide (75gallon) and that is what i have done with success. you should have enough on the sand for some kinds of zoas and other low light corals as is though.

 

[parclife]

Did think about bars, just checked your tank out and looks great!

 

[Red_Beard]

Thanks!

Bars are definitely the way to go, IMO. Once you start getting bigger colonies the more diverse point sources of light you have, the better to avoid shading, most particularly with LED where it is a very directional type of light emission. Also gives you some flexibility as well as redundancy should you have a fixture failure. I have been eying the quanta-helix, but my current setup uses an AI blade. I would also be interested in seeing first hand the orphek OR4s. for what that is worth.

 

[OriginalUserName]

I'd consider adding AI blades. They can mount directly to the Radion rails. My old tank had 2 AP700s and 4 T5s. New one has a XR30 and a grow and a glow.

 

[parclife]

Thanks both, will do some investigating into the bars.

 

[DanyL]

3 ReeFi Uno 2.1 mounted perpendicular to the length of the tank would produce enough spread without the need of additional bars, you will be able to grow acros on the floor if you wish, and it would still cost you as much as purchasing one and half XR30s, but with 3 times the warranty and a wider spectrum.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hey all, I’m in need of some help please with lighting choice I have a Redsea reefer s550 and currently have 2 Radion G6 XR15’s on it which were off my previous tank. They have been fine till now as no corals but don’t think the par down on the sandbed will be that great as it’s a deeper tank. I’m also looking to future proof and get some lights that will give me the option to grow all coral types . Dimensions added in the pics (cm and inches)

Was thinking radion xr30 or Redsea reefled 160’s.

Many thanks in advance as it’s a tough choice..

1-2 Orphek ORs light bars (one sky blue and Blue plus)

 

[parclife]

Thanks, will check those out and available in the uk which is a bonus! Better than the blades?

 

[~MD~Reefs~]

Thanks, will check those out and available in the uk which is a bonus! Better than the blades?

By far

 

[Hooz]

If you're looking at bars, the Quanta Helix is probably the best (color-wise) bar out there right now, and the price is right. You can run a Meso Blue/Reef Crest Daylight combo to get the right amount of white for your preference.

 

[Red_Beard]

Thanks, will check those out and available in the uk which is a bonus! Better than the blades?

I have a blade grow, i think it is overpriced for what you get. While it does grow coral, i have not really been impressed and am looking at OR4s or Helix for my next one.

 

[chase240sx]

I have an s550 here as well granted my tank isn’t that old or have I been able to use a par meter I bought the tank in the max version so it came with all equipment they offer made for the tank so it came with 2 led 160s from redsea and honestly they look really nice and things color up well and the limited amount of adjustments make it a lot easier to set it and forget it I still plan to get a par meter but they seem to be doing well for my sps and lps corals they seem to all be happy and extended as they should be

 

[parclife]

I have an s550 here as well granted my tank isn’t that old or have I been able to use a par meter I bought the tank in the max version so it came with all equipment they offer made for the tank so it came with 2 led 160s from redsea and honestly they look really nice and things color up well and the limited amount of adjustments make it a lot easier to set it and forget it I still plan to get a par meter but they seem to be doing well for my sps and lps corals they seem to all be happy and extended as they should be

Thanks for the reply that helps a lot. What do you think of the tank?

 

[Tamberav]

3 ReeFi Uno 2.1 mounted perpendicular to the length of the tank would produce enough spread without the need of additional bars, you will be able to grow acros on the floor if you wish, and it would still cost you as much as purchasing one and half XR30s, but with 3 times the warranty and a wider spectrum.

This is the correct answer

 

[parclife]

This is the correct answer

Can’t see them available in the uk though

 

[VintageReefer]

Xr15 is not good for deep tanks and xr30 is a little better but essentially two xr15 closer together

One of the new reefbreeders Meridian 35 can light 48x24x30 and grow sps anywhere in that zone. You would only need bars as supplemental if you had large colonies causing shading, and they make matching bars you can add down the line 1-2 years from now if the need ever arose. I would say sell the xr15 and get a Meridian and then reassess a year from now if you need bars

Plus with the xr15/30 I guarantee you’ll be running those fixtures at 80-100% power and the Meridian will be in the 40-50% range. It helps the leds run cooler and last longer. Meridian also has swappable lens if you ever wanted more spread or more focus. Each led cluster is individually adjustable, so if you wanted to keep lps on one side, you could have a single cluster dialed back a bit. It’s a really sleek light with some cool features, but the number one thing I’m hearing from owners is the spectrum. RB ditched the red and green leds that nobody uses and added more blue, uv, and white - the things we want and actually use. No more wasted channels

 

[oreo54]

Hey all, I’m in need of some help please with lighting choice I have a Redsea reefer s550 and currently have 2 Radion G6 XR15’s on it which were off my previous tank. They have been fine till now as no corals but don’t think the par down on the sandbed will be that great as it’s a deeper tank. I’m also looking to future proof and get some lights that will give me the option to grow all coral types . Dimensions added in the pics (cm and inches)

Was thinking radion xr30 or Redsea reefled 160’s.

Many thanks in advance as it’s a tough choice..

One of your better bets (power plus reasonable cost) is if you can get the new Nicrew gen2 lights.
Checking Amazon UK for whats available the "Old" Nicrews were listed but unavailable (and only 50w model)
See if you can dig up someone selling the new ones like the 200w models.
Amazon product

Most puck style lights there are under 30w unfortunately. Well if you can fit like 6 of em..

Red Sea 160's are quite blue w/ 140w of "blue" and 20W of white.
xr30's are just expensive.
Speaking of expensive.. you can look into the GHL line. The bars plus $100 controller gives you a full panel type setup.

ATI panels may be going too far..x2

ATI Straton Pro 102 Flat Panel LED Light - White

The ATI Straton Pro combines maximum efficiency with exceptional functionality and world-class design. The updated design builds on the success of the original ATI Straton producing 30% more output and improved efficiency. The larger format improves light spread, and the updated software...

h2oaquatics.co.uk

You need to establish Needs and wants. i.e color control, what base look do you want, mounting, cost ect.
for future proofing you'd want like 200-300 w of leds at the "color" you like. Obviously favoring the blue spectrum.
Like say you want a more whitish natural tank and have 160's. You; 'd probably lose 50% of your useable wattage to obtain that. Well you could do "grow" and "view" times.

To get high par deep you either lens it or hit it w/ lots of photons that they bounce down there