What does the "Pro" in Radion G5 XR15 Pro mean and how do you master your tank lighting with it?

randyBRS · May 29, 2020

Today we wrap up the latest G5 Radion light testing options with our test on using the XR15 PRO to master tank lighting!

We're giving you the data and info you need to decide if this is the right light for you and how to use that data to harness the PRO in ways that will make your tank the envy of all your reefing friends!

reef-rc · Jul 1, 2020

@randyBRS

1st, thank you for all the great content and info the BRS team shared over the years

This last info you shared on lighting help made my lighting decision on the current build - 180G.

I have a 5 foot tank and so it would seems going with 5 XR15 would be ideal.

I noticed the optimal settings mentioned the percentages for each Daytime Colors. Any suggestions for Daytime Colors percentages for lights ramp-up and ramp-down? I would like a little more blue during these periods.

randyBRS · Jul 2, 2020

reef-rc said:
@randyBRS
1st, thank you for all the great content and info the BRS team shared over the years
This last info you shared on lighting help made my lighting decision on the current build - 180G.
I have a 5 foot tank and so it would seems going with 5 XR15 would be ideal.
I noticed the optimal settings mentioned the percentages for each Daytime Colors. Any suggestions for Daytime Colors percentages for lights ramp-up and ramp-down? I would like a little more blue during these periods.

Thanks! I'm glad to help.

Honestly, I would set the ramp up/down spectrum to whatever just looks best to me. We're really only talking about 30min to 1hr for ramp up/down, so the impact to the tank is really only for aesthetics.

If you like deep blue for 30mins in the morning and night, run with it.

babycover · Jul 30, 2020

Thank you for all the awesome videos. Very informative as always.
Can you give an opinion of 2 XR15 on a single 60g cube? Imo, that would give more spread and achieve the 350 for SPS dominated tank

randyBRS · Jul 30, 2020

babycover said:
Thank you for all the awesome videos. Very informative as always.
Can you give an opinion of 2 XR15 on a single 60g cube? Imo, that would give more spread and achieve the 350 for SPS dominated tank

Thanks! Using two XR15s would likely do the trick, since our testing showed that a single XR30 is a great fit for SPS on a 60gal cube. Since two XR15s are the same price as a single XR30, my personal vote (and what I chose over my own office 60gal cube) is a single XR30. Less cords and less mounting choices to make.

Flux Capacitor · Aug 1, 2020

@randyBRS When switching from T5 to the XR15 Pros what acclimation setting do you suggest? For how long?

randyBRS · Aug 3, 2020

Aero175 said:
@randyBRS When switching from T5 to the XR15 Pros what acclimation setting do you suggest? For how long?

I would highly suggest taking some PAR measurements of your current setup before switching over then doing your best to dial in the new LEDs to closely match similar PAR. Our favorite trick at doing this is to print out a picture of your tank and identify 10-20 points in the top, middle and bottom of the tank for PAR readings, then setup your new lights and test again.

It will likely take some fine tuning and tinkering to get close, but it's far better to know the PAR rather than blindly try to guess. And you may not get it perfect, which is fine too, just get as close as you can. Corals are pretty adaptable, so making the change as less dramatic as possible (by closely matching PAR) will likely yield higher success overall.

If you find that some PAR points are just too high, I would run the acclimation mode for maybe 30-days at around 60%-70% of where you intend to wind up at.

Flux Capacitor · Aug 3, 2020

@randyBRS Thank you for the response! I have some readings from my Sunpower so I will compare to those. I have had a really hard time getting ahold of the XR15s, I have 2 for now, and I’ve put them on a acclimation starting at 40%. I have two more on order with you guys at BRS, so when they come I’ll have to rent one of your par meters to see what I’m getting over all.

So far the corals seem to be responding well.9 inches off the water running the AB+

I.AM.MR.MIKE · Feb 2, 2022

Randy - are you sure you had these lights set at 100% point intensity and 100% schedule intensity and then 85% point intensity and 100% schedule intensity for SPS? This is insanely bright and has to be higher par than what I am seeing here. I am trying to figure out good settings for a Reefer 250 and tried your settings with two XR 15 pros and it is insanely brighter than your video shows even turned down to 70% point and 100% schedule.
Also according to Red Sea the Reefer 250 is the most popular highest selling tank. Can you test a typical two foot and 3 foot since these can be extrapolated to a 4 and 6 foot. I believe 3 XR15 is plenty for SPS in a 4 footer.

Flux Capacitor · Feb 2, 2022

I.AM.MR.MIKE said:
Randy - are you sure you had these lights set at 100% point intensity and 100% schedule intensity and then 85% point intensity and 100% schedule intensity for SPS? This is insanely bright and has to be higher par than what I am seeing here. I am trying to figure out good settings for a Reefer 250 and tried your settings with two XR 15 pros and it is insanely brighter than your video shows even turned down to 70% point and 100% schedule.
Also according to Red Sea the Reefer 250 is the most popular highest selling tank. Can you test a typical two foot and 3 foot since these can be extrapolated to a 4 and 6 foot. I believe 3 XR15 is plenty for SPS in a 4 footer.

I have 4 XR15 Pros over my 5 foot tank. If I run the lights using Randy’s custom settings at 100% point intensity and 90% total schedule I get par on the bare bottom of 200ish, and at the top of my scape 320ish, which is around 8” below the water line. My lights are 8” above the water line, and are almost evenly spaced about 5” apart from each other. Here’s a picture: