XR30 Blue or Pro?

[coolali18]

Hey all, long time lurker first time poster lol! Anyway, I’m finally pulling the trigger on diving back into reefing after being out of the game for the last 7 years. I’ve already decided on most equipment, except for the lights. I’m debating between the XR30 Blue or Pro. So my question is, which do y’all prefer in terms of aesthetic? Would SPS’ benefit more from one or the other? Thank you in advance for any input.
BTW the tank will be 7’x30’x25.5’ and I plan on getting 3 lights with the RMS mounts to get plenty of coverage.

 

[jda]

I have no opinions on the blue vs the pro, but if you are planning on heavy SPS then you are likely going to need more than 3 of those as they grow. Plan on 6 or 7 in the budget and if that does not work, then I would look elsewhere, especially if the 30" is front-to-back where you might have to turn those Radions sideways.

Free bump, but we see too many folks regret their expensive light purchases once they figure out how many that they actually need.

 

[Acros]

You can get away with 3 initially and 4-5 once the SPS grows.

I suggest going with Pro. Blue light washes out colors in an SPS-dominant tank. SPS needs some while light to look good. I started with the Blue and changed it out for a Pro.

 

[Lavey29]

Pro gives more spectrum options. You will need at least 4 on that size tank.

 

[jda]

Count on half the spread that a manufacturer tells you, in general. Maybe even less if you have to cover more than 24 inches of front-to-back depth since you might have to turn them sideways.

 

[chipchipbro]

For me the G6 Blue is VERY blue.. The g5 blue was less blue with the AB+ for my eye.. the G6 is some type of Blue/UV heavy.

However, the acros do better with the G6.

I would go the G6 Pro route if you like whiter look..

 

[mfinn]

My guess would be the Pro version for SPS.
But IMO you plan on only 3 fixtures for a 7' tank, I'm not sure you will be happy ( at least the corals may not)
I started with 3 xr30's over my 6' mixed ( lps and softy) reef tank and soon went to 4 fixtures.
For a 7' tank I think 5 would be more appropriate.

 

[coolali18]

I have no opinions on the blue vs the pro, but if you are planning on heavy SPS then you are likely going to need more than 3 of those as they grow. Plan on 6 or 7 in the budget and if that does not work, then I would look elsewhere, especially if the 30" is front-to-back where you might have to turn those Radions sideways.

Free bump, but we see too many folks regret their expensive light purchases once they figure out how many that they actually need.

I hadn’t considered turning them sideways, do you have any recommendations for other lights that would do the job without the need to clutter the tank rim with so many arms?
I originally thought of using a rail but I have high ceilings and I think 5 feet of braided wire coming down from the ceiling looks ugly lol!

 

[Gribbles]

ReeFi Uno 2.0 Pro are fantastic lights and half the price of the gen 6 xr30s.

 

[coolali18]

My guess would be the Pro version for SPS.
But IMO you plan on only 3 fixtures for a 7' tank, I'm not sure you will be happy ( at least the corals may not)
I started with 3 xr30's over my 6' mixed ( lps and softy) reef tank and soon went to 4 fixtures.
For a 7' tank I think 5 would be more appropriate.

My thinking I only needed 3 fixtures to get “plenty of coverage” goes to show how long I’ve been out of the game lol! My tiny lizard brain kept telling me “listen to manufacturer’s specs for coverage and you’ll be fine” lol Anyway, are you happy with how the lights are performing for your corals? Have you noticed any downsides?

 

[Mwatts12]

I have had both. Blues are beautiful however I felt I could never see the colors of my fish.

The pros still have a good amount of blue and have a lot of wiggle room.

And agreed with above. At one point over my 72 inch long tank I had 2 xr30 and 6 xr15.

I currently have 4 xr30 in the 4bulb aquatic life and a reef brite strip!

It was that or buy 2-3 more xr30

 

[Mwatts12]

My tank is close to yours. 72x36x20

 

[jda]

I hadn’t considered turning them sideways, do you have any recommendations for other lights that would do the job without the need to clutter the tank rim with so many arms?
I originally thought of using a rail but I have high ceilings and I think 5 feet of braided wire coming down from the ceiling looks ugly lol!

I don't use LED so I am not great to ask. I have larger tanks too and MH and their reflectors cover too well. That said, if somebody made me use LEDs, it would be Photon V2 since the best acropora that I have seen under LEDs are photon. ...see therman's threads.

 

[dadnjesse]

I started with gen 5 XR30 Blues. They are defienty Blue, I upgraded them to gen 6 Pro's and am happier with the Pro's.

 

[buruskeee]

Depends what spectrum you’re going to rely on during your peaks. If your peak intensities are going to be AB+, then get the blues, if you’re planning on running peaks closer to 10k color, get the pros. Each can be adjusted easily to any spectrum, but you want your peak PAR hours to match what spectrum you’re blasting or you’ll be selling yourself short on PAR, especially if you want to start out with just 3 fixtures.

 

[Nate Chalk]

Does anyone have color comparison of these ?

Please post what you took camera pictures with etc.

 

[buruskeee]

Does anyone have color comparison of these ?

Please post what you took camera pictures with etc.

It’s better to see in person. Pros are like 10-12k spectrum and blues are about 14-16k spectrum. Blues on a camera it will never look like it does to the eyes without use of filters which defeats the purpose.

 

[Nate Chalk]

It’s better to see in person. Pros are like 10-12k spectrum and blues are about 14-16k spectrum. Blues on a camera it will never look like it does to the eyes without use of filters which defeats the purpose.

I get that.