Double the Radions or not?

[Kristophf]

In a tank that size your going to get the same coverage no matter how you place them if your using 15s or 30s. If you were having a custom tank built that was my 3ft + wide then having 15s might be useful so you can spread them out a little to cover the extra width. In this case the 30s will cover the 2 foot and having them seperate wont really make the coverage any better. The tank will be covered with the 30s just the same if placed correctly...

 

[Titleist]

Great. Going to keep going with the 30s then.

BTW I just saw a pair of them at a LFS. These thing are pretty tiny. Makes you feel like you're getting ripped for the price. For the cash it'd make one feel better if the light was larger.... make you feel like you're getting your money's worth somehow. Oh well...

 

[Kristophf]

I know the feeling believe me [emoji85] but rather a small unit than large. My maxspect ethereal looks cool for that reason i guess. I already paid for the lights dearly thinking about the rails, didnt like the reeflink, and looking to get diffusers for them. You could spend a fortune if you end up buying everything. Sometimes i just wish my fish and coral appreciated how much effort and money i out into making thier life better. Then again i dont know if id appreciate being exiled into a glass box for life...

 

[ca1ore]

sideways as in the opposite way SuncrestReef's are? His are what I would say sideways, elements oriented left to right rather than front to back.

I should probably be good into the foreseeable future with 4 then if I shouldn't be mounting them front to back.

Orient them so the long axis of the light is parallel to the long axis of the tank. Otherwise you’ll be spending extra light $ to illuminate the front glass = pointless.

 

[ca1ore]

In a tank that size your going to get the same coverage no matter how you place them if your using 15s or 30s.

Not really. Prior to my current 8’ 450, I ran the ML265 (which is probably what the OP is running). With eight XR15 you can get a more even light distribution along a 7’ tank than with four XR30s. I know this because I actually did it. The XR15 also allows you to tilt each individual light which can be useful as SPS colonies get large. The XR30s are also noisy - which annoys me, at least.

 

[Kristophf]

I see your point i have 4 xr15s and 1 xr30 in the centre and yes there is a little noise on the fan and i can spread out the 15s around it to reach the far corners with more versatility but my tank is also 2.5 wide. I personally dont think its worth the extra money and footprint unless you need sps growing in every nook and cranny

 

[EmptyWallet]

For future readers, BRS have done several great youtubes on XR15's vs 30's. For me, I went twice as many 15's namely due to halving the replacement cost if a unit fails out of warranty

 

[vetteguy53081]

15’s or Ai primes. Other option: three Kessil AP 700’s

 

[Titleist]

For future readers, BRS have done several great youtubes on XR15's vs 30's. For me, I went twice as many 15's namely due to halving the replacement cost if a unit fails out of warranty

Now THAT was something I didn't think about. Too late now, they're already on the way.