G4 or G5

[Beckles]

Hi all,

I have a 105g dsa tank. Footprint is 4’x2’. Tank is sps heavy and 21” tall.

I have the opportunity to either purchase 2 brand new xr30 G5 pros or 4 used xr30 g4 pros. Both would come with rms mounts. Cost will be roughly the same.

Which open would you go with and why?

Thanks.

 

[BlennyTime]

I’d go for the 4 gen 4’s, if price was the same. The gen 5’s have better power and spread individually, but having more gen 4’s will give better coverage.

 

[RedReefer]

T5

 

[Beckles]

I’d be replacing an 8 bulb ATI with 2 or3 blue plus bars...

 

[lancesmith1]

4 XR30's on a 4ft tank? seems like a lot to me.

 

[uhgster1]

4 XR30's on a 4ft tank? seems like a lot to me.

Better to have and not need than to need and not have. With four you would have complete coverage and be able to tune the intensity up or down. I would go with the G4s.

 

[ca1ore]

How ‘used’. Second hand G4 could be less than a year old .... or more than four. I tend not to spend good $$ on old lights. I’m quite happy with my older Gen4pros bought in late 2016 though . Not sure I like being forced to mobius with the Gen5.

 

[lancesmith1]

Better to have and not need than to need and not have. With four you would have complete coverage and be able to tune the intensity up or down. I would go with the G4s.

To each his own. They are about 11 inches wide. The lights themselves will take up 44+/- inches of width they will literally be butted up against each other. It will look cluttered with 4 on the tank.

 

[Xanthurum]

I just upgraded from Gen 3 Pros to Gen 5 Pros and can say without a doubt it was a gigantic improvement. That being said the Gen 4s were quite an improvement over the 3s but the 5s are on a new level.
I run 3 on a Red Sea 650s which is 5 feet long and 2 feet wide and the coverage is way better than with my previous 3. Shadowing is vastly reduced and color blending is very much improved. I run the Gen 5s at a much lower percentage point and still have better par and coverage.

 

[uhgster1]

To each his own. They are about 11 inches wide. The lights themselves will take up 44+/- inches of width they will literally be butted up against each other. It will look cluttered with 4 on the tank.

Yeah I see what you’re saying. I wouldn’t mount them lengthwise though. If you mount them front to back they’re not that much wider than 15s, which is why you would have the entire 48x24 inch footprint covered.

 

[PeterC99]

I run two g5 xr30s on my Red Sea Reefer 425 XL (4 foot long 90 gallon). Great coverage, only run at 55%, and sps is thriving.

 

[mfinn]

Hi all,

I have a 105g dsa tank. Footprint is 4’x2’. Tank is sps heavy and 21” tall.

I have the opportunity to either purchase 2 brand new xr30 G5 pros or 4 used xr30 g4 pros. Both would come with rms mounts. Cost will be roughly the same.

Which open would you go with and why?

Thanks.

I'd go for the gen 4's and use 3 over a 4' tank and sell the 4th fixture.
I gave the gen 5's a try and hated mobius.

 

[Beckles]

Thanks for all the feedback. It’s a tough and pricey choice to make. I’m also looking at options to make this Sunpower a bit better.

would it be overkill to have 4 or3 bars on an 8 bulb ATI? Two blue plus and two UV bars.