Help lighting 6 foot tank

[AJsReef]

Hey all,

I'm taking delivery of a Red Sea Reefer 7500XXL in the near future. Originally, I had ordered the deluxe version with 4x Hydra 26s. Long story short, Red Sea was hit hard by Harvey and the distribution channels for the tanks can't keep up so I went with the regular version and am seeking my own lights. This led me down a whole new rabbit hole and now I can't make sense of what I want to buy.

Currently, the livestock that will be moving over is essentially a mixed reefer, some nice SPS colonies and a bit of LPS. However, my long term goal is to have a full SPS tank. Which leads me to question lighting decisions.

Here's the options I have come up with;

3x Radion Gen4 Pro

4x Hydra 52

2x Kessil AP700

4x Hydra 26


Does anyone have experience to share with these options over a six foot tank?

 

[Potatohead]

They're all good lights, maybe try and see a tank with them over it so you know what he tank will actually look like. You can always start with 2-3 units to begin and add more later also.

 

[techhnyne]

I have a 6ft tank and i am running mitras lx7. I love them and so do corals. From the first dayi noticed corals opened up in ways i never seen thwm open. The colors are gorgeous. Even my fish look more colorful.
I have 3 lx7 spanning the tank.

 

[stevem650]

I am waiting for my reefer 750 to arrive. I'm upgrading my reefer 450 which has 3 Hydra 52's. I just purchased and received the new 8 bulb and 4 led WIFI hybrid ATI power module for the 750. It's a beast.

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

I am waiting for my reefer 750 to arrive. I'm upgrading my reefer 450 which has 3 Hydra 52's. I just purchased and received the new 8 bulb and 4 led WIFI hybrid ATI power module for the 750. It's a beast.

Looks amazing too with the black base with aluminum trim ;Jawdrop

 

[stevem650]

This fixture is heavy and don't want to hang from the ceiling. I had special mounts made that attach to the back of the stand from 80/20.net. Hope to have the tank next week and complete my upgrade. The quality of the ATI fixture is amazing and looks great. AJ, I would consider this fixture if it works for you.

 

[jda]

Which type of SPS - it matters. Acropora need more light and more spread than Montis, Birdsnest, Poci and Sytlos.

In a hardcore acropora tank with COLONIES, you could need 2x Radion Pros per 2'x2' area, but that it is a long way off. With some easier acros and mostly MBP&S, then not so much. Don't underestimate the shadowing.

FWIW - colonies are not frags, they are about 100x harder. The shadowing is real, death from beneath with point-source lights is real. I am not talking about the golf ball sized "colonies" that some folks have, but actual canteloupe or dinner plate sized colonies. Be prepared to adapt in you get LEDs.

 

[AJsReef]

Which type of SPS - it matters. Acropora need more light and more spread than Montis, Birdsnest, Poci and Sytlos.

In a hardcore acropora tank with COLONIES, you could need 2x Radion Pros per 2'x2' area, but that it is a long way off. With some easier acros and mostly MBP&S, then not so much. Don't underestimate the shadowing.

FWIW - colonies are not frags, they are about 100x harder. The shadowing is real, death from beneath with point-source lights is real. I am not talking about the golf ball sized "colonies" that some folks have, but actual canteloupe or dinner plate sized colonies. Be prepared to adapt in you get LEDs.

Thanks for the reply, the "colonies" I'll be moving over are probably 6 or so inches for the largest one. They are going from my dads tank that has ran on less than optimal lighting. Really want to get these things growing. For right now, after purchasing the tank and all the parts I won't be able to follow the 2x radions per 2x2' but I am leaning toward the Radions. I'm thinking about going with three to start and adding as the corals grow. OR, running 4x Hydra 52s from the start in a perpendicular arrangement

 

[jda]

That is more than reasonable. Most people get shocked when they find out that they *might* have to buy more, so as long as you are open to it, then you will not get shocked. Gen 4s will also be very reasonably priced in a bit when the Gen 5s come out - that is a good time to get more of them.

 

[JonJ]

I have the Reefer 750 xxl and use 2 Orphek Atlantik v4s. No corals yet so I cannot comment on growth but I do have a PAR meter. I am measuring 700ish at the top of the rock work (all channels 100%) and mid to high 200s on the sandbed. I too plan on all sps and I think that these should do the trick. Might be another brand for you to consider. The pic below is at the end of the ramp down at shut down time.

 

[ReefingwithO]

Check out my buddy Reefdudes on Youtube, he has a 6 foot tank and is using 4 radion Xr15 g4.

I have 2 xr30 g4 over a 6 foot tank and I wish I had gone with 3 of the xr15. It’s one pick and half the price but you have more flexibility with placement. It’s more wires and more mounting arms.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

3x Radion Gen4 Pro

Not enough imo coverage but it will work.
4x Hydra 52
Perfect
2x Kessil AP700
Perfect
4x Hydra 26
Perfect. But less power. Check the specs and decide if it's the par levels you want and need for the live stock you want to try based on the depth of the tank.

 

[ReefingwithO]

Check out my buddy Reefdudes on Youtube, he has a 6 foot tank and is using 4 radion Xr15 g4.

I have 2 xr30 g4 over a 6 foot tank and I wish I had gone with 3 of the xr15. It’s one pick and half the price but you have more flexibility with placement. It’s more wires and more mounting arms.

I was on mobile and made a mistake, I have 2 XR30 G4 Pros on a 4 foot tank and I wish I had done XR15s. It the same amount of pucks and the same price but you get more flexibility with placement. More wires and more mounting arms but it's worth it IMHO.