Lighting Red Sea 5025 XL

[luvinreefer]

Alright, so I am entertaining the idea of upgrading my Red Sea 300 xl to the 525 xl. I currently have a single Radion Pro Xr30 lighting my tank. I am shooting for a mixed reef. I will obviously be utilizing my Radion for the new tank but I am interested in hearing others thoughts on how they would light the 525. Since it's essentially 5 feet long it makes for a number of options. Cost of course is a big factor. I am interested in adding some T5's into the mix because of the benefits of doing so. So these are my questions/thoughts.

1. On the aquatic life hybrid fixtures are the braces to hold the led light fixed or can you move them anywhere along the length of the fixture?

2. Should I go with a 48" or the 61? 61 inch is 2 inches wider then the tank.

3. Since I am doing a mixed reef do I really need another radion or can I get away with just the T5 and place my sps in the center of the tank? Will the diffusion of light look weird through out the tank if I were to do that?

4. Should I do the t5's and add some xr15's on the sides or something else? Or should I just add a second xr30? In an ideal world with an unlimited budget I would probably do the Aquatic life 61 inch with the xr 30 in the middle and two xr15's on the ends. But that seems over kill on a number of fronts... I want versatility but don't want to break the bank.

 

[40g Nano]

What’s the budget?

 

[40g Nano]

You could go for another Xr30 or maybe a reefbreeders photon v2 50”

 

[PeterC99]

I have a RSR 425 XL with 2 Radion XR30’s above. Like the coverage and the clean look. Have also added 3D printed light shades to reduce glare.

 

[MichaelReefer]

I run three Hydra 32s with 3Dreefing Diffusers on my 525xl.

 

[luvinreefer]

I don't necessarily have a budget. I'm just trying to keep things to a minimum but I also don't want to do it twice or swapping out later. I do like the look of just Radions and adding another XR30 would probably be more then adequate but I'm reading that a lot of people who supplement with T5's are seeing great results. Perhaps I just add another xr30 for now and then add the T5's down the road? Although adding two XR15's would give me more versatility.