Lighting Suggestions - Red Sea Reefer S 1000

[reefin_with_the_fam]

Hey yall!
I just pulled the trigger on the new Reefer 1000S for my dream tank build, and am trying to figure out the best lighting. I am going to do a T5/LED hybrid, and purchased (2) 36" Aquatic Life fixtures and am trying to figure out which LEDs to get.

I am torn between the Hydras and Radions, but also how many to get of my final decision. If I go with either the 64 HDs or the XR30s I will initially only be able to buy (2) and will have to add on over time. Which leaves the question:

Do I get (4) Hydra 32s or possible more down the road?
Do I get (2) Hydra 64s and get (2) more down the road?

Or

Do I get (4) XR15s or possibly more in the future?
Do I get (2) XR30s and get (2) more down the road?

I will probably focus on a Mixed reef tank with LPS, softies, and some SPS, with an eventual goal of getting into Acros.

I have seen a lot of the BRS videos on both brands but keep going back and forth on cost and if the EcoTech premium is truly worth it.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Jekyl]

To play devils advocate I vote kessil. The LED will be supplemental to the T5. Why not go with the light known for its looks?

 

[Hooz]

I would always opt for multiple, smaller lights than fewer larger ones. Like two 16HDs instead of a single 32HD, or two XR15s over a single XR30. You have much more control over spacing and spread that way.

As for "supplemental", the LEDs will (or can) put out way more PAR than the T5s do, so think about what you want from your lights (spectrum, spread, power, etc) and then go from there.

 

[blaxsun]

You’ll probably need between 4-6 XR15 Radions if you go with multiple smaller heads (I have a pair of XR30s and a single XR15 in the center on my 750XXL).

 

[Hooz]

If you didn't already order the T5 fixtures, an evenly spaced 5x2 grid of Prime 16HDs would be killer on that tank.

 

[reefin_with_the_fam]

Thanks for all the suggestions, is the EcoTech premium worth it tho vs AI?

 

[blaxsun]

Thanks for all the suggestions, is the EcoTech premium worth it tho vs AI?

Unfortunately, yeah.

 

[Elliott ll]

So

If you didn't already order the T5 fixtures, an evenly spaced 5x2 grid of Prime 16HDs would be killer on that tank.

So you need 10 Ai Primes for this tank?

 

[reefin_with_the_fam]

So

So you need 10 Ai Primes for this tank?

I ended up going with 2 36” T5 hybrids with 4 XR15s with the plan to buy two XR30s down the road

 

[Elliott ll]

I ended up going with 2 36” T5 hybrids with 4 XR15s with the plan to buy two XR30s down the road

Wow thats a lot! I'm trying to find a light setup thats sleek and minimal.

Would you think 3 AI Hydra 64s or 4 AI Hydra 32s would work? Or Should I just stick with 3 Red Sea 160S? I love AI app.

 

[VanDalsenReef]

Wow thats a lot! I'm trying to find a light setup thats sleek and minimal.

Would you think 3 AI Hydra 64s or 4 AI Hydra 32s would work? Or Should I just stick with 3 Red Sea 160S? I love AI app.

4 or 5 32s

 

[Elliott ll]

4 or 5 32s

So you think 4 of them for LPS tank and 5 for SPS/mixed?

 

[VanDalsenReef]

So you think 4 of them for LPS tank and 5 for SPS/mixed?

You could probably get away with 3 for LPS but better coverage. Go with as many as financially possible

 

[Elliott ll]

You could probably get away with 3 for LPS but better coverage. Go with as many as financially possible

Would 10 AI Prime 16HDs be enough? I could then just buy 7 more and spend less. Trouble would be finding a mount for them.

 

[VanDalsenReef]

Technically whatever one every 10 inches would be I'd say

 

[VanDalsenReef]

They aren't very strong and brs testing is slightly flawed because the water doesn't move and blah blah but 10 would be starr

 

[Elliott ll]

They aren't very strong and brs testing is slightly flawed because the water doesn't move and blah blah but 10 would be starr

I think the road block is finding a HMS rail to fit a 82.7" long tank. I'll need to think about ceiling mounting them.

7 more Ai Primes would be about $1500 + mount cost. vs getting 4 Ai Hydra 64s at $2668.

I do want a good amount of SPS... Tough decision.

Red Sea suggests getting 3 of the Red Sea ReefLED 160S. I wonder if the tank would actually need 4 for SPS?

 

[VanDalsenReef]

I think the road block is finding a HMS rail to fit a 82.7" long tank. I'll need to think about ceiling mounting them.

7 more Ai Primes would be about $1500 + mount cost. vs getting 4 Ai Hydra 64s at $2668.

I do want a good amount of SPS... Tough decision.

Red Sea suggests getting 3 of the Red Sea ReefLED 160S. I wonder if the tank would actually need 4 for SPS?

4 160s but their spectrum is super blue.

 

[Maxcmo]

I think the road block is finding a HMS rail to fit a 82.7" long tank. I'll need to think about ceiling mounting them.

7 more Ai Primes would be about $1500 + mount cost. vs getting 4 Ai Hydra 64s at $2668.

I do want a good amount of SPS... Tough decision.

Red Sea suggests getting 3 of the Red Sea ReefLED 160S. I wonder if the tank would actually need 4 for SPS?

What did you end up doing? It took me a bit to figure out the RMS Track Mount but that is the way I went. Can you post a pic of how your set up ended up being?

 

[Elliott ll]

What did you end up doing? It took me a bit to figure out the RMS Track Mount but that is the way I went. Can you post a pic of how your set up ended up being?

I ended up digging very deeply and going with the Neptune Skys due to huge cost savings for better performance. 3 skys do what 4 XR30s can. With only needing 3 skys on a 83" tank I went with standard XR30 mounting arms. All in all I saved $1000+ and got better performance.