Opinions please

MichaelP121579 · Nov 5, 2019

Hey guys I have a 31x31x15 cube. I am having trouble finding the "perfect light"
The tank has been running for 2 months, I broke down a smaller tank 30gal AIO And went to the 62 gallon. I cant seem to find a light that will cover the entire tank. It started with a AI Prime HD, Went with 2 Kessil A160s now I have a Maxspect r420r 160w 27". I dont like it because programming is very limited and it only white/blue. I've considered a Radion xr30 or a couple of 15s. I've thought about a couple of hydra 26s or32s. I've even considered buying Ocean Revive 247s. Coral seems to be doing good, it's a mixed lps/sps/softie tank.
I just upgrade skimmer from a
Reef Octopus BH-50 to a
Vertex 130
Any advice on some lights rather budget friendly or not so budget friendly would be greatly appreciated
TIA

UCF Alum · Nov 5, 2019

What corals are you keeping?
The Radions are most definitely NOT budget friendly!

nereefpat · Nov 5, 2019

Are you stuck on LEDs?

A 24" 6 bulb T5 unit would cover the entire tank.

MichaelP121579 · Nov 5, 2019

UCF Alum said:
What corals are you keeping?
The Radions are most definitely NOT budget friendly!

I have some hammers/frogspawns. Nems, birdsnest, leathers.

MichaelP121579 · Nov 5, 2019

nereefpat said:
Are you stuck on LEDs?

A 24" 6 bulb T5 unit would cover the entire tank.

I had a t5 hybrid on the tank for one day and hated it. The tank is scratched ( I took a guys word that it wasnt and sent a guy to pick up for me).but it made the scratches so bad I pulled it down. And I didn't like that I couldn't control anything. I've considered a Geissmann controllable t5 set up. But I'm tired or changeinh lights and so is my inverts.

Jon Fishman · Nov 5, 2019

I have seen bigger tanks ran on a single Radion, with great results

UCF Alum · Nov 5, 2019

Love the tank. I can’t give you any advice as I personally love the way it looks now. You don’t need a whole lot of light for the corals you have. I’d keep it the way it is now if it were me.

Bastray · Nov 5, 2019

My advice unfortunately is using a t5 hybrid. I think that would give you the best coverage for your size tank, would be the most economical since you already have the led.

I had 2 hydra 26 over my 4 ft tank and have since switched to 3 Radion xr15’s plus the T5. I love this set up. Still get the controllability of the Radions but get the coverage and spectrum of the T5.

If you don’t want the T5 I would add more LEDs then to maximize the spread of the lights. I think you could use any of the ones you mentioned and have success.

MichaelReefer · Nov 5, 2019

A few AI Prime HDs would work. Love mine, have two on my Red Sea 250.

MichaelP121579 · Nov 5, 2019

UCF Alum said:
Love the tank. I can’t give you any advice as I personally love the way it looks now. You don’t need a whole lot of light for the corals you have. I’d keep it the way it is now if it were me.

I'm really wanting to add a clam or two eventually, more hammers and some torches
And thank you. It's been a battle to get it looking good, my tank I broke down, I let it get out of control with over feeding and lack of water changes. Phosphates got to 1.04

MichaelP121579 · Nov 5, 2019

Jon Fishman said:
I have seen bigger tanks ran on a single Radion, with great results

I've considered 1 or 30 or 2 15s there is a gen 2 for 350 with mount and reeflink. But if 1 30 wont cover then it's a waste of money. Because I'd have to buy 2 gen 3 or 4s

MichaelP121579 · Nov 5, 2019

MichaelP121579 said:
I've considered 1 or 30 or 2 15s there is a gen 2 for 350 with mount and reeflink. But if 1 30 wont cover then it's a waste of money. Because I'd have to buy 2 gen 3 or 4s

There is a gen 3 30 on ebay for 250. Will I have to have reeflink to control it?

MichaelP121579 · Nov 6, 2019

This thread went stale fast.

Jon Fishman · Nov 6, 2019

Someone has used Gen 3 Pro’s for sale here. He sadly hasn’t responded to my inquiry though

nereefpat · Nov 6, 2019

MichaelP121579 said:
This thread went stale fast.

I think you're in a tough spot. Coverage, as you've seen is tough with a 31" wide tank.
LEDs are the most difficult lighting option of the 3 to get good coverage.

A T5 fixture with 6-8 bulbs would provide the best coverage. A 250+ watt MH would work well too, if you hanged it high and had the right reflector.

If you want to stick to LEDs, you just need more fixtures. Those kessils would probably work well, but you might need 4 instead of 2, for example.

MERKEY · Nov 6, 2019

As many stated adding a T5 hybrid would be the best next step without getting rid of your kessil.
However it Sounds like you are wanting to not go the T5 route again and are looking for an LED that will cover your tank.

A xr30 g4 pro is rated at 36" coverage I believe (I could be a couple inches off). So that will technically "cover" the tank. However to get maximum coverage and even par without shadowing your best bet is to get 2 or 4 xr 15 pros. Or even 4 of the hd primes or 3 of the hydra 32s.

You get the idea with more small lights covering more area more evenly. So now it really comes down to your personal preference.

Most of the main manufacturers of LED nowadays will give you much more light for the corals you want to grow than you need. Even with adding a clam you can eventually ramp those lights up to get pars at 500 just a few inches below the water.

If you aren't worried about a budget get 4 radion xr 15 pros gen 4. Or 2 xr 30s.

If you are worried about budget and dont want t5 just add 1 or 2 more of the kessils you have now

Or do that with which ever company you like the best to maximize your coverage, looking back I would have went with 4 xr 15s smaller lights rather than 2 bigger xr 30s for pure coverage and shadowing. We live and learn

MichaelP121579 · Nov 12, 2019

Well I'm down between (4) AI Prime HD (2) hydra 32s or (2) Radion xr15 gen4 pro. Now another twist has came up, I could be swapping tanks to a Deep Blue 60 shallow. Lol 48x24x12 so I have to consider coverage on that tank. I had one couple years ago with 2 hydra 26s hd on it. Seems to be enough coverage but I know I needed a 3rd one.
And with the Radions will I have to buy a separate controller for the lights or can they be controlled via a app

Gary Inwood · Apr 7, 2020

Bastray said:
My advice unfortunately is using a t5 hybrid. I think that would give you the best coverage for your size tank, would be the most economical since you already have the led.

I had 2 hydra 26 over my 4 ft tank and have since switched to 3 Radion xr15’s plus the T5. I love this set up. Still get the controllability of the Radions but get the coverage and spectrum of the T5.

If you don’t want the T5 I would add more LEDs then to maximize the spread of the lights. I think you could use any of the ones you mentioned and have success.

Hi Bastray,

you said you had 2 hydra 26's over your 4 ft what was the spread like? and growth like? SPS/LPS?

Bastray · Apr 7, 2020

Gary Inwood said:
Hi Bastray,

you said you had 2 hydra 26's over your 4 ft what was the spread like? and growth like? SPS/LPS?

Spread and growth were good. That said, I am happier with 3 LEDs over the tank with the T5’s. I get more direct light on my SPS corals in the middle of the tank. I could have gotten away with 2 I think for a while, until the corals grow out, then shadowing would have been an issue. 3 Radions with the T5 lights is the end game for me though. This will be the light choice for me for the life of the tank. I run radions at 60%, no shadows, every part of the tank is getting even light and I can grow SPS top to bottom with no issue.