I'm thinking about upgrading the lights on my 125G tank with the expectation of upgrading to a 215G 72x24.5x29.5 in the fall or next year. Tank is and will be Mixed Reef with the expectation of having a few Acro's. Would 3 XR15 Pro's be an absolute minimum for that tank or would they be more than adequate? Or would 1 XR30 Pro in the middle with a XR15 Pro on each side work? Or would I have to go with 3 XR30 Pro's? Or what about 4 XR15's?
Question about Radion coverage
- Thread starter TommyMaples
- Start date
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IMO, the seriously over state the coverage range. Most people would rather use a pair of xr15s than a single 30 since they can spread them out more.
For the 215g, I would plan on 6x xr15s or 3x xr30s and then probably need to add 4x t5 down the road as stuff grows and shadows show up. This is a pretty normal evolution in larger tanks.
For the 215g, I would plan on 6x xr15s or 3x xr30s and then probably need to add 4x t5 down the road as stuff grows and shadows show up. This is a pretty normal evolution in larger tanks.
Brett S
Valuable Member
I have three XR30W Pro’s over my 220 (which is essentially the same dimensions as your 215). I’ve been using them for more than three years and they’re doing great. I start them at 0% in the morning and ramp them up. They hit 100% in the afternoon, only staying at 100% for a few minutes, then slowly ramp down again to 0% in the evening. (The whole thing is kind of a bell curve, rather than linearly ramping up and down though)
If I had to do it over again, though, I would probably go with six XR15’s rather than three XR30’s. The XR15’s are exactly half the price of the XR30’s, so there is no cost difference and having the separate pucks will give you a little more flexibility with placement... you could get the two pucks spread a little further apart, for example. It also would give you an option of going with three or four XR15’s over your 125 now and then you could buy two or three more when you upgrade to the 215.
If I had to do it over again, though, I would probably go with six XR15’s rather than three XR30’s. The XR15’s are exactly half the price of the XR30’s, so there is no cost difference and having the separate pucks will give you a little more flexibility with placement... you could get the two pucks spread a little further apart, for example. It also would give you an option of going with three or four XR15’s over your 125 now and then you could buy two or three more when you upgrade to the 215.
Brett S
Valuable Member
I’ve never supplemented my lights with T5’s so I really don’t have anything to compare it to, but I can say that I’ve been very happy with the Radions alone for 3 years now. I did add the diffusers to my lights when they came out a little mora than a year ago and I highly recommend them. They make the light much more even and help to eliminate shadows as well.
