ChilledReefer Posted November 3, 2022 Share Posted November 3, 2022 So my Red Sea Max Nano (20 gal) crashed and I'm gonna start over. Doing bare bottom this time and gonna replace the Reef LED 50. I'm thinking the RadionXR30 Pro as I'm not a big fan of the dark blue water. That tank is roughly 18inches all around so I should have more than enough light to grow whatever kind or coral I choose right? Thanks, Quote Link to comment
joshthebox Posted November 3, 2022 Share Posted November 3, 2022 Yeah, that would be a great lighting choice. Quote Link to comment
ChilledReefer Posted November 3, 2022 Author Share Posted November 3, 2022 13 minutes ago, joshthebox said: Yeah, that would be a great lighting choice. Ok, thanks. Hopefully they might have a discount for Black Friday or something as the tank should be well into the cycle by then. I'm gonna start it later tonight. 1 Quote Link to comment
jservedio Posted November 3, 2022 Share Posted November 3, 2022 The Radions are absolutely fantastic lights, look phenomenal, are built do last, and you just can't go wrong with them. I've been running a pro for more than 10 years non-stop and it's awesome. That said, you should also consider checking out the AI Prime 15HDs. You can get 4 of them for the price of a single XR30pro. While the color isn't quite as natural, it's still really good and you'd get way better coverage. I've got both an XR30Pro (old one, but with 120 degree optics on it) and 2 Prime 15HDs over my 50g and while I slightly prefer the color of the XR30Pro, the coverage just isn't as good compared to multiple units spread out. In any case, even with a full SPS tank, you are only going to be using 30-40% of the power of the XR30pro - you just don't really need the power in a shallow tank. If XR15s were available when I got my XR30, I would have gotten two of the XR15s to get better coverage. 1 Quote Link to comment
ChilledReefer Posted November 3, 2022 Author Share Posted November 3, 2022 35 minutes ago, jservedio said: The Radions are absolutely fantastic lights, look phenomenal, are built do last, and you just can't go wrong with them. I've been running a pro for more than 10 years non-stop and it's awesome. That said, you should also consider checking out the AI Prime 15HDs. You can get 4 of them for the price of a single XR30pro. While the color isn't quite as natural, it's still really good and you'd get way better coverage. I've got both an XR30Pro (old one, but with 120 degree optics on it) and 2 Prime 15HDs over my 50g and while I slightly prefer the color of the XR30Pro, the coverage just isn't as good compared to multiple units spread out. In any case, even with a full SPS tank, you are only going to be using 30-40% of the power of the XR30pro - you just don't really need the power in a shallow tank. If XR15s were available when I got my XR30, I would have gotten two of the XR15s to get better coverage. Thanks for that info. One reason I want the 30 pro is if I can get this to work I'll upgrade to a 50 gal shallow reef cube. Quote Link to comment
jservedio Posted November 3, 2022 Share Posted November 3, 2022 28 minutes ago, ChilledReefer said: Thanks for that info. One reason I want the 30 pro is if I can get this to work I'll upgrade to a 50 gal shallow reef cube. Just FYI, but a single XR30pro isn't going to be enough coverage over a 50g shallow cube, you'd need two. However, 4 AI Prime 15HDs would cover it fairly well. I've got an EXT-50 and a single XR30 is nowhere near enough coverage. You'll get slightly more coverage with a G6 than I do (6 extra degrees), but even that isn't going to make you happy in terms of shadowing. Hence why I have both an XR30 and 2x AI Prime 15HDs - and I'll be adding 2 more primes down the line as well as I get more shadowing from the acros. I use the Radion to get the color my eyes want to see and the Primes to get coverage in all the shadows. Here's what I'm doing now: Quote Link to comment
ChilledReefer Posted November 3, 2022 Author Share Posted November 3, 2022 24 minutes ago, jservedio said: Just FYI, but a single XR30pro isn't going to be enough coverage over a 50g shallow cube, you'd need two. However, 4 AI Prime 15HDs would cover it fairly well. I've got an EXT-50 and a single XR30 is nowhere near enough coverage. You'll get slightly more coverage with a G6 than I do (6 extra degrees), but even that isn't going to make you happy in terms of shadowing. Hence why I have both an XR30 and 2x AI Prime 15HDs - and I'll be adding 2 more primes down the line as well as I get more shadowing from the acros. I use the Radion to get the color my eyes want to see and the Primes to get coverage in all the shadows. Here's what I'm doing now: That looks pretty cool. Well if I can get some acro and SPS to grow in this 20 gallon I'll be ready for the upgrade. Quote Link to comment
ninjamyst Posted November 4, 2022 Share Posted November 4, 2022 You are better off with a Hydra 26 now then upgrade to two or XR15 now and then upgrade to two. If you really want to save money, get a noopsyche for $200 or get a SmatFarm from Amazon for $125. Radions and AIs are great lights but not really worth the price premium. Quote Link to comment
ChilledReefer Posted November 4, 2022 Author Share Posted November 4, 2022 49 minutes ago, ninjamyst said: You are better off with a Hydra 26 now then upgrade to two or XR15 now and then upgrade to two. If you really want to save money, get a noopsyche for $200 or get a SmatFarm from Amazon for $125. Radions and AIs are great lights but not really worth the price premium. I’ll check those lights out. Have you grown spa with them? Quote Link to comment
ninjamyst Posted November 4, 2022 Share Posted November 4, 2022 8 hours ago, ChilledReefer said: I’ll check those lights out. Have you grown spa with them? Yup. Radions and AIs have nice apps but most led lights are the same. You just have to look at spectrum and wattage. Quote Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.