Lighting Question (1 Viewer)

[Slayer311]

So we started with our new tank using the provided lights that are a bit dated, I love the Hydra 26s but do feel they lack a bit of spread on our 60g 3ft wide tank and lack a bit of umph at the sand bed. I have decided I want to pull the trigger and upgrade to Radeons as I have seen some tanks that are show stoppers around town utilizing them. I was wondering if anyone has had experience using multiple different options as currently I am considering a couple different configurations, keep in mind I want maximum coverage almost like T5s but having added the Aquatic Life Hybrid t5 solution I find the lighting a bit harsh compared the crisp lighting the Radeons provide.

Options 1 - 3ft tank using 3x Radeon xr15 Gen 5s, I think this would likely give the best spread if a bit overkill, but can always run at lower power which would serve the purpose of extended life as well.
Option 2 - 3ft tank using 2x Radeon xr30 gen 4s, I think would also be good, just wondering how the spread could compare to the 3x xr15s
Option 3 - 3ft tank using 3x Radeon xr30 gen 4s..crazy overkill maybe?

 

[Corlish16]

Option 1

 

[Seaworthy Aquatics]

So we started with our new tank using the provided lights that are a bit dated, I love the Hydra 26s but do feel they lack a bit of spread on our 60g 3ft wide tank and lack a bit of umph at the sand bed. I have decided I want to pull the trigger and upgrade to Radeons as I have seen some tanks that are show stoppers around town utilizing them. I was wondering if anyone has had experience using multiple different options as currently I am considering a couple different configurations, keep in mind I want maximum coverage almost like T5s but having added the Aquatic Life Hybrid t5 solution I find the lighting a bit harsh compared the crisp lighting the Radeons provide.

Options 1 - 3ft tank using 3x Radeon xr15 Gen 5s, I think this would likely give the best spread if a bit overkill, but can always run at lower power which would serve the purpose of extended life as well.
Option 2 - 3ft tank using 2x Radeon xr30 gen 4s, I think would also be good, just wondering how the spread could compare to the 3x xr15s
Option 3 - 3ft tank using 3x Radeon xr30 gen 4s..crazy overkill maybe?

Hydra 26s are actually more powerful than radion xr15. 90 watts vs 85 for the radion and both have the same 24"x24" spread, though the spread on the radions does feel a bit better. They are both owned and manufactured by ecotech and the only real difference is the controls and the lenses they use on the diodes. If you need more power and spread, I'd add an additional fixture vs redoing everything.

 

[PorpoiseHork]

I currently have 4 Hydra 26's on my 75g and after researching it Looks like I could easily upgrade to just a pair of G5 XR15's and provide the same PAR and coverage that I have now and still have power in reserve if needed.

For you it really depends on the PAR requirements you need to hit in respect to the types of corals you keep. Now option 1 will allow you have more uniform coverage and increase the intensity level as needed and/or add additional light(s) if you add corals with higher PAR requirements.

 

[Bullitt519]

I was running 4 x Hydra 26s and (hybrid 36" 4 x t5ho 4 hrs a day) on this 90 gal so 48x18x24 so they can easily grow anything you want. I was also only running them on about 40-60 % of the output. Almost everything started as frags and was about 1.5 years of growth.

 

[BigRick]

Same I run 7 hydra 26s on my 3x3x2 SPS cube. Run about 40%. What program are you running. Are you sure your colors are in the right spectrum? There is an AB+ for hydra26s somewhere on the other webby sites. I probably have a file saved.

 

[Slayer311]

Same I run 7 hydra 26s on my 3x3x2 SPS cube. Run about 40%. What program are you running. Are you sure your colors are in the right spectrum? There is an AB+ for hydra26s somewhere on the other webby sites. I probably have a file saved.

Nothing wrong with spectrum, using BRS suggested settings, but spread is definitely lacking using 2 over the 3ft tank, I could potentially add a 3rd but they are getting older and finding another in good used condition that I don't have to completely rebuild again might be difficult and I am too OCD to allow myself to get a 32hd for the middle, all must match! Also numbers don't lie, par readings indicate a near 50% loss at the edge of the tank compared to the new XR15 5th gen with 75% efficiency at the edges of the tank at a lower mounting height 8" vs 14" of the 26s. Let's be clear I don't hate my 26s but your example somewhat helps with my statement on coverage, if you are running 7 over a 3ft cube that's a lot of light for a smallish foot print.

 

[soymilk]

I have a radion xr15 pro gen 5 you can borrow for a bit to test out, might be easier to test it side by side.

 

[PorpoiseHork]

Nothing wrong with spectrum, using BRS suggested settings, but spread is definitely lacking using 2 over the 3ft tank, I could potentially add a 3rd but they are getting older and finding another in good used condition that I don't have to completely rebuild again might be difficult and I am too OCD to allow myself to get a 32hd for the middle, all must match! Also numbers don't lie, par readings indicate a near 50% loss at the edge of the tank compared to the new XR15 5th gen with 75% efficiency at the edges of the tank at a lower mounting height 8" vs 14" of the 26s. Let's be clear I don't hate my 26s but your example somewhat helps with my statement on coverage, if you are running 7 over a 3ft cube that's a lot of light for a smallish foot print.

It's all down to the lens configuration that determines the usable spread. Hydra's lenses produce a much narrower spread and thus perform much better higher off the waterline than the G5 XR15's do. The G5's are more like a flood lamp than spot light like the Hydra. The 26's lens is 80 degree, the 32's while do have better blending than the predecessor still has a fairly narrow beam. The difference being the type of lens they use produces a more diffused spot per LED. The XR15 combines a much larger LED array and wide angle lenses to boot. This allows it to cover a larger area at lower heights. Both the XR15 ang Hydra 32 are great lights but for best overall coverage, minimal light spill, and PAR the XR15's will likely be the winner.

Your best bet is get the club PAR meter and do some testing with the new lights but be prepared to get a third one just in case two are not enough.

 

[Slayer311]

It's all down to the lens configuration that determines the usable spread. Hydra's lenses produce a much narrower spread and thus perform much better higher off the waterline than the G5 XR15's do. The G5's are more like a flood lamp than spot light like the Hydra. The 26's lens is 80 degree, the 32's while do have better blending than the predecessor still has a fairly narrow beam. The difference being the type of lens they use produces a more diffused spot per LED. The XR15 combines a much larger LED array and wide angle lenses to boot. This allows it to cover a larger area at lower heights. Both the XR15 ang Hydra 32 are great lights but for best overall coverage, minimal light spill, and PAR the XR15's will likely be the winner.

Your best bet is get the club PAR meter and do some testing with the new lights but be prepared to get a third one just in case two are not enough.

Thank you PorpoiseHork, exactly what I was thinking was just hoping we had some real world experience in the club that could chime in with their personal experience. I am 100% going to be upgrading to 3 lights, just working on exactly which ones I plan to get, and leaning towards the xr15s as lack of coverage is a big deal to me, I dislike shadowed or just dark spots in general.

@soymilk thanks bud, your assistance is always greatly appreciated!

 

[PorpoiseHork]

You can also look into something like the Reef Bright add-on kit. These are supposed to give a similar wide angle spread and shadow reduction like T5's hybrid solution but are LED. Pretty simple setup and put all three on a timer block to have them kick on during peak light output. They don't add a ton of PAR but should help fill in some areas that may be too shadowed with just single point light sources. You can get them for the Hydra as well.

XHO-K15 LED Add-On Kit - For Radion XR15

Upgrade your LED fixture for more even coverage and additional color enhancement with the XHO-K15 LED Add-On Kit for Ecotech Radion® XR15. With a combined total of 16-3-Watt LED’s Blue and Violet region, the Reef Brite XHO-K15 add-on kit will increase intensity, PAR, color, and pop while...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

 

[Seaworthy Aquatics]

Shadowing is still an issue with the xr15s. I have a bunch running over some grow out tanks and the larger colonies certainly have shadowing issues here and there. Especially right under the lights. All of these puck style lights are basically spot lights and you'll need to add supplemental light bar of some sort to avoid dark spots ime. Something like the orphex OR3 or reefbrite LED bars like @PorpoiseHork mentioned if you don't want T5. Or you go up to something like the neptune sky which has waaaay better spread since the panels are huge, but two would be crazy overkill I think and doubt one would be enough for a full sps tank if that's the plan. Any of these options would certainly be able to grow absolutely anything with no lack of par anywhere in the tank, but if it would give you the aesthetic feel you're looking for is hard to say. They are still spot lights that mostly aim directly down vs the "blanket of light" feel from T5s. None of the options are perfect and testing like @soymilk said is probably your best option in this case and just see what you like. Either way you'll be growing stuff like mad.

 

[soymilk]

arent those reef breeder lights pretty decent?

 

[PorpoiseHork]

arent those reef breeder lights pretty decent?

I ran one for a couple of years and had no issues with it whatsoever. They are great lights and have awesome support. I like that they have a wide footprint so are much closer to T5 coverage than just about any other LED on the market. The only complaint I have with them is the lenses are 90-100 degree spots so you can get some color hotspots with them at lower mounting heights. Now if you were to say upgrade the lenses with one that has a more diffused pattern to it, then you could get better blending and less laser hotspots as well as mount it much lower than what BRS recommends. Another option is getting a diffuser panel like that used on florescent celling fixtures and fabricate a way to hang it a couple of inches below the light to soften the disco effect down.


They also apparently have a mobile app that works with the latest version that looks to be much more user friendly than the handheld controller. It's on my list of possible lights to get when I upgrade form the 26's in a couple of months.

Oh almost forgot they use the same LED emitters as the Hydra's do so you're getting the same spectrum options at a great price with them.