Radion users - advice wanted (1 Viewer)

[BiGPiNK]

Ever since visiting Diesel and seeing his incredible setup i haven't been able to think about anything else. Especially being there over the course of a good few hours, watching the controller gently ramp up intensity over a period is captivating to watch to say the least. I also caught mrsaltwatertank's latest video doing PAR readings for gen1, gen2 and pro i was actually shocked with how small the increase in PAR between gen 1 and pro versions. now thats not to say the pro's arent a great improvement over the gen 1 and 2's, but it got me thinking maybe i could pick up a gen1 at a reasonable price and do the 30 dollar lens upgrade as cheap(ER) route into LED's and Radions in particular.
Here's the rub, i would like to put one on my 40b, however, ecotech obviously recommends buying two (no surprise there) and also recommends hanging 7" above the water line.
so, here's my theory, please feel free to correct me if i've over thought this to the point where i have convinced myself it'll work regardless of sense and facts ;-)
if gen1 puts out 1400 PAR at the surface, and 140ish on the sandbed, even on a 235 gallon tank (i'm guessing 25" deep?), surely i could get away with a single Radion on a 40b if i raised the light to say 12" to improve the spread. Even running the lights at 25% produces some impressive PAR numbers so surely there must be a sweet spot at which i could raise the light to improve spread, and maybe bump intensity to compensate for the increased depth, i would never consider running a Radion at 100% 7" above an 18" deep tank anyway.
so...those with experience, what do you think? im not too interested in the diy route for the time being as someday soon ill upgrade to mp10 and want the ability for the two to do their thing together.
any/all advice is appreciated.

 

[Diesel]

Pete, spot on.
For my tank Ecotech still keeps on suggesting 5 radions.
As you know I run 4 and my tank is doing great, with all my # stable now for about 7 weeks, finally.
The coral growth and color are just crazy.
I think you should go for the just one Gen1 and see where you and up with.
Set it and play with it till you find your level that works for your setup.
You still can get one extra in a later stage but believe me one will be enough for a mixed tank you got.

 

[Jasonc]

Im with Ben - start with one. With proper rock/coral placement you shouldn't have any problems. I have mine (gen1 with TIRs) 1' AWL and run them at 50%. Really nice lights...

 

[Mark L.]

I'm with these guys. Put 1 Radion over your tank, raise it up a bit (like 10-12") and add the TIR lenses. Your tank will do just fine. If you want, swing by FJW and check out Dennis's cube. He has 1 radion over it and it looks great. Sorry I forget the exact size but it's much bigger than a 40b. Those TIR lenses make a big difference.

Check this out. This is a guys tank where he put a white board on the tank to see if there was a difference in his Gen1 without TIR lens and his Gen1 he upgraded to a TIR lens.


Gen1 on the left...................................Gen1 w/TIR lens on right

 

[dark8nge1]

Yeah don't put more than one on a breeder. You'll nuke everything. I would go gen1 or pros if you feel like you must have UV. I don't think the par is going to make a difference in a breeder.

 

[d2mini]

Agree with all the above.

 

[MontroseReef]

Be aware if you have rainbow acans, radion pro would turn them into orange. And I only used 25% of power.

 

[d2mini]

Btw, if I wanted a little more spread but stick to one fixture, I would take a hard look at the GHL Mitra LED.
Brian has them at 3CC.
If I wasn't involved with Ecotech already I'd be all over those, especially after owning the Profilux.