5 foot 30” deep lighting with xr15 or xr30

[ROMN8R]

I have a new 5 foot tank on the way. Will be here Tuesday and I am PUMPED!

tank is 5 foot long 30” tall and 24” front to back.

Planning on a mixed reef. Eventually having some SPS frags mounted at the top about 12 inches below the surface.

Canopy is a shorty only 9” tall.

I’m hoping that will put the lights roughly 6” above the water line. Might be 5”.

I am hoping that all you lighting gurus can help me out making my decision between xr15 and xr30.

My thoughts are 5 xr15 total? Or 2-3 xr30s?

If I go the xr15 route I’ll probably only buy 2-3 at first while the tank is maturing and then add a couple more later. Or 2 xr30s and then add another (or none) later.

Will the xr15 a reach to the bottom enough for zoas and mushrooms? I would assume so since they can grow in almost any light.

LPS will be low and/or mid tank.

Help me out with y’all expertise.

 

[Reefer1978]

I would go with 3 XR30s. I have a 6ft, 24 tall, with 3XR30s, and it's pretty decent at par ratings. With XR15s, you will prob end up supplementing with more lgiht.

I would not mount them in a canopy though, they do produce a lot of heat.

 

[ROMN8R]

I would go with 3 XR30s. I have a 6ft, 24 tall, with 3XR30s, and it's pretty decent at par ratings. With XR15s, you will prob end up supplementing with more lgiht.

I would not mount them in a canopy though, they do produce a lot of heat.

I have to mount them in a canopy.
The back of the canopy will be open.

I can add fans to the canopy if needed.

6 foot and 3xr30 do you have even par values across? Are you running them 100%? How long have you had them?

My previous tank was a 6 footer and I loved it. I moved 2-3 years ago and couldn’t fit it anywhere in my new place. Finally getting another tank.

 

[Reefer1978]

No coral yet, so not running at 100 but I tested at 100, had 200ish par mid tank

 

[Jon's Reef]

Here is some data I recently put together.
Either will be fine. If you like a bit of shimmer, do 4 xr15 or 2 xr30 with a kessil a360x in the middle.

Comparison: Reefi Uno 2.0, XR15 G6, XR30 G5

This is not the end all, super experiment, just my process is deciding how to light my new setup. The biggest conclusion is that there is no winner, all great lights and more about personal preference. Tank is a Waterbox 220.6 (72x26x24). I like a whiter look during the day and an evening blue...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[buruskeee]

With XR15s you get control over spread, but then you'll want to swap everything for XR 30s because of powerbricks and cable management (currently what I'm doing on a 5ft tank haha)

 

[ROMN8R]

I bought one xr30 so far just to see how it looks and Worsk.

I think I’ve decided between two options. I would love to know yalls opinions from experience.

LFS suggests run 3 xr30s but I think there will be a ton of light spill and waste.

Here’s what im thinking.

Two xr30 but they will be mounted directly above each brace. LFS says it will make some funny shadows. The amount of light coming out of these I don’t know may be enough.

Or one xr30 in the center and two xr15 one on each side.

These will be mount inside a canopy even though there’s no canopy in the pic.

Pic to show the braces.

 

[leepink23]

Definitely plan on fans. You will likely end up 5 inches off the water. I have 3 fans blowing in and 1 out for my reefi uno. Both reefi and radions produce a lot of heat. You will likely need 3 xr 30 or 5-6 xr 15. I use 4 reefi unos which have better penetration for deep tanks with 90 degrees reflectors.

 

[jtichenor]

Look at the Reefi Uno v2's. The are a much better light at a much lower cost than the XR30s and they have the reflectors you need for a 30" deep tank.

 

[cilyjr]

Lighting is the last place I'd try to save a buck on.

I know this is not an apples to apples example. But I have eight hydra 32 HDs on my tank and four T5 vho as supplement.

The LED fixtures give me the punch I want and the t5 bulbs add that non-point source lighting.

It's not the penetration depth of the LEDs that's the problem it's the fact that an LED is just a little wider spread than a laser without a lens, I exaggerate a bit but I think you get the point. What I'm driving at is if people want to run exclusively LEDs you're better off having a ton of them over the tank running at a low %.

 

[cilyjr]

Lighting is the last place I'd try to save a buck on.

I am by no means suggesting that people need to go out and buy the most expensive LED fixtures on the market just that if you are looking to save money when setting up there are better places to do it.

 

[buruskeee]

Here’s what im thinking.

Two xr30 but they will be mounted directly above each brace. LFS says it will make some funny shadows. The amount of light coming out of these I don’t know may be enough.

Or one xr30 in the center and two xr15 one on each side.

I'm running a 5x2x2 tank and using 2 XR15 on the outside and XR30 in the middle. Plenty of light to start up - can do SPS easily. Trust me though, if you can cough up the extra, get 3 XR30s because it's a hassle getting rid of the XR15, rewiring (if you have a control board like I do), and making sure the arms will fit in the DIY cutout netting kits if you make one.

I currently have another XR30 coming in, and now I gotta figure out if i want to mount the 2 XR15s front to back, or just use one, or no clue. If I went with 3 XR30s from the beginning it would be easy and would never have touched it.

Now for you, if you don't mind cords, XR15 is the way to go in terms of spread and really having control on placement.

 

[ROMN8R]

I'm running a 5x2x2 tank and using 2 XR15 on the outside and XR30 in the middle. Plenty of light to start up - can do SPS easily. Trust me though, if you can cough up the extra, get 3 XR30s because it's a hassle getting rid of the XR15, rewiring (if you have a control board like I do), and making sure the arms will fit in the DIY cutout netting kits if you make one.

I currently have another XR30 coming in, and now I gotta figure out if i want to mount the 2 XR15s front to back, or just use one, or no clue. If I went with 3 XR30s from the beginning it would be easy and would never have touched it.

Now for you, if you don't mind cords, XR15 is the way to go in terms of spread and really having control on placement.

Do you have any pics of your set up with the 2xr15 and 1xr30?

Do you have them with the xr30 as the parent? Or are they all separately controlled?

Does the lighting look different in the display?

 

[buruskeee]

Do you have any pics of your set up with the 2xr15 and 1xr30?

Do you have them with the xr30 as the parent? Or are they all separately controlled?

Does the lighting look different in the display?

This is on a ramp down and using my orange lense filter for my phone. The color accuracy is not accurate here. I can take another one tomorrow midday during full spectrum.

If they’re the same generation and color bias, there’s no “master” on mobius, just a group (you can ungroup too if you want).

I just reread you have a 30” high - for that I’d definitely go for the XR30s instead if you want to grow acros below 18” of depth.

When my other XR30 comes I’ll be rotating from sideways to back to front orientation.

 

[BaliReefBox]

This is on a ramp down and using my orange lense filter for my phone. The color accuracy is not accurate here. I can take another one tomorrow midday during full spectrum.

If they’re the same generation and color bias, there’s no “master” on mobius, just a group (you can ungroup too if you want).

I just reread you have a 30” high - for that I’d definitely go for the XR30s instead if you want to grow acros below 18” of depth.

When my other XR30 comes I’ll be rotating from sideways to back to front orientation.

Hi I have 4 xr30 g5 in the box for the new build. do you think 4 mounted 90* from yours would be overkill. My tank is the same dimensions as yours cheers

 

[ROMN8R]

Hi I have 4 xr30 g5 in the box for the new build. do you think 4 mounted 90* from yours would be overkill. My tank is the same dimensions as yours cheers

Wow 4 xr30 in a 5 foot tank?
That’s a ton of light.

 

[ROMN8R]

This is on a ramp down and using my orange lense filter for my phone. The color accuracy is not accurate here. I can take another one tomorrow midday during full spectrum.

If they’re the same generation and color bias, there’s no “master” on mobius, just a group (you can ungroup too if you want).

I just reread you have a 30” high - for that I’d definitely go for the XR30s instead if you want to grow acros below 18” of depth.

When my other XR30 comes I’ll be rotating from sideways to back to front orientation.

I’m not planning on growing acros below half way.
I plan on mixed reef and sps later down the line.
I really want low maintenance so maybe never lol.

your tank looks great. I think two xr30s would be awesome on yours. Mine just because it’s not rimless and I have the support bars I don’t know how much blockage or shadows the supports will cause.

 

[buruskeee]

I’m not planning on growing acros below half way.
I plan on mixed reef and sps later down the line.
I really want low maintenance so maybe never lol.

your tank looks great. I think two xr30s would be awesome on yours. Mine just because it’s not rimless and I have the support bars I don’t know how much blockage or shadows the supports will cause.

I have the DIY kit for the net top and I made 2 sections so the black bar pieces span the middle of the tank and is about 1.5” thick combined. I don’t have any problems, but might if I have the XR15 there instead.

I’m going to play with only 2 XR30s and see what kind of PAR numbers I get from it at 80%, at least temporarily until I swap out the last 2 XR15 with another XR30.

Here’s a pic I just took during almost peak lighting hours today.