Radion XR15 G6 Pro over SR60 PAR

[buruskeee]

Ok so I don’t know if you bought your stuff new or used but I’m just using new gear prices as an example:

2x xr15 g6 pro - $1000
2x Diffusers - $50
2x Mounts - $200
$1250

Ai blade grow 30” - $265 each
Total - $530

Total lighting cost - $1780

In the end you are using 4 lights to illuminate a 35x18x16” tank

This sounds absolutely ridiculous to me. It’s a huge cost. It’s a ton of clutter above the tank. Your radions are going to be run at max power shortening lifespan. You have over $1000 on lights already that don’t give enough par and your answer is…let’s throw in another 500$ and add two more lights ?

You can do whatever you want..but if it was me I’d stop buying weak lights and get one light that can light the entire tank and have a sleek look instead of 2 sets of lights from 2 different companies that all need to be synced, or, controlled in pairs.


If it was me, I would sell all this stuff that doesn’t work for you and buy a Photon 32 V2 for $775 (quick search and I find for $750ish) and that comes with the mounting legs and a hanging kit. And built in mounting points for supplement led bars just in case you ever decide you have a need for them.

This one fixture has a Coverage Area for SPS: 36" x 24"
Par map is attached for a 36” tank

I’ve used this light on a 36” 40b which is the same dimensions as your tank and I can tell you, it will light the whole tank.

I am lighting my 48” 75g tank with a single photon 48, at 40% power, and get 100-150 on the sand and 300 mid level. On 40% power! For 900$. I have no problem growing acros on a frag shelf, front glass, mid height, at 40% power. You can light that tank for 750$

Im not trying to derail your thread, and just wanted to throw out a suggestion to consider.

The problem with the RB Photons is the same problem of going with the “Pro” radions - they’re a heavy white spectrum light. If he’s going to run a 15K-18K spectrum, he’s going to be running low PAR as the Photons are heavily on 10k spectrum side.

Here’s the makeup of LEDs with the 32v2

This looks like it’s blue heavy at first glance, but when you add up wattage the spectrum goes like this:

450nm Royal Blue - 80W
420nm Violet - 36W

Total - 116W

480nm Cool Blue - 48W

White - 100W

This gives a ratio of 1.16:1 with RB/V to white. Cool blue is 1:2 ratio.

Here is the AB+ schedule the OP is preferring to run:

450nm Royal Blue - 32W
430nm Violet - 12W (plus another 10W of different UV spectrums)

480nm Cool Blue- 32W

Whites - 8W

This gives a RB/V to white ratio of 5.5:1 and Cool blue ratio is 4:1

So the OP would have to run the Photons in a similar fashion for his preferred spectrum of AB+ which would be the white channels at 10% and the Royal Blue and cool blue channel at 100%.

OP, if you’re going to get new lights and want that spectrum with having enough spread, those new Orphek Natura lights should fill your tank enough with a single unit while giving the PAR in the spectrum you’re desiring - and at a price less than 2 XR15s for each unit.

 

[VintageReefer]

So the OP would have to run the Photons in a similar fashion for his preferred spectrum of AB+ which would be the white channels at 10% and the Royal Blue and cool blue channel at 100%.

Per RB this is not how to achieve AB+ on a photon

I run my lights with white 8% and blues and violet at 40% and get 250-300 par in the mid level of the tank and 100ish on the sand bed

 

[rtparty]

There is absolutely zero reason to sell everything and go a different direction.

Set the blue and violet channels to 100%. Run the green and red around 25% and then set each white channel around 50-60%.

I ran mine like this at 90% total and had 400 PAR at the top of my rocks. This isn’t an equipment issue that requires drastic measures. Just tweak what you have to work

 

[VintageReefer]

light setting

SO I went from a HD32 that dies to a 24" photon v2 and am having a hard time trying to set a up a similar setting that I had on the HD. There seems to a tons of files a presets for the HD but cant seem to find any info for the Photon I have mixed reef mostly LPS and softies with few SPS...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[GARRIGA]

Might be simpler to swap the board for Blue and perhaps the narrower beam lens vs adding supplemental lights. Boards I recall being $300 and narrow beam lens around $25. Ditch the diffuser.

 

[buruskeee]

Per RB this is not how to achieve AB+ on a photon

I run my lights with white 8% and blues and violet at 40% and get 250-300 par in the mid level of the tank and 100ish on the sand bed

So my quickly calculated 5.5:1 and 4:1 ratio was pretty close to what Reefbreeders are saying based on that thread shared after you posted.

The AB+ program is simply Channels 1, 2, and 4 at .25 x CH3, 5, and 6, so red, green, white at .25x the royal blue, cool blue, and violet channels.

There’s definitely enough Wattage in those units, so PAR should be fine, it’s just it’s still handicapping the units since IMO you always get the unit that fits the spectrum you want. I’d just go a different direction if I was looking for the AB+ spectrum.

 

[VintageReefer]

Yea I agree there’s plenty of options, multiple ways to reach an end goal etc

You can achieve ab+ on a photon with plenty of par for $750, and he’s already in $1200 and now needs $500 in led bars, or $650 in puck replacements + lens’s

I guess this all could have been avoided if blues were purchased from the start instead of pros, but it’s well known that the xr15 g6 is built for blending over par. You really need to crank them to get usable output on a larger tank, but they can do it.

 

[buruskeee]

it’s well known that the xr15 g6 is built for blending over par

Yeah for sure, G6 trades about 15% less PAR for more spread. Can change the lense to more narrow, but then with the money spent doing that plus the lights themselves, you could just get a different fixture to begin with.

I was going to throw Blades onto my XR30s but I ended up just going with the ATI Stratons which blanket the tank in a way more cost effective way with just as much punch evenly applied. Only miss the slight shimmer the Radions gave.

 

[Cichlid Dad]

Just purchased an open box Apogee MQ-510 from BRS and did some sample testing.
I have 2 Radion XR15 G6 Pro with diffusers set at 100% intensity on AB+ template.
Lights sit about 9 inch from top of water.
Turned off all pumps and I started to move the PAR meter around the tank and at the top of my rock work I was able to get 160-180 and at the lowest I was able to 50-80 PAR. I have some SPS and plan to have quite a bit more and everywhere I’ve read states the PAR output on my radions should be higher am I missing something? Do I need to supplement them? Could my PAR meter be off?

G6 are made to already have a very wide spread compared to earlier lights. Adding a defuser will just add to par loss.

 

[GARRIGA]

Gotta also ask oneself. Do we still need AB+? Seems many going to whites for most of their PAR and growth which the G6 Blues fail at providing. Silver lining in most situations. Unless one aesthetically needs the pop from the Bluer lights. Could go 100 Full Spectrum in the custom settings then dial back the warm whites, greens and red to get bluer yet still retain maximum PAR plus run higher intensity and if the lights fail earlier than expected then replace them with I'm sure better technology a few years out.

Aren't these LED rated 50k hours and just need to inquire from Ecotech on how shorter life would be at say 100% intensity unless that rating already based on that. Change isn't always better. One just needs to perhaps adjust that already on hand.

 

[VintageReefer]

I think this is all being over complicated. Adjust blues and lavender/UV in unison to get proper / desired par levels in various locations. Then add white to make the overall appearance the way you want. Add on green and red to fine tune if desired, but you really don’t need these because their color is included in white.

This has always been my method and it’s worked well for me

 

[buruskeee]

Reefbreeders do have their new Meridians which give the AB+ spectrum as their default spectrum.

Do we still need AB+? Seems many going to whites for most of their PAR and growth

It’s just personal preference. I run a peak period in 10k and then dial the whites back with blues still maxed until im at AB+ for the other half of my main photo period. And then I’m full blue to ramp down to moonlighting.

 

[GARRIGA]

Reefbreeders do have their new Meridians which give the AB+ spectrum as their default spectrum.



It’s just personal preference. I run a peak period in 10k and then dial the whites back with blues still maxed until im at AB+ for the other half of my main photo period. And then I’m full blue to ramp down to moonlighting.

Point I'm elluding to being we may no longer need AB+. Industries profit from creating destinctions so we the consumer feel obligated to spend hard earned catch yet sun full spectrum although all spectrum likely not used yet were all LED white containing all spectrum might be cheaper to manufacture since certain blue LED rather expensive.

Although as you and I mentioned, comes down to personal preference and once could just run blues when viewing. OP might be better served making that own work vs spending cash unless look just not appreciated.

 

[buruskeee]

Point I'm elluding to being we may no longer need AB+. Industries profit from creating destinctions so we the consumer feel obligated to spend hard earned catch yet sun full spectrum although all spectrum likely not used yet were all LED white containing all spectrum might be cheaper to manufacture since certain blue LED rather expensive.

Whites just bring out some color. All the heavy lifting is done with the blue spectrum. This is why when LEDs first came out, there was a lot of bleaching because 500 PAR of only blue vs 500 PAR of full spectrum (white) are not the same. Corals are very sensitive to blue as it’s what they mostly receive (especially LPS) as the water filters out higher spectrum.

Many like to run more blue, aside from personal preference, because greens and reds promote more algae growth (as do normal plants love that spectrum). So most big coral farms run only blues as it’s more cost efficient with power and also helps control their algae.

Higher spectrum will bring out some pigments in corals for sure, but blue is what they want. There’s been many papers done by biologists to show evidence for this (who are doing it for scientific studies and not for lighting manufacturers).

 

[VintageReefer]

I ran only blues / violet over a year with no white red or green and had good results. Only reason I added white back in was adding fish and they seemed too dark and I needed white to bring out their colors

 

[VintageReefer]

Whites just bring out some color. All the heavy lifting is done with the blue spectrum. This is why when LEDs first came out, there was a lot of bleaching because 500 PAR of only blue vs 500 PAR of full spectrum (white) are not the same. Corals are very sensitive to blue as it’s what they mostly receive (especially LPS) as the water filters out higher spectrum.

Many like to run more blue, aside from personal preference, because greens and reds promote more algae growth (as do normal plants love that spectrum). So most big coral farms run only blues as it’s more cost efficient with power and also helps control their algae.

Higher spectrum will bring out some pigments in corals for sure, but blue is what they want. There’s been many papers done by biologists to show evidence for this (who are doing it for scientific studies and not for lighting manufacturers).

This is all correct.

And I have reached out to some vendors, large and small, and they run either full blue (no white) or full blue 75% of the day with just a few hours of white mixed in.

 

[buruskeee]

I ran only blues / violet over a year with no white red or green and had good results. Only reason I added white back in was adding fish and they seemed too dark and I needed white to bring out their colors

Yep, the tank just looks better in 10k when you have bright colored fish, IMO. I mostly view in the early afternoon so that’s when I have my 10k peak. Also do it to see what colors I can squeeze out of some sps.

 

[GARRIGA]

Whites just bring out some color. All the heavy lifting is done with the blue spectrum. This is why when LEDs first came out, there was a lot of bleaching because 500 PAR of only blue vs 500 PAR of full spectrum (white) are not the same. Corals are very sensitive to blue as it’s what they mostly receive (especially LPS) as the water filters out higher spectrum.

Many like to run more blue, aside from personal preference, because greens and reds promote more algae growth (as do normal plants love that spectrum). So most big coral farms run only blues as it’s more cost efficient with power and also helps control their algae.

Higher spectrum will bring out some pigments in corals for sure, but blue is what they want. There’s been many papers done by biologists to show evidence for this (who are doing it for scientific studies and not for lighting manufacturers).

That's not what I'm seeing from others. They are going back to whites just like pot growers. Seeing growth during the white period. Seen this with WWC and Paletta. Recall MH being a whiter spectrum even when they claimed 15k plus although been 30 years so who knows what exactly it is I remember.

 

[buruskeee]

That's not what I'm seeing from others. They are going back to whites just like pot growers. Seeing growth during the white period. Seen this with WWC and Paletta. Recall MH being a whiter spectrum even when they claimed 15k plus although been 30 years so who knows what exactly it is I remember.

Of course the corals will still grow - white spectrum has blue in it. There’s a reason why everyone went to 20k radium MH bulbs. Also 30 years ago there wasn’t much to choose from. Most MH bulbs were 6500K and then as reefing started really growing lower spectrum bulbs came out like 12K and 20k Radium (although the radium was probably closer to 15K which is what AB+ is about).

For an experiment, go and filter out all blue (annythjng under 500nm wavelength) and run just reds and greens and see how much the corals grows.

 

[Shawnd08]

If you can mount the G6s lower you will increase the par significantly. With the wider lens the closer to the water you can get the more light will reflect off the glass. I have two and they sit about 8" from the water( from testing if you go lower the par will increase more). Just lowering them an inch I was seeing par at the top of my rock work around 250+ and 100-150 in the sand. This is 2 XR15 pro G6s on a 4 foot tank that is 19 inches deep. If you really want to increase par and coverage add an AI Blade Grow. I have a 39" on the front set to 60% point intensity and the XRs at 90% point intensity my top of rock is 400+ and sand is 150-200.