Question re upgrading from g1 to radion pro

[ReefPharmer]

Hello rc,
I currently am setting up a 30x30x20 cube that will be sps only. I have most of the set up figured out except for the lights. I currently have 2 x radion g1 TIR upgrade . I am considering consolidating and upgrading one to PRO and selling the other light.
Is one pro enough to provide enought light for a 30x30 ? It's only 20 deep so that's a consideration also

[mfinn]

Yes

[96slowbra]

i am too building a system and planned on running a 40 gallon breeder as a fuge with bare bottom some live rock and rubble. i am trying to keep my display minimalist and still want the filtration, and a home for pods. i also plan on running a big skimmer, gfo and carbon reactors.... will this be adequate for removing nitrate? i will have a 110 gallon display, and 45 gallon fuge, along with about 40-50 gallons in the sump itself. i would like to make this system more of an sps system.

[ReefPharmer]

bump, any other opinions re whether 1 pro would adequately cover 30x30? thank you

[njudson]

the spread on the pro is the same as on your gen1s - if you think one of them would light 30" you're good to go. I think you will have shadowing around the edges but maybe raising the fixture and running at a higher intensity would be fine.

[jda]

One of the locals went with 4 panels over a 32x32 to avoid the shadows and uneven lighting. The stuff looked good from the top, but from the front, the viewing side of the front half of the SPS never saw light since they were lit from behind/above.

A single panel will not look a single MH with a reflector, or a multi bulb T5 fixture.

In the end, only you will be able to decide if 1 is enough. Is there a place where you can go and look?

[ReefPharmer]

4 radion pros over 32 cube? I would have to sell my car and walk to work to get my wife to agree to that . I asked on the ecotech forum and was told it would cover it. I can either do 1 pro or go w a mh 250 radium . It becomes a question of clean look and heat saving vs more heat but cheaper mh.

[jda]

4 panels indeed. I am pretty sure that he is going to sell them for a Halide, but who knows.

With almost an 80G tank, if you have heat issues with a MH, it is because of your canopy and airflow, and not because of the light. A few simple fans can easily keep that amount of water cool.

I am sure that the radion can spread some light 30". However, what kind of light is it. Draw it out and see how the light hits the rear and top of the corals in front and the top/side of the corals on the side. It is not a pleasant look IMO, but others might like it. Also, you cannot just turn it up to get light to the outsides without also turning it up in middle where the corals might or might not like more light.

A halide with a large reflector is better on wide/large areas IMO. The reflected 360 degree output of the bulb makes all parts of the tank look like the have light shining nearly straight down (mostly).

[mfinn]

ReefPharmer if you want real numbers and facts you should post your questions about Radions in the EcoTech forum.

To have someone say that you can't get enough light using 4 Radion Pro's over a
32" x 32" area is really not true.

I get excellent coverage on my 30" wide tank with a gen 1 Radion.

[jda]

I only said that this dude did 4 over a 32x32, not that it was, or was not, enough light.

I doubt that you would be happy with a single Radion Pro over a 30x30 SPS tank, which is what he was asking about. Too many shadows under the sticks from the light being too much in the center.

Take a look at some of the larger SPS tanks using MH... most use 2 or 3 panels over a 24x24 area to avoid shadowing/shading. 30x30 is even worse. It is a hard solution to handle effectively at a high level for SPS for large areas with LEDs.

[ReefPharmer]

Thank you for the advice. I agree that mh has better coverage using a good reflector. However LEDs have their own advantages, which is why some people use them. I'm considering the led because the tank is in a relatively small room in Southern California and I was told MH would heat the room quite a bit.