Radion XR15 vs Proton 48-V2 Pro

[jayteerq]

Hi all. I’m looking to upgrade my lighting from 2 AI Primes. I have a 48” tank and these lights are barely making it sustainable for my tank lol. I want to upgrade my lights but want to make sure I have plenty of room for par to grow acros in the future. My question is.. how do I find out which is the stronger light? I’ve been researching on both but it all seems like anecdotal evidence. My two setup goals are this…

2 XR15’s + 2 AI Blades (Grow & Glow)
OR
1 Proton 48-V2 Pro

I’ve searched around and seen people’s intensities maxed out and only reaching 250 par for both lights. But I’ve also seen people reach 400+ par for both lights. So I’m confused with the information and want to learn where I can find more concrete answers. Thanks in advance!

 

[Cjtabares]

If one of your options is getting blades, have you thought of getting a 3rd ai prim and the blades? I get pretty good par with 1 ai prim and 4 t5s, about 200 at the sand bed and 450 at just under the surface on my 24x24x18” tank. Thinking about getting a 2nd prim for a little better spread though.

 

[nickeg79]

Dong at Acro gardens sells photons and grows tons of acros with them. He will give you the setup and intensities.

I had a photon and I did not like it. Some people like them. I’ve bought a reefbreeders ato that I wasn’t a fan of either. Thats my opinion

If you have an IPhone or IPad I would go with Ecotech or AI. Much easier to program.

I have 2 xr 15’s on a deep blue 80 gallon. No acros. This setup is fine for lps. Not for a full sps system. Even though the system is 16 inches deep you still won’t get high enough par in all areas if you want all sps.

Ideally I think you could get by with 2 xr15’s on a 75 gallon on a 90 gallon I would add a blade glow and 2 xr 15’s. Get the pro model and add the blade for pop. I have a grow and glow on a 40 gallon breeder. I like the blades. I have algea issues in it so my growth isn’t the best. I also haven’t used a par meter. The nutrients are not balanced in the tank and hair algea and bubble algae are an issue in that system.

It’s more than just lighting. You can cook sps with high par. You also need a ton of flow and higher nutrients. It’s a balance. The par isn’t the answer. If you buy a frag you can’t just put it at the top of the tank. You have to acclimate it to your lights and higher par. I bet any of the sps system owners on here will tell you flow and stability are just as important as par. Some guys grow tons of Acros with cheap Chinese led’s. The lights aren’t the be all end all.

Go to Dong’s see his systems. He has thousands of sps frags. He can tell you about lighting and also get some really nice aquacultured frags from his system. He has some AI lights on his systems. I would reach out to him.

 

[afboundguy]

I have a Proton V2 that I updated the main board so I can control it from my phone. Probably best light I've ever had especially for the money value it provides.

@dz6t and many other high quality LFS use them and if I ever get a bigger tank and need more lighting I will keep buying the Reefbreeder lights. I used to really like them before I upgraded the board to be controlled by the cell app and I love the light even more!

 

[Liam]

I have a reefbreeders 48v pro and have been extremely happy with it.I have not measured par but I have acros virtually at the sand bed in a 21 deep tank with the light at 16 inches and they are flourishing with great color, also the light is very uniform over a 48 inch tank.
IMO 2 xr15 even with supplemental is not close to the reefbreeders light, 2 xr30s would be closer.
Another consideration is only one cable for the reefbreeders.

 

[Tadasreefs]

Photon, xr 15 g6 super low par, it gives out less par even than kessil a360x