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Unread 07/13/2017, 09:18 PM   #1
jccaclimber
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Join Date: May 2013
Location: San Francisco, CA
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XR30Pro vs. 2 XR15 Pro

I'm looking at putting a bunch of Gen4 Radion's over a tank. What are the pros and cons of using XR30Pro units vs. twice as many XR15 units?

XR30 benefits:
Half as many mounts
Possibly cleaner look (half as many lights)
Quieter (one fan per 2 pucks instead of 1 fan per 1 puck)

XR15 benefits:
Possibly more uniform light distribution?
Better cooling (one fan per puck instead of 1 fan per 2 pucks).

Neutral:
Price (ignoring mounting) is the same, an XR30Pro costs exactly double what an XR15Pro costs.
Number of LED's is the same.
Watts consumed is the same.

I'm unsure if my assumption about fans is valid. The fans may be slower in the 15's than the 30's. I have assumed the noise level of an XR15 is the same as the noise level of an XR30. This may be a poor assumption.

I don't think tank size really matters in the context of this question.


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Unread 07/21/2017, 11:33 AM   #2
jccaclimber
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Anyone?


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Unread 07/21/2017, 05:12 PM   #3
ca1ore
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Location: Stamford, CT
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I bought 3 Gen4 30 Pro units, but wished I had bought 6 of the 15s. While I don't doubt that the new lens is better, it doesn't solve the fundamental problem that these lights operate as point sources. I'd have preferred the ability to independently orient all of the LED arrays.


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Got back into the hobby ..... planned to keep it simple ..... yeah, right ..... clearly I need a new plan! Pet peeve: anemones host clowns; clowns do not host anemones!

Current Tank Info: 450 Reef; 120 refugium; 60 Frag Tank, 30 Introduction tank; multiple QTs
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Unread 07/23/2017, 08:41 AM   #4
aquapod24
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I have been wondering the same. The only real con i can see is the amout of outlets used. For Apex users i can see it being a real hassle for large tanks requring multiple lights.


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Unread 07/25/2017, 10:22 AM   #5
Stolireef
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Actually for Apex users it's not a problem at all since they are controlled wireless. Just need power strips


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I want to burn twice as bright and half as long. Oh, and a full tank crash is just an excuse for a new build.

Current Tank Info: 125 Rimless Leemar, Apex, Trigger 30 Elite Sump, Vertex 180i Skimmer, 2 X Gen4 Radion XR30W, BM Doser, 2xMP40WES, 2xTunze 6095, Sicce Syncra 4.0.
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Unread 07/25/2017, 11:08 AM   #6
jccaclimber
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Stolireef View Post
Actually for Apex users it's not a problem at all since they are controlled wireless. Just need power strips


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For most cases, yes. A WXM only handles 11 devices which isn't an issue for most tanks. After that you would need another.

In my case I would need 3 WXM modules instead of 2 if I doubled the number of lights, although it's a moot point since I'm using a ReefLink. I'm told that handles 64 devices, but I'm nowhere near that even if I did double the number of lights.

It would be nice if Ecotech and Neptune got along better.


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