@@danimalssoup2865 I think that’s what mr Melev from melevs reef got for his tank now 🤔 he changed from metal halides and t5 to just them I think, height still have some T5s too I can’t remember, but he’s very fussy, so I assume they are an excellent light 😊
Balanced to me means you divide the tank into sections equal to the amount of lights you have and place each light in the middle of a section. So for two lights that means one at 1/4th and one at 3/4th of the tank. That comes pretty close to individual optimal spacing 👍🏼
An interesting question with a counterintuitive answer. Thanks for doing the basic research for the rest of us. Two questions: 1. For those who have the 2 LED bars that span the tank, should those be spaced on end by a similar ratios? (Example: Current Orbit Marines) 2. What spurred BRS to investigate this topic? Thanks for keeping us informed, Jim
Probably less of an issue for optimizing spread front to back, because of the typical short measurements that tank "depths" come in. That said, if I had a tank that was 24"+ front to back, I would probably space my bars a little further apart than "even". Outside of that, it's probably a wash. To your second question, all of this data existed already I just thought it would be interesting to revisit and see if any patterns emerged. Low and behold, it did. 😊
You might have to get creative with your mounting solution if you have an obstacle like an overflow box in the way. Most lights have hanging kits available, which make positioning the lights exactly how you'd like very easy
@@BRStv Don't "most" standard tanks have that obstacle? Maybe BRS (as you are now selling Waterbox too) should have add a tank with an overflow into your testing
Sounds like a plan for sps or lps only tanks but wont the hotspots and dimmer spots do well in a mixed reef? I just got a custom lid made for a rsr300xl (36 inch long) with cutouts for two xr15s at 9.5 inches from the side, looks like I messed up. I do plan on having a mixed reef so maybe its not too bad, I should be able to run the lights at a lower power and just fill the sides with low light corals. Guess I could always go wall mount or ceiling mount if I think it will be a problem. EDIT: NVM looks like 9.5 from the side is optimal, I assumed even spacing was quarters not thirds. 36/4 = 9, 36/3 = 12 so 9.5 is a few inches spread apart like you suggest. On your 2 light example you come to 13 inches being optimal, 48/4 = 12 so gets you pretty close.
That's a smart thing to think about. The variation in par is a great thing to have for a mixed reef as long as you've got some way to test par to ensure you're placing corals in the right areas.
I currently have two primes planned for a tank with a 36"x24" footprint, 18" tall. Based on this video, I'd be looking at 9-10" from either edge for the lights?
Aesthetically pleasing IS important and, although I do have a really flat distribution with my setup, I think it's preferable to have uneven light distribution because every coral - even in a completely Acropora tank - has different light demands. Like a Spathulata might be happy with 500PAR, whilst a Fox Flame may do better with 200PAR. Yes - you can sort of do that with depth and having flat PAR is probably just simpler but don't we want tanks that are "aesthetically pleasing"? This helps sure but I don't think there is a right and a wrong way to do this except that people with LEDs should probably use a PAR meter (and even that isn't gonna make it foolproof).
Will you guys being doing a video on Nicrew reef lights at all? I find that they are GREAT budget LEDs for coral reefs. But not many people know about them. I personally have their 100w over my 20 long frag tank, and their 30w (that looks like a Kessil) over my 10g nem tank. Both SPS and Nems are doing great under the lights
I have a 55 gallon corner or quarter circle tank, and an ap9x light. What is your suggestions on mounting point and height for that odd shape? Mixed reef by the way.
You need to look at the height of the light above the tank vs the maximum throw angle of the light at that height. space to where the coverage areas touch or just overlap.
Mounting height is important here. In those 30+ light testing videos Randy referenced for this "test", you'll also find testing data for the "BRS Recommended Mounting Height" for each lighting type. That said, some lights were mounted as low as 8" above the water while some as high as 16".
So to sum up my lights are mounted wrong, im a selfish piece of crap and my anemones hate me for it…?? Lmao great video! You guys are really a one stop for all information reef related!
haha! As long as they're getting the right amount of par, they should be happy. The even spread is really a concern when we're talking about branching corals like SPS 😀
You can use the spacing ratio for the 3 Primes over the 4 foot tank to make a really good educated guess for spacing on a 3 foot tank. This would mean the side primes about 6" away from the ends of the tank and the third prime centered.
For this "test" Randy went back to all the light testing videos he did in 1-2yrs ago and pulled this info out for every light that we tested Spacing on. Unfortunately the Sky's weren't tested in the same format, so the spacing data doesn't exist. However, given the larger form factor of your Sky's...I would be comfortable in recommending an even placement across your tank as I imagine they would perform similarly to the Philips in terms of spread and distribution.
Height absolutely plays a role too. Each of these fixtures has a different recommended mounting height that you can find in Randy's investigates video on each light if you're interested. Mounting higher means better spread, but lower intensity. As you could probably guess, lower mounting height gives us the exact opposite effect.
That combo we haven't tried, but I'd start by keeping the middle light centered, then move the pair of lights on either side of it out a few extra inches towards the ends of the tank.
