Razor 60W vs 120W for 30 gallon?

Hello everyone. I have been out of the community for over a year now but I'm getting back into it. I just purchased an IM Nuvo 30 off craigslist (build thread soon to come) and I'm trying to figure out which light I should buy. Please offer some input if you have any experience.

Doing research on the Razor light fixture is giving me mixed feelings. Here is link to fixture R420r LED Lighting System

Fist off the tank's measurements are 19" wide x 15" deep x 19" tall.

The Razor comes in a nano 60watt version which has one group of 13 x 3 watt cree leds. It also comes in a 120watt version with 2 groups of 13 x 3 watt leds for a total of 26 leds.

The link above shows the par value of the 180 watt version which is enough light I believe to keep almost any coral. But I can't find a par graph for the 60 or 120 watt version. The reason I'm confused is that I would think the par graph published on their website would be more oval patterned due to the way the leds are positioned in the fixture. Or is this par graph accurate under each group of leds?

So since I'm so confused and can't figure this out I really want to know if the nano or 60 watt version would be enough light to care for a few SPS corals at the top of the tank and also provide enough par values to keep softies along the bottom of the tank. Or should I get the 120 watt version which may be overkill?

Sorry for the long post, I did really reasearch this lol.

 

I'm also considering this LED for my tank, but did you try looking into the Reef Breeders LED? Those have great reviews and they look awesome as well!

 

This is kind of related sort'a - if you can afford it, people seem to really like the razors and they look so cool - just my .02

 

I use the 120w on a 40b with a width of 36".I am very happy with this light for my mixed reef as I have areas of lower light on both ends of the tank.I suspect that on a 19" cube you will have some light spillover which could be reduced by hanging the light low.I don't know if the included mounting legs would work on a 19" tank as the unit itself measures slightly over20",you may be able to diy something to allow their use which would look good and place the light about 5" from the tank rim.

 

I tried covering one pod on my 120w to see what kind of coverage you might get with the60.It appears to me that to cover a 19x15 area you would have to hang the 60w unit high but it still should be enough light for sps in the more strongly lit areas.You would have areas of less light at the outer area.FWIW,I am growing sps in my tank 18-21 inches below the light fixture and my light is set at about 60% at it's strongest.These lights are powerful.

 

There are a lot of LED brands out there however few can show proven results. Here is a great example of what the Maxspect R420R is capable of:

Pulled these off another forum. Tank is 3' x 3' x 2'

 

Beautiful!!!

 

I hope everyone had a great Christmas. Thank you everyone for your replies, it helps a lot to have a friendly community.

gcarroll-wow that looks amazing. So it looks like without a doubt 1 pod of lights will cover 1 foot of tank width with proven results.

sailorguy-I didn't think about the 120watt legs not fitting on the tank... So with that being said I think the 120watt light is out of the picture. You have 2 light pods over a 3 foot space, or every 18 inches, and it sounds like your happy with the results. Mine will be a mixed reef too and having a place of lower light to add some zoa colonies or mushrooms is a really good idea. Would you say the areas of lower light are just lower in PAR values or actually causing shadowing/spotlighting? It looks like a may be able to get away with the 60watt. (My wallet and wife will thank you...)

oldfishkeeper-I love their look too, very clean looking.

petro2342-I hadn't looked into Reef Breaders lights. They have some nice pricing and their lights are nice and thin too! I see they are using Bridgelux leds in their fixtures and the Razor uses Cree leds. I need to do some more research on these reef breeder lights. Has anyone had experience with Bridleux leds and are they supposed to be comparible to Cree leds? Has anyone had experience with the Reef Breeders lights?

Again thank you everyone for your reply.

 

Turns out reef breeders is a 3reef sponsor, which is important to me. Every time I buy from a sponsor I am pleased with my purchase. I think I may go with the Photon 16. Due to mounting I would only be able to get the razor 60watt and the Photon 16 will have more power and better light spread than the razor. The Photon 16 is 16 inches wide so it will fit nicely and the price can't be beat. Thanks again everyone.

 

I'm very happy with my razor but I think you are making a good choice with the photon16,sounds like a perfect fit for your tank.