Lighting options for a 34g Solana
 

Hi everyone,

I just picked up a Solana tank today. It came with a Lumen Max 3 250w HQI Metal Halide Pendant by Sunlight Supply. The thing is that I don't want to hang anything from the ceiling so a light fixture with legs would be ideal but I am having a tough time finding a good one. I know that there is the Nova Extreme Pro and the Sunpod but I wonder if there is anything else out there.

I should mention that I only plan on keeping LPS and Soft Corals.
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Why don't you look at the Round globe pendant that comes with the solana? It's a 150w MH. I use a Phoenix bulb in mine and it works just fine over my 20 gallon cube.. And it's kind of bitchin looking too.

you could easily DIY something that would look great over the solana that you could hang the lumen max on...


Think like an "L" bracket, but upside down.

Otherwise, isn't solana made by current usa?

why not a sunpod?

The Lumen Max is not an option because I think that it's too much light for the corals that I am going for. I would also like to find something similar to what I currently use (MH+T5+Moonlight LED's) but I doubt I'll find anything similar.

The Sunpod is a contender for sure but it does not have T5's. Do you suggest that I go with the 150w or 250w? I know the Lumen Max is 250w too but I think that this one puts out more light than a 250w Sunpod. The reflector on the Lumen Max is crazy good and I am afraid it would cook my LPS and Softies.....lol.

If I don't find a light fixture that I like I'll get rid of this tank and go for the smaller rimless tank. I already have a 24" Aquactinics fixture for it :-)

I looked into getting one but I read that its reflector is not that great :sad:

why not DIY and get exactly what you're looking for?

If not DIY, what's your price point like?

No, but it's a bitchin looking fixture and has the mounting rod that adjusts both height and right/left swing.

The reflector isn't the best but the globe light should be fine if you're keeping LPS & softies.

I kept SPS & clams in my Solana with that light and had good growth & colours.

.

Am not looking to spend thousands on an LED light fixture but am open to something up to $1000dlls.

Disco ball is great for what you want to keep and you can manage temp with just fans like I did. Wasn't enough for sps for me but maybe with a lower k bulb. I ran a 20k radium.

I developed a complex over time from peer ridicule but it is sorta neat looking lol.

Tank access with that setup however is unmatched. I miss that dearly.

Hmm, I guess I should take a second look at it.

I think these look incredible and the quality is tough to beat...

http://www.jlaquatics.com/product/gi...+4x24W+T5.html

No problem keeping sps with that either. 4x24w is a really nice addition. You'll have more light bleed into the room than with the disco ball but a much better lit reef at the same time.

EDIT: Forgot the Solana is only 20" wide which is why this is a bit of a tough one to answer. I'd not want my fixture hanging over the edges...you'd have much more light bleed than I was talking about above.

I actually had the chance to get my hands on one of these fixtures (Giesemann Infiniti Lighting Fixture) for cheap but I didn't buy it because it's 24" and the Solana is 20". You are right, the fixture would hang over the edges and that's not the look I want. I would like something that fits perfectly but there are not many options for the Solana. Not a lot of fixtures come in 20" :cry::cry::cry:

Something like the k2 viper might work...

I have a 16.5" 70W sunpod...lol
with the legs it has, I've kept it over 20" tanks...


One of these would be pretty ballin...
http://oceanaquatics.com/store/produ...Canon-LED-12K/

Thanks for the offer but I think that If I went for a Sunpod it would have to be the 20" 150w or 250w.

Has anybody tried an Aqua Illumination LED fixture? I have been told that these are awesome and that one of these would be great for my Solana. The thing is that I am still skeptical about LED lighting and before purchasing one I would like to see a set up that's using LED successfully. There are people on RC that claim to have been successfully running tanks under this LED fixture for over a year. Is anybody in Vancouver that's using LED lighting willing to have me over to check his/her out set up in person?

Thanks