Need Help Choosing a Lighting Solution

[WarDog]

Originally Posted by Reef Pilot

Well, if you have been doing FW for 30 years, I would not call you a total noob. You obviously must have an appreciation for good equipment, and control over your tank operation and maintenance. Also, I assume with these years, you have some money to spend (or you wouldn't even consider SW).

Haha, thanks Reef Pilot. Only a noob to salt and all it's 'specialized' equipment. As someone who does appreciate good equipment and total control I have seriously considered high end LED's. It's just the daily advancement of the technology and the price that scares me. I know LED's are the future... but I'm not convinced I should make that commitment yet.

[lastlight]

Everyone has their tipping point. I'm a late adopter as well but so far I'm totally happy with leaving the older lighting technology behind.

[monkE]

i recently did my first salty setup and I decided that i wanted to go with the cheaper LED system. I purchased a 24" fixutre with controller for $200 from frank at a.Q.LED http://www.aq-led.com/ and I'm super happy with it. I wanted something that wouldn't limit my tank as I progressed in the hobby and this was a way of doing that without breaking the bank.

[Myka]

Originally Posted by WarDog

Just want to make the correct purchase now rather than finding out the hard way I bought the wrong fixture for my needs. Do you think 6x39w T5's are enough?

I don't know if there is a "wrong" fixture provided you buy one of the known brands regardless of which type of lighting you go for. I think halides would probably be somewhat "wrong" just because that is a lot of heat for a small tank to deal with.

6x39 watt T5s would be enough - if you had 8 there wouldn't be any room to feed the fish! I would use 8 over a 24" wide tank. Even with 6 you will find corals that want to be on the sand. 24" deep is the deepest I ever recommend T5s for - deeper tanks need halides or really good LEDs to penetrate.

If you decide to go with LEDs (which I don't think is a bad idea, just not one I would make in your situation) I would suggest you remove the center brace and install a eurobrace if the side glass thickness requires it (ask a tank builder). That way if you choose one of the modular LED fixtures that have better spread (like Radion or Mitras) you could get away with one fixture over the tank. The ends will definitely be a bit shaded, but you can always find corals that prefer those areas or leave the ends open sand for swimming area. A pyramid-type rock formation would look pretty cool under a single modular LED and would provide all sorts of light conditions. Purchasing two of these fixtures for a 36" tank seems a waste to me...I'd be getting a 48" tank to fit the lights.

Don't forget, a good skimmer will knock you back $300-800 depending how nuts you go in that category. All this will seem cheap when you start forking over $100 bills to your LFS a few at a time when you go coral shopping. Super nice LPS are super expensive. SPS and softies are cheaper. My LPS tank is a humble 50-gallon for a reason - it puts a spending cap on things.

[Phil]

Just set up two new AI sols blue on my 48" tank and I love them. After reading a lot of reviews I was questioning the coverage of them but after setting them up I'm totally happy with them and the coverage is great

[H2o2]

Just have a peek at Reef supply canada and check out the IT2080 for that size of tank ,I have the IT2040 over my frag tank and think its great at a good price

[Magma]

Just my $0.02 but I when I was ready to start my upgrade to a 72x20x20 tank Lighting was the thing holding me up. I read up on various different fixtures for the 6' I needed to cover and when it came down to it I wanted something with the ability to grow all kinds of corals.

But at the same time not costing me a fortune to upkeep (both electrically and bulb replacement etc).

After searching for a good 4 months I found a thread on another community about the Evergrow D120 units. Now at first I was thinking it seemed to good to be a true, a LED unit for 180$ that could grow coral? That was until I saw people who have been using the 1st generation ones (just blue and white leds) over there tanks for over a year. The Corals looked AMAZING they reported noticeable growth within the first few months and even better coloring than previously when under MH and T5's.

I am a firm believer that the hobby doesn't have to cost you thousands to get results you want. Especially when it comes to LED lighting. LED's are cheap to make and the upkeep is almost none. Plus with the ability to dim the LED's you can get the effect you want without using 4 different colored bulbs over your tank. I would say tho with the ability to dim LED's and setup the colour ratio it could also be a problem if the corals are not getting enough of one colour. Enough rope to choke yourself as they say.

I would look into the Evergrow Units be it the D120 series or the more expensive IT series both are great fixtures at a great price. But this is just my opinion and im sure someone will hate the fact that im promoting cheap LED units. Do your own research and check out all the options for your needs.

I purchased mine from Nick at reefsupplycanada and I have to say his customer service is amazing.

http://www.reefsupplycanada.com/evergrow-led-lighting/