Lighting (1 Viewer)

[Alicia]

I've read and read and read and am more perplexed than ever. Is there a reef lighting for dummies book I can read?? I need a new light. I have a 90 gallon with lps and zoas. LEDs? T5's? T5 with LEDs? I can't afford Radions. Let me know what y'all think? Thanks for the help.

 

[dayton]

I have LED (maxspect razor) and my zoas and lps do just fine under them. I personally would mind trying a t5/led combo.

 

[inigomontoya]

As you mention, lots of options. Things to consider are whether you want to later do clams or sps, also total coverage and what temperature your tank tends to run at in its location. I moved away from T5 mainly due to bulb costs and enjoying the infinitely variable programming of leds. Metal Halide is the standard for a reason and is the best for sps but again you have bulb costs and usually will need a chiller (I would have in the room I have my tank).
Reef Breeders is a good, cheaper led alternative and Omar at Omars Candy shop (a sponsor) carries them. Only thing I don't like about my leds is the undershading on sps where anything not in the direct light doesn't grow.

 

[emixa]

like what jeff said, you need to know what your ultimate goal will be. if you are strictly staying with zoas and lps, you can do wonders with T5's. you want to do sps and other high light intense items, MH or LEDS.

my tank is powered with MH. I know they cost a little, but I also run an apex controller. my tank is cooled with a blower fan which is connected to my apex. my temp parameters are set to my liking. too hot, fan turns off. it gets to right setting, fan turns off. I love the colors, growth and the characteristics of my livestock.

I have the same size tank and everything is thriving along with proper additive husbandry. again, decide what you want then the light choice will be provided. the good thing is that while LEDs have certain light patterns that are narrow, the MH are more broad and cover a wider area. just saying.

 

[Alicia]

I definitely want to stick with LPS and Zoas.

 

[inigomontoya]

I would recommend T5 or leds then. Neither create much additional heat, just look at total cost (think bulb replacement) and which look you like best. Nice part is that can be customized easily on both.

 

[jhill9]

I have LED (maxspect razor) and my zoas and lps do just fine under them. I personally would mind trying a t5/led combo.

I have these lights also. So far LPS, zoas, SPS, and clam are doing great.

 

[cacarnold3]

Alicia,
I suggest that you check around and see other members' lights. There are definitely differences with LED's. I had an AI sol Blue and now have Radions and some cheaper clamp on leds for small tanks/ sumps. I personally liked my T5HO fixture but the bulbs do add up and need to be replaced regularly.

 

[emixa]

agreed with Candace, but if you don't want to spend the mula now, buy a used T5 fixture and replace bulbs. or think for how long you will keep the tank. it might be cheaper in the long run to "invest" in the LEDS if that is your route.

 

[CCrescini]

I think the advice you've already been given above is pretty accurate. I just thought I'd add a bit about my personal experience. I have a 120 dominated by LPS. I started with a 4 bulb T5. I really liked the light, but didn't want to have to keep up with the bulbs, and it was hot for the space I had available. I also didn't like that I couldn't personalize the intensity/timing as much as I wanted. I moved to a 48" photon series ReefBreeder. Immediatly, I dropped the fixture in my tank (when mounting it), and soaked the controller. The customer service at ReefBreeders is outstanding, and I would definitely buy their products again. As far as the light goes, I'm very happy with it. However, the 48" is probably overkill for my tank. I would have been fine with the 32" and the wider optics.

On my daughter's 29gal cube, I'm running one of the small Kessil LED's. It's actually my favorite of the three lights I've tried. The small one isn't controllable, but their bigger fixtures have independent controls for blue and white channels that work with most controllers (I think). I'm also convinced the Kessils do a better job of replicating the look of a metal halide than my ReefBreeder.

Personally, if I had it to do over again, for my 48" tank, I would buy 2-3 of the large Kessil fixtures and control them with my Apex. The downside to that of course is that it's not a particularly cheap solution. The upside is that their are no bulbs to replace, very little heat generated, and I could control color/intensity at different points along the length of the tank independently.

That's just my two cents. Hope it helps. Good luck with your decision, and keep asking questions.

Chris