Lighting for 14g tank

[tabs2000]

Hello all,

Quick question about lighting for my 14g (24x12x12in) i currently only have my stock lighting which is a 15W T8 bulb. Could anyone recommened a lighting setup as i believe that this isnt enough for corals.

Thanks, Tom

 

[Ziggy953]

There are a lot of options out there for lighting a small tank, the question is what kind of corals do you want to keep? I think a 24" retro T5 setup would work well for your tank and not cause heat issues.

 

[HN1]

Go with an LED retro and never look back!

 

[tabs2000]

There are a lot of options out there for lighting a small tank, the question is what kind of corals do you want to keep? I think a 24" retro T5 setup would work well for your tank and not cause heat issues.

I plan to keep LPS corals, i really like the Candy Cane and Frogspawn corals. How much wattage should I be looking at? Do recommened any makes or models of lighitng that I should look into.

cheers, Tom

 

[tabs2000]

Go with an LED retro and never look back!

I've never really thought about that, what kind of power would I need, do you know any makes that would be good for me,
cheers, tom

 

[HN1]

LED power consumption is less than T5, MH, PC, etc.

Check out Stunner LED Strips - Panorama LED Lighting - Products.

The cool thing is that they are expandable so you can add without replacing.

 

[tabs2000]

LED power consumption is less than T5, MH, PC, etc.

Check out Stunner LED Strips - Panorama LED Lighting - Products.

The cool thing is that they are expandable so you can add without replacing.

cheers, i live in the UK so not keen on messing about with adaptors and stuff. I found this TMC LED lighting system would this be good for my system?

Tom

 

[HN1]

Whoa.... sorry. I have ZERO clue about LEDs for Euro power supplies.

 

[Ziggy953]

LED power consumption is less than T5, MH, PC, etc.

Check out Stunner LED Strips - Panorama LED Lighting - Products.

The cool thing is that they are expandable so you can add without replacing.

I agree with you on the power consumption.

Have you used these lights as the sole lighting source on a system? I'm curious of how well they do supporting coral growth. I would think that an entire strip of LEDs at 6watts would not produce enough PAR to do much for coral.

 

[HN1]

I agree with you on the power consumption.

Have you used these lights as the sole lighting source on a system? I'm curious of how well they do supporting coral growth. I would think that an entire strip of LEDs at 6watts would not produce enough PAR to do much for coral.

I've seen good growth in a 12ish tank (not mine and I forget which AI1 it is) with LPS and softies using only 2 of the stunner strips. Since each power module will support up to 6 strips, I figure that physical layout in the canopy and coral type will be the deciding factor on how many.

 

[Ziggy953]

I've seen good growth in a 12ish tank (not mine and I forget which AI1 it is) with LPS and softies using only 2 of the stunner strips. Since each power module will support up to 6 strips, I figure that physical layout in the canopy and coral type will be the deciding factor on how many.[/QUOTE

I suppose on a tank that is small and doesn't have a lot of depth they would do ok with softies, mushrooms and zoas, things like that. I would not use them on a deeper tank. I think the intended use is for more the shimmer effect and supplemental lighting rather than primary reef lighting. The lighting systems they have for larger tanks are extremely expensive and would easily support a reef system.

The LEDs Im going to be using on my nano are 1 watt each, I'll have 20 of them on my tank 10 white and 10 blue.

 

[Jimbo7]

IME it is always better to just buy kick-*** lights the first time around. I too am going to undertake a LED project, but i hear they are harder to get a hold of overseas. In which case, I would go for a T5 setup. Some other things you may consider, are you ever planning on upgrading tanks? Will you ever venture into SPS, clams, or higher level coral?

For me, it always seemed like I bought a 24" fixture for lower light, then wanted a 36" sps frag tank or something. I really thing DIY is the way to go, you put it together, you know how it works, and if you ever need to, you can strip it and retro it into something bigger or better. Maybe if you are planning on upgrading in a year, you can buy a 36"er and scoot the legs in to fit on your current.

JM.02 I wish someone had made me look ahead, i have like 4 fixtures laying around that i really dont have much use for.

 

[tabs2000]

What is the W per Gallon for LED's?

 

[mr_X]

watts per gallon is a very poor way of choosing lighting. you have to consider your tanks dimensions, especially top to bottom depth, the PAR the particular fixture is putting out, and obvious things like price and what corals you intend to keep.
that strip of LEDs posted on the first page won't support much. if you were set on LED lighting, i would suggest one of the fixtures that site offers
Panorama LED Fixtures - Panorama LED Lighting - Products

i saw these in person and wasn't able to get PAR readiings, but it appeared bright enough. i wouldn't pull the trigger on one of those until i had PAR readings though....not for that price.

 

[Jimbo7]

I know this is bad form, but there is a lot of info on LED lighting for nano tanks on nano-reef dot com. Evilc66 has practically pioneered DIY LED lighting. There is lots of examples with tons of info including PAR readings.