Light recommendations?

[hobojoe]

I recently inherited a 60 gallon cube and I want to update the lighting. It came with a twin bulb T5 HO and a 150w metal halide. I haven't set the halide up because I'm not a fan of having it attached to the back of the aquarium.

What I'm looking for is an LED unit that will sit on the top of the tank and have a timer/dimmer feature. The LFS showed me the Current Orbit, but after some brief research it seems that it's an under powered unit and won't handle the 24" depth. They suggested running 2 of them, but I think 1 higher end unit would be a better bet.

Any recommendations for an LED setup in the $300 range?

 

[Sniperhank]

What are the tanks dimensions? The taotronic LEDs are amazing for the price.

 

[hobojoe]

The tank is 24x24x24, so the light fixture has to be 24" wide and be able supply adequate light for the 24" depth.

 

[Sniperhank]

Just hang a taotronics over the tank. It'll cover the whole area. Be weaker around the edges of course.


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[hobojoe]

The wife doesn't want the light hanging from the ceiling or wall so I would have to fab something to mount it to the tank.

 

[Sniperhank]

There are DIY ways to do it, though I have not personally.

 

[BigRedsReefs10]

The wife doesn't want the light hanging from the ceiling or wall so I would have to fab something to mount it to the tank.

Many people use bent conduit attached to the stand to hang the Tao panels. A matte black spray paint makes it look pretty sharp to IMO.

 

[hobojoe]

I've found a few ways to mount it to the tank. Any idea on the on how high above the tank this should be?

Any other lights in the range that has a few more features? Like ramp up/down brightness throughout the day.

 

[Sniperhank]

Not really...you start paying more money for things. AI might have something for a smaller tank, but not that large.

 

[TheTodd]

I'm following along, since I have a 60g cube as well. I plan to use my Tao LED panel and hang it from a hood that I am going to build. That will hide the cords. Mine is just resting on PVC right now.

I'd like the ramping up and down feature if they had it, but I'm not sure the fish or corals really care that much.


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[hobojoe]

I noticed there are a few 120w dimmable "china made" fixtures on the market, is taotronics a better known brand? The only complaint I've seen is that the fans are loud, is it possible to take the fans out and replace them with similar better made PC fans?

For a mount I'll probably poke around the local hardware store and see what I come up with.

Also, is there a benefit of going with a full spectrum as opposed to a blue/white setup?

 

[Sniperhank]

Taotronics is just the most common name for the Chinese model lights. They grow coral wonderfully.

In terms of full spectrum vs blue/white, I've not seen any benefit to full spectrum over blue/white. It's personal opinion.

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[TheTodd]

Exactly. I have the $125 eBay versions (blue/white). I've never noticed much noise from my fans. I can't imagine anything being perfectly silent. I have not lost a coral yet...my Monti Cap is probably 6x the size from the frag I originally got earlier this year...my Mind Tricks is probably 4x...my Hammer is probably 4-5x...some of my Zoas have gone from 4-5 polyps to 25+...I'm happy with this light. Seems that the variety of corals are happy too.


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[hobojoe]

Thanks for the input guys, I went ahead and ordered the TaoTronics 120w dimmable. Hopefully I can get something figured out for mounting it to the tank this weekend.

 

[Grizz]

I noticed there are a few 120w dimmable "china made" fixtures on the market, is taotronics a better known brand? The only complaint I've seen is that the fans are loud, is it possible to take the fans out and replace them with similar better made PC fans?

For a mount I'll probably poke around the local hardware store and see what I come up with.

Also, is there a benefit of going with a full spectrum as opposed to a blue/white setup?

I had 1 loud fan on one of my tao's changed them all (9) out with these Thermocool 110 VAC Muffin Cooling Fan 92 x 25mm Sleeve Bearing 28 CFM 2x more air flow and half the noise.

 

[hobojoe]

The light came in Friday and I made a mount out of wood and aluminum yesterday. When the paint has finished curing I'll set it up and take a pic. FYI to anyone buying this light the fans are quiet, it must have been older models that had loud fans.

 

[Grizz]

Sweet

 

[Dtorre125]

I have a solar flare dx 24inch light that I got for $270. Not much review of product since I believe they are Farley knew. Comes with 24 3w LEDs, 8 blue and the rest white. It's in your price range but like I said not much feed back.

 

[KPhilly]

I know ya got your light but for anyone else looking for something similar, check out the Reef Rafiance Pro lumentek series.


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[hobojoe]

Keep the options coming, I'll be converting my other tank to SW in the next few months. It's a 72 bow front, so I'll be shopping for a 48" light.

Here is a photo of the stand I built for the light, very basic but it serves the purpose. The light is great, right now I have the white about half power and the blue a little less than half. I'm about to do a water change and move my rocks around a little bit.