Reef lighting for tall 20 gallon tank

[Ctb]

I have a tall 20 gallon tank with a Aquatic Life lighting system. I just replaces all the bulbs but my corals don't seem to thrive and the lights cause the tank temp to fluctuate. Would upgrading to a Nano LED lighting system make a material difference? Given they are almost $400 I wanted to check with you as I just replaced all my bulbs in the 1 year old Aquatic Life system. Thanks

 

[Dimdim]

Your tank is way to tall to get even the slightest bit of a good par reading with that fixture.. Id get a new tank IMHO just because its not worth upgrading lighta for that tank at all. Gonna always be having the problems you stated about corals with that setup. Keep the fixture, get a smaller tank. Or get a bigger fixture and a normal 20 gallon long tank

 

[Ctb]

Thanks Dimdim, this is helpful.

 

[Ctb]

Your tank is way to tall to get even the slightest bit of a good par reading with that fixture.. Id get a new tank IMHO just because its not worth upgrading lighta for that tank at all. Gonna always be having the problems you stated about corals with that setup. Keep the fixture, get a smaller tank. Or get a bigger fixture and a normal 20 gallon long tank

What is an "IMHO"?

 

[Convict2161]

What is an "IMHO"?

IMHO= In My Honest Opinion

 

[Dimdim]

Your welcome ! Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but yeah how big is that aquatic life fixture? 18 inches by the looks of it?

 

[LaWoWee]

Dimmable LEDs would solve your problems and would not have to spend anywhere near $400.

Check out this thread (last 5-10 pages). people mention the taotronic or reefbreeder LEDs. I have them and they work great.

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f11/lighting-your-reef-best-bang-for-your-buck-239661.html

 

[Dimdim]

Leds are an option, but you will still be struggling if you buy cheap leds. Al sol nano would be good i think.

 

[LaWoWee]

Not true. I have one cheapo 120w LED panel on a 40 gal and i grow everything including sps just fine. If you read that thread. Many people have done well with them even hanging the 10" above their deep tanks. There some even claiming that they have to dim theirs to 30% because they are too bright.

 

[Dimdim]

1 over a 40 gall? What are your optic lens angles? If im not mistaken u have shadows in your tank from the panel not steetching across the whole top and if u have 90degree or smaller GL long term i almost did this too as i have a 40 breeder. But a 6 bulb t5 works better and i trust 234 w more then i trust leds and theyre chinese $#!+

 

[Dimdim]

Not saying its not possible but why go and buy chinese leds.. IMHO thats not the way id go buy GL to whatever choice you decide. I personally think its cheaper to go buy a 20 long tank for 30 bucks let it cycle and when its done transfer everything over

 

[mr_X]

Well, if Chinese products are so bad, I should throw away my 55" flat screen, my fridge, my microwave, my surround sound, and a few other things.

 

[Dimdim]

Never said they were all horrible.

 

[Dimdim]

But my saying is. Cheap china. And for me, that term has served over 90% accurate on the things i buy. If i do buy chinese products its usually bought domesticaly. To support local business thats it. I have never seen a problem with all NA built products, or NA products built in china for that matter. But my luck with heaters, lights, pumps. And anything else from china has been a bad one. Just sharing my opinion. Not bashing anything. Customer service is an issue for me. Some can barely speak english, so why risk a good deal for a language barrier as well.

 

[mr_X]

If I'm not mistaken a 20 high is 24" wide. This can easily be lit by a single LED fixture.

 

[LaWoWee]

1 over a 40 gall? What are your optic lens angles? If im not mistaken u have shadows in your tank from the panel not steetching across the whole top and if u have 90degree or smaller GL long term i almost did this too as i have a 40 breeder. But a 6 bulb t5 works better and i trust 234 w more then i trust leds and theyre chinese $#!+

Dont really know what you mean by long term but ive had this light running on my tank for over a year and i have two rbta that love it and i have a birdsnest shown below that started out from one tiny branch. My optics are 90 degrees and the reason i have no dark spots are because i have them in a 9" tall canopy and the inside walls of it are lined with mirrors to reflect light down throughout the tank so I can get away with these on a 36" long tank.