LED lighting

[taylor8528]

How many volts of LED lighting is the best for tanks? Mine is 55gallon 24in deep... Just looking to keep anemones mushrooms, soft corals...

 

[huma-huma]

volts? im assuming you mean watts. the wattage dictates the "power" of a light fixture, not the voltage. in that cause, the most common would have to be the 120w dimmable led fixtures. you really shouldnt need any more power than that and youd need 2 for that tank. there are lower-wattage versions, but unless you find a steal of a deal, the price difference between the 120w and lower wattage isnt worth the sacrifice in power output.

 

[taylor8528]

Yes I meant watts. 120? Thanks!

 

[huma-huma]

yeah thats the most common id say. you may come acroos some 155w but imo unless you are trying to penetrate deep water, (24+ inches) they arent necessary. just go to ebay and search "120w dimmable LED"

 

[taylor8528]

I saw some square panels... They don't come in 120w 48in long panels?

 

[huma-huma]

the 120w fixtures im speaking of will safely cover a 24x24 area, if you are looking for a single fixture to cover the full 48" you can look into the maxspect razr. i believe they have a panel capable of covering 48". of course the wattage is going to be higher than 120. keep in mind that you would be running 2-120w panels, so thats 240w total...try to stay right around that number

 

[taylor8528]

Ok thank you!

 

[huma-huma]

np just be cautious with the marineland led fixtures. the reef capable fixture may be able to keep a decent amount of lower-mid light corals, but if you are looking at high-light corals (SPS, anemones, clams, etc) they arent powerful enough

 

[taylor8528]

Any 120w LED would work right? I mean even if it was marineland

 

[huma-huma]

it depends on the area you are covering. for instance covering a 4 ft tank with 120w of total led power isnt going to support the same level of corals as say a 120w total power over a 2 ft tank. for a typical 4 ft tank (55,75,90), youll usually see 2-120w fixtures, that 240w of total power will allow you to sustain just about anything in terms of coral. id be hesitant to light a 4 ft tank with 120w total watts unless you are planning on strictly lower-light corals.

 

[taylor8528]

Understood. Thanks so much!