Reef lighting

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Biff82

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Aug 3, 2013
Messages
58
Can anyone tell me if either of these are any good for a 160ltr reef tank
ImageUploadedByAquarium Advice1435264692.857687.jpgImageUploadedByAquarium Advice1435264705.526843.jpg
Tank is 39" x 18" tall
Will be after some zoas xenias etc
Thank you


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No chance, that thing only has 12watts of power.
You need to be looking for a piece that has a minimum of 1w per LED
 
Ok,the first of those two says it is 1w per led tho or is just a crap unit?ImageUploadedByAquarium Advice1435296050.922816.jpg


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My bad, didnt' see that on those. If your just going with a FOWL then your good with those, reef tanks require a totally different Kelvin rating for coloring. The white light for corals is basically not used, you want the majority of your lighting to be Blue. Most nowadays would use a 20k metal halide, or 3 blue lamps and one white lamp in a T5 HO fixture, or 75% blue and 30% white light used on a LED unit.
 
First one looks like the P.O.S. Marineland "Reef-ready" LED. Way too much white in that fixture. Notice the picture where you see the blues. The rest is actually white. It would light up the tank nice for a FOWLR and some softies maybe. I wouldn't spend 3 digits on it though.

Those lights aren't anything special to me. I really like Reefbreeders if you were looking economical.
 
Ok cheers.
New to this so want to try and get it right with a little help from guys like you,and as im not a rich man i defo dont want to be wasting money on crap that aint gunna work.
Thank you again for your help guys


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Awesome thank you
1 each?so would i need two of them?


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What are the dimensions of your tank? If it's closer to 3 feet, a single unit with the optics removed will light it pretty well if positioned high enough.
 
Yeah tank is 3ft long


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I have a similar type of light, a GalaxyHydro unit, on my 50 gallon-36"x15"x20", the light is approximately 10"-11" above the water surface and I get complete coverage.
2 would be overkill on a 36" tank unless it is like 24" wide.
I'm currently running mine at 35% white/60% blue and all my corals seem to be happy.

The only caveat is I get a little "spotlight" effect from the red & green LEDs, but removing the lenses as Mr. X mentioned would allieviate that, I just haven't gotten around to it yet...LOL
or I could raise it another 6".


In short, one of those 165 watt units is the best bang for your buck you will currently find.
I know because I spent two months researching before coming to that conclusion.
They are definitely powerful enough with the proper spectrum to allow you to keep any type of coral you want.


If you are set on getting a strip type of light, one with the same power will cost you 3-4 times as much. ;)
 
Sorry the tank is 39" long 17" high and 15" deep


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And no i dont mind what type really just trying to get best light for as little money really. And thought in the long run the led option would be best
Cheers for all your help on this guys


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I would use 2 fixtures for even coverage.

My tank is essentially the same dimensions, only deeper and one fixture is plenty and I don't notice that uneven of coverage whatsoever.

I do have mine mounted in a canopy so it is reflecting back into the tank any wasted light, so I will admit that in itself does broadcast more light into the entire tank.

but I still think one light would be enough.
 
39" though....They are under a hundred a piece...plus, you could turn them down.

1.5 inches on either end isn't gonna make any major difference, plus I'm guessing it's a glass tank and that is the measurement including the frame, so actual useable internal dimension is most likely ~36"

sure you can turn them down, which also means you can turn them up. ;)
What is the point of buying two fixtures if you have to run them at a very low level whenever 1 fixture can do the same job running slightly higher.

sounds like waste of $$$$ to me.
 
It's not really the same. The outer edges will not be as potent as directly under the fixture. Even coverage will give you more placement options. Unless you are saying that you are growing sps just fine on the outer edges of your tank. Then it may be a waste of money to get 2.
 
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