Lighting

[Talon]

I currently have a nova 1129 light. It's a two bulb 48" high output t5. I know I need more light than this for a reef tank I just dont know should I add another light or just get rid of the one I have a buy a new one? Any suggestions?


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[Flaxon-Waxon]

I would buy 2 dimmable LED units on Amazon or EBay. Would only cost you a couple hundred dollars...


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[Flaxon-Waxon]

Something like:


http://i1295.photobucket.com/albums...8-684B-4AD6-87C3-33DF67AE3FBF_zpsnzi1li2c.png


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[nijoe1221]

Look into ocean revive lights. More expensive than the eBay brands but not nearly as expensive as the big name brands. I have one on my 40gb and have so much new growth on nearly everything. I only have soft sand lps. But the guy I buy corals from has about 8 of these lights on his tanks. He has everything growing under them


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[Talon]

Thanks for the advice I think I will just go with a new led light and maybe sell my old one. As a follow up question how much light do I need for my tank? Will just one light be enough for my 90 gallon tank?


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[Flaxon-Waxon]

It depends on what light you go with and the dimensions of the tank, but 2 of the units I posted should suffice. LED's are very strong when you get the 3 watt bulbs...


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[nijoe1221]

Two at minimum like he said. One would leave you with dark spots also


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[Sillyfishies]

I ordered 2x 165w full spectrum dimmable LEDs for my 90g mixed reef. I have softies, lps, sps, and an anemone. I think I spent 160$. I would suggest full spectrum vs blue and white because full spectrum has more colors that coral need.

 

[Talon]

I found these but they don't have any real reviews. Do u think two of these would work


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[Flaxon-Waxon]

Yes they are 3 watt bulbs and will do fine.


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[Sillyfishies]

View attachment 249505
I found these but they don't have any real reviews. Do u think two of these would work


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Yes, but you can get me for cheaper on ebay.
2pcs 165W Dimmable Full Spectrum Grow Fish Tank Reef Coral LED Aquarium Light | eBay

 

[Ingy]

Personally I wouldn't touch those lights with a 10 ft pole. At least based on the chart they provide. Some uneducated will tell you they are fine because they use 3 watt LEDs. Safely that is just plain wrong.
My old Ford truck had a 460 CID engine. Yet it was slower than my new pickup despite the fact that they were the same overall size and the new truck had a smaller engine.
Why?

Well anybody with a clue will point out that the new truck is newer. Therefore more efficient and simply better. Who cares?

The light you posted only provides 5050 lumen of light despite being 165 watts. That's a paltry 30 lumen per watt. Probably an old light that they couldn't sell 5 years ago.

New Bridgelux LEDs are pushing 100+ lum per watt. Cree are better.

3 WATT LEDS MEANS NOTHING.

Please ignore those who say it does

Lumen per watt is what matters.




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[Flaxon-Waxon]

Again, any of these lights posted would work fine.


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[Sillyfishies]

Personally I wouldn't touch those lights with a 10 ft pole. At least based on the chart they provide. Some uneducated will tell you they are fine because they use 3 watt LEDs. Safely that is just plain wrong.
My old Ford truck had a 460 CID engine. Yet it was slower than my new pickup despite the fact that they were the same overall size and the new truck had a smaller engine.
Why?

Well anybody with a clue will point out that the new truck is newer. Therefore more efficient and simply better. Who cares?

The light you posted only provides 5050 lumen of light despite being 165 watts. That's a paltry 30 lumen per watt. Probably an old light that they couldn't sell 5 years ago.

New Bridgelux LEDs are pushing 100+ lum per watt. Cree are better.

3 WATT LEDS MEANS NOTHING.

Please ignore those who say it does

Lumen per watt is what matters.




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Lumen per watt is what DOESN'T matter. Lumen is something made up by humans. Plants and corals couldn't give a crap about lumens. These LED's are tried and true and a lot of people swear by them. I thought all the nay sayers were gone when they were proven wrong years ago. I think it a thread on reefcentral that was about these chinese LED's. At the start of the thread, there was only people saying that these LED's would never grow coral in the long run because they're cheap. Years later and there's almost only good reviews. People have proven that these lights will support coral for years, and have coral THRIVE under them.

Also, new bridgelux leds only put out 100 lumen per watt when they're running at full power. These LEDs only run at 2w or less so they last longer.

*EDIT- Sorry Ingy if any of that sounds rude. I'm just an emotional speaker *

 

[Ingy]

As an electronics technologist with a major in communications systems, I completely and intimately understand the differences between lumen and PAR.

Lumen is a broad spectrum measurement of light intensity.
PAR is a slightly less broad range measurement of intensity, specifically in the range encompassing photosynthetic absorption.
All in all, both measurements are somewhat irrelevant in that green chloroform is in the par range, yet light for that is completely useless for corals. Therefore par is as useless as lumen measurements.

UNLESS you give a specific frequency of light to go along with the intensity measurements. Then either measurement can be used.

As for lumen, if the LEDs are only 30 lumen per watt, or more specifically 5050 lumen for a 165w fixture, then that is not going to be the same as a newer fixture pumping out 12,000 lumen, as can be seem with the newer gen fixtures.

China is infamous for rebranding and selling old discontinued items that the original seller has stopped. It's all about money, not quality so check the numbers. Beware.


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[Flaxon-Waxon]

Again, again, the lights listed will be fine, and would also be strong enough to melt corals if not acclimated properly. There is zero need to confuse the OP with this...


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