Are my lights overkill? Opinions needed!

[jc_k]

Hello! I just got some new lights for my tank that are 100 watts each. It’s a 56 gallon rimless and I previously had two ai primes going. After getting everything dialed in, I realized I was only running the ai primes at 30 watts each, and my new lights go up to 100 watts. Should I of opted for the 50 watt version, or do you guys like having some wiggle room? I keep mainly lps with a few softies and sps

My other thing is aesthetics, of course these aren’t 800$ lights so they don’t look the best, but they look so large compared to the AI primes I had, it makes me wonder if the 50watt version would look better.


Any personal input/opinions would be great!

(Tank is currently cloudy from precipitation )

 

[ichthyoid]

Until you can get a PAR/PUR meter reading, do your new lights have the ability to be adjusted? If so, try to reduce them to about 30% if possible?

That ‘may’ get you in the ballpark of where you were with the AI Primes, but there is no guaranty. There are too many variables in lighting design & specifications to be sure.

Best bet is to get a PAR reading asap.

 

[Noel01]

Yes PAR reading would be the best bet. Adjust down if you can for now or if the new lights have an acclimate option (if they have an app) then use it.

 

[chaples55]

Agree on the PAR reading. You may be able to borrow a meter or have readings done by a club member if you share your general location.

I think it's generally a good thing to have more light than you need. LEDs will last significantly longer and run more efficiently when they aren't pushed to their limit, so running them dimmed has some advantages.

Having a larger, more spread out blanket of light is also great for avoiding shadows and lighting corals more evenly from all sides. This gets more important as coral colonies grow larger and start to shade themselves and other corals. This is a major reason why T5s were so great at growing corals. If you can live with the aesthetic I think more fixtures and/or larger fixtures is better.

 

[jc_k]

Q

Until you can get a PAR/PUR meter reading, do your new lights have the ability to be adjusted? If so, try to reduce them to about 30% if possible?

That ‘may’ get you in the ballpark of where you were with the AI Primes, but there is no guaranty. There are too many variables in lighting design & specifications to be sure.

Best bet is to get a PAR reading asap.

Yes PAR reading would be the best bet. Adjust down if you can for now or if the new lights have an acclimate option (if they have an app) then use it.

Agree on the PAR reading. You may be able to borrow a meter or have readings done by a club member if you share your general location.

I think it's generally a good thing to have more light than you need. LEDs will last significantly longer and run more efficiently when they aren't pushed to their limit, so running them dimmed has some advantages.

Having a larger, more spread out blanket of light is also great for avoiding shadows and lighting corals more evenly from all sides. This gets more important as coral colonies grow larger and start to shade themselves and other corals. This is a major reason why T5s were so great at growing corals. If you can live with the aesthetic I think more fixtures and/or larger fixtures is better.

Thank you guys! I do not have a par meter, I do have a voltage/watt meter so I am running each one at 30watt for now, the same as the ai primes I had.

They are nicrew 100 so I know there are par readings out there on other forms. I was really just surprised at how much bigger they were than my primes lol, and don’t want to burn anything. Does the club still rent out the meter? I’m in Atlanta if anyone close by has one, but I will start off at the 30 watts per light and adjust from here