Lighting

Froster92

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Hello, I have been out of the hobby for a few years now, me and my wife are looking to get back into the hobby. Right now we are planning on setting up a bigger tank (looking at a 180 gal). Im curious as to what everyone is using for lighting. I see LEDs have mad advancement since our last tank. But they have also skyrocketed in price. Are these worth the price? I know lighting is very important. We do plan to keep corals. Only a few SPS, mainly LPS and Softies. Any advice or opinions would be greatly appreciated.
 
There are plenty of cheaper LEDs that work just fine and will grow anything under the sun. It's all about your budget and what kind of features you want. Some of the more expensive ones have more features like wifi, sunrise/sunset, multiple channel controls, etc. and nicer aesthetics in its appearance. You can easily get away with some black boxes on a simple timer to grow corals.

When I first started the hobby, I went with T5's but changing bulbs out every year really adds up in cost, more than LED fixtures over the course of 5 years. So I swapped to LEDs, but I never bought into those $800 fixtures, especially when I needed like 4+. I'm not saying Radions or Orpheks aren't better than some of the cheaper ones, I'm just saying they aren't $700+ better per unit. LOL.
 
The ‘general’ consensus is that a hybrid fixture with both LED’ & T-5 fluorescent bulbs gives the most uniform coverage.

A very popular brand for hybrid fixtures is Aquatic Life. There are others brands as well. Most are more expensive, but well, they are all T-5’s after all.

When it comes to LED’s there are models from Chinese made ‘black box’ models available on Amazon or EBay, to top of the line Orphek arrays that cost $1000+.

Fwiw,
I am using Aquatic Life hybrid fixtures with Noopsyche LED’s. The correct amount of light of the correct spectrum is what matters to corals. With the above, I will have that covered.
My $0.02
 
There are plenty of cheaper LEDs that work just fine and will grow anything under the sun. It's all about your budget and what kind of features you want. Some of the more expensive ones have more features like wifi, sunrise/sunset, multiple channel controls, etc. and nicer aesthetics in its appearance. You can easily get away with some black boxes on a simple timer to grow corals.

When I first started the hobby, I went with T5's but changing bulbs out every year really adds up in cost, more than LED fixtures over the course of 5 years. So I swapped to LEDs, but I never bought into those $800 fixtures, especially when I needed like 4+. I'm not saying Radions or Orpheks aren't better than some of the cheaper ones, I'm just saying they aren't $700+ better per unit. LOL.

I agree with Civics14 when it comes to T5's and the price point of LED's. You can get some simple Black Box LED and corals will grow. When I had a canopy I had reef breeders supplemented by T5's and then upgraded to used previous-gen radions for ease of controllability and the visual color pop they provided over my old light. The expense wasn't bad since they were a previous model and used. It's all about budget and goals. I would look at Noops if i needed multiples.

Now I have a rimless tank with no canopy, so looks are just as important as the lights will be seen. I also only needed one fixture for my smaller tank so I splurged and got the latest radion and an Orphek OR3 lightbar. One for the proven performance I've had with Radions and for the clean look they provide. I wanted to get away from T5 bulbs. Some people have gone with just Orphek OR3's now for lighting on a timer due to the performance of them.

In summary (My opinion)
Corals to grow: Not worth it there are cheaper LED's that will perform
Color Pop: Worth it, unless you can custom build leds with specific color spectrums. I prefer more blues over white. I don't run whites very much.
Looks: Mounted in a canopy: Not worth it. External Mounted: Worth it
Ease of Use and Controllability: Worth it
Customer Support: Worth it
Resell Value: Worth it (Higher end hold a higher resell value)
 
The ‘general’ consensus is that a hybrid fixture with both LED’ & T-5 fluorescent bulbs gives the most uniform coverage.

A very popular brand for hybrid fixtures is Aquatic Life. There are others brands as well. Most are more expensive, but well, they are all T-5’s after all.

When it comes to LED’s there are models from Chinese made ‘black box’ models available on Amazon or EBay, to top of the line Orphek arrays that cost $1000+.

Fwiw,
I am using Aquatic Life hybrid fixtures with Noopsyche LED’s. The correct amount of light of the correct spectrum is what matters to corals. With the above, I will have that covered.
My $0.02
I was actually looking into possibly getting one of those hybrids a 4bulb t5 with a set of reefbreeders. But no where I looked could I find if the reefbreeders fit into that gap. Dont suppose you would know if they fit? I will also look into the noopsyche leds. I dont have a problem spending some money on decent lights just dont wanna walk out with one less arm or a leg for them. I want to do things right but with a moderate price range too.
 
Austin raises good points ^ about the clean external look. Below is an example of what mine will look like.

It al depends on the look you are trying to accomplish, your individual preferences & your budget.
 

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I was actually looking into possibly getting one of those hybrids a 4bulb t5 with a set of reefbreeders. But no where I looked could I find if the reefbreeders fit into that gap. Dont suppose you would know if they fit? I will also look into the noopsyche leds. I dont have a problem spending some money on decent lights just dont wanna walk out with one less arm or a leg for them. I want to do things right but with a moderate price range too.

I know that Aquatic Life sells both different length end plates so you can change the separation distance between sets of T-5’s, as well as a variety of mounts.

If you know the specific model Reefbreeder LED, you can look up the end plates & mounts to determine compatibility. Just go to the Aquatic Life website for info-

 
I was actually looking into possibly getting one of those hybrids a 4bulb t5 with a set of reefbreeders. But no where I looked could I find if the reefbreeders fit into that gap. Dont suppose you would know if they fit? I will also look into the noopsyche leds. I dont have a problem spending some money on decent lights just dont wanna walk out with one less arm or a leg for them. I want to do things right but with a moderate price range too.
The AquaticLife Hybrids have the 24” bars for wider gaps. Reefbreeders are nice middle of the road LEDs that have a proven track record with great warranty.
 
I know that Aquatic Life sells both different length end plates so you can change the separation distance between sets of T-5’s, as well as a variety of mounts.

If you know the specific model Reefbreeder LED, you can look up the end plates & mounts to determine compatibility. Just go to the Aquatic Life website for info-

Ah thanks that helped alot, I didnt realize they are put together with brackets. I thought it was one fixed piece.
 
I know that Aquatic Life sells both different length end plates so you can change the separation distance between sets of T-5’s, as well as a variety of mounts.

If you know the specific model Reefbreeder LED, you can look up the end plates & mounts to determine compatibility. Just go to the Aquatic Life website for info-

Another question I have the tank I am planning on getting is 72" long. The largest i see in these hybrids is 61" will this cover the tank enough to be effective or do I need to find something that is 72" long?
 
You can either use:
1) 61 inch & allow the natural light spread to cover the other ~6 inches at either end, OR
2) go with 2x 36 inch hybrid fixtures.

Personally, I would use option 1, as that will help minimize light spill & save $$.
 
You can either use:
1) 61 inch & allow the natural light spread to cover the other ~6 inches at either end, OR
2) go with 2x 36 inch hybrid fixtures.

Personally, I would use option 1, as that will help minimize light spill & save $$.
Awesome thanks for the help been a minute since Ive done this and my 90gal was much easier since it was 48"
 
There are plenty of cheaper LEDs that work just fine and will grow anything under the sun. It's all about your budget and what kind of features you want. Some of the more expensive ones have more features like wifi, sunrise/sunset, multiple channel controls, etc. and nicer aesthetics in its appearance. You can easily get away with some black boxes on a simple timer to grow corals.

When I first started the hobby, I went with T5's but changing bulbs out every year really adds up in cost, more than LED fixtures over the course of 5 years. So I swapped to LEDs, but I never bought into those $800 fixtures, especially when I needed like 4+. I'm not saying Radions or Orpheks aren't better than some of the cheaper ones, I'm just saying they aren't $700+ better per unit. LOL.
What do you use?
 
So it appears i cant find the reefbreeders 50" in stock anywhere? Could I get away with the 60" T5 hybrid with a 48" reefbreeder?
 
You might end up with a lot of shadowing. Considering a 180 is usually 72”, maybe two 36” fixtures of both?
I considered that but the hybrid fixture is 61" and reefbreeders only offers 32s so there would be overhand on that? Im not sure if its possible. It would also be way more expensive. I may have to look into a different lighting set up. I am have trouble finding anything that covers 72" fully.
 
You might end up with a lot of shadowing. Considering a 180 is usually 72”, maybe two 36” fixtures of both?
I just realized I could get 2 36" hybrids with 2 32" reefbreeders but it significantly increases the cost. If I were to start with just the reefbreeders would it cause an issue to add the hybrids on at a later time?
 
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