180 gallon lighting help

[east52]

so i finally have my 180 gallon tank up and running and stocked up, but something is bothering me. whats bothering me is the lighting. i have cheap chinese leds from ebay. they dont match and color wise dont match. they jujst look weird. so ive been looking at different lighting and the aqua illumination hydra lights caught my eye the most. basically i just have a few questions..

1)anyone know if getting the hd vs non hd are worth it? i would like to be able to control the lights from my phone and tablet.

2)with my tank being a long tank i forget the exact dimensions but i have 3 cheap leds now, i assume id need 3 hydras...any recommendations?

3)with the tank being long should i go for the hydra 52s or will the 26s be fine? the 52s are like 600 each which is going to be a struggle haha

but i just need a bit of help before i take the plunge with new lights

 

[azjohnny]

I have 3 Reef Breeder Superlux lights mounted front to back on my 180. The Superlux are Reef Breeders budget light that you control the intensity and the color and each light has a built in timer

Reef Breeders are a Chinese light but good quality and very good customer service, I do like the colors. For a 180 you would probably want 4. I do have a darker side at one end of the tank for some mushroom corals

Reef Breeder Super Lux
https://www.reefbreeders.com/shop/superlux/#reviews

 

[vhuang168]

so i finally have my 180 gallon tank up and running and stocked up, but something is bothering me. whats bothering me is the lighting. i have cheap chinese leds from ebay. they dont match and color wise dont match. they jujst look weird. so ive been looking at different lighting and the aqua illumination hydra lights caught my eye the most. basically i just have a few questions..



1)anyone know if getting the hd vs non hd are worth it? i would like to be able to control the lights from my phone and tablet.



2)with my tank being a long tank i forget the exact dimensions but i have 3 cheap leds now, i assume id need 3 hydras...any recommendations?



3)with the tank being long should i go for the hydra 52s or will the 26s be fine? the 52s are like 600 each which is going to be a struggle haha



but i just need a bit of help before i take the plunge with new lights

The HDs allow you to overdrive the LEDs. If you only use the blues, you can take the power that the red led is not using and apply it to the blues.

HD also includes wifi connection. Non-HD requires a controller, if you want wifi the you need the director, if not then the New controller.

With wifi connection, you can control both series of lights with a phone/tablet.

Would need dimensions.

 

[oldbones]

Vincent is right, tank dimensions needed for more relevant suggestions.

Control is definitely the strong point of the AI lights. The newer series all have wifi built in, and you can use either your laptop or a smartphone app to adjust your lighting program. I use both.

Don't underestimate how many fixtures you will need. These small puck style LED systems really act as a point source of light, and you really need multiple fixtures spaced evenly over the tank to get a nice even spread without shadowing issues.

If budget is a concern, I would definitely second the recommendation above to check out the ReefBreeders lights. Lots of power, and considerable better spread than smaller puck lights. Color is very nice.

 

[Tspors58]

Kessel 360W LED
I run 2 on my 210 full spectrums
Wide angle check them out.

 

[east52]

i figured i might be able to buyu the lights one at a time if need be. ill take a look at the kessels and reef breeder lights.

finially got the dimensions for you guys
L 96" W 18" H 24"

thanks for the input ill keep looking

 

[oldbones]

4 Hydra 26's on 2' centers would do it, or two 32" reef breeders.

 

[1000rrstunna]

what did you end up choosing im having the same debate I was thinking 3 hydra 26hd with 4 60" t5's two front two back.... keep the sps directly under the hydras.. lps and shrooms/zoas should be happy everywhere else or three kessil 360we and the t5