24g Lighting question

[Jnickles85]

I have a 24g tank. It is about 14 inches from the top of the water to my sandbed. I am looking for lighting that will be able to support beginner sps and an anemone for my two clownfish that I plan on purchasing for my tank. Right now I have the fluval marine LED that came with the tank. The information that was given to me by Fluval tech support is this.

The M series Reef Aquariums and LED's will effectively grow SPS corals up to a depth of 10". However, light requirements for corals varies greatly and some higher light requiring SPS species may have to be placed within the top 4" to 6" to receive adequate light. LPS and Soft corals can be placed in the tank up to 16" deep but some corals may also do well deeper depending on where they were grown (ie. aquacultured or wild).

After talking to a couple other reefers on this forum they have told me this info is no where near true. I am hoping to stay with an LED fixture because I have heard they have the best penetrating rating but I have also heard they do not last quite as long as they are marketed. I have also heard good things about T5s.

I am just looking for some advice in this area or anyone who has had great experience with certain fixtures on their nano reefs.

Jeremy

 

[mussel and hate]

I don't know the specific characteristics of the Fluval Marine LED but tech support misinformed you. They were correct that light requirements for corals vary greatly but the generalization regarding SPS LPS and soft coral placement are just wrong. There exist light loving soft coral and low light SPS.

Try the light out, experiment with coral placement. It may be that this fixture is adequate or you may need to upgrade. I guess it all depends on what specimens you chose to keep. Should you choose to upgrade there are some nice tanks in the nano section with similar dimensions to yours, you could do worse than copying the methodology of one that you like the look of.

 

[Jnickles85]

I don't know the specific characteristics of the Fluval Marine LED but tech support misinformed you. They were correct that light requirements for corals vary greatly but the generalization regarding SPS LPS and soft coral placement are just wrong. There exist light loving soft coral and low light SPS.

Try the light out, experiment with coral placement. It may be that this fixture is adequate or you may need to upgrade. I guess it all depends on what specimens you chose to keep. Should you choose to upgrade there are some nice tanks in the nano section with similar dimensions to yours, you could do worse than copying the methodology of one that you like the look of.

Thanks for the reply. The biggest thing that makes me want to upgrade, and what other reefers here in the forum, is that they say this LED fixture 312 LEDs but they do not even come close to 1 watt a piece for the total wattage of the fixture. they also list it as 25000k.

 

[mussel and hate]

Your tank is fairly shallow so you may not need higher powered individual LEDs. Fewer brighter LEDs makes for better penetration but less even distribution. I don't think you should write off your Fluval light just yet, try it out and see how things grow.

 

[Jnickles85]

Your tank is fairly shallow so you may not need higher powered individual LEDs. Fewer brighter LEDs makes for better penetration but less even distribution. I don't think you should write off your Fluval light just yet, try it out and see how things grow.

I have moved my Zoas to the bottom of the tank. It is hard to tell right now because I believe I am not truly done with my cycle just yet, but I am curious to see if they start to stretch out for the light or not. This will give me a better Idea if I need a more powerful fixture or not I think.

 

[kzooreefer]

I purchased a Fluval Sea Marine & Reef LED and didn't like it. It was an emergency replacement for T5's which blew out and I had to buy it from Petco for $180. Very bright white light and it only had a 3 position (daylight/off/moon) rocker switch. Single channel LED's so no customization and this light bleached my favia.

I decided to give LED's one more try and switched to the Current Orbit Marine LED unit a couple weeks ago and love it. I ordered it from Aquacave in Chicago (a favorite of mine) for $150 with free shipping (I get it next day as I live 90 miles away). Comes very close to the blue look I had with my T5's (3 ATI Blue+, 1 ATI purple+) and my corals love it, mostly softies (zoas, plays, shrooms, GSA) and lps (favia, frogspawn, scolymia, duncan). Unit has 2 channels and comes with a controller and I'm using the preset 10 hour daylight setting which ramps up and down over 30 minutes. Wish it was longer, 1 or 2 hour ramp up and down but its okay. And my favia appears to be coming back under this light.

I should note a 29 gallon is 18 inches deep and I have a 1 inch sand bed so its 17 inches down to the bed where most of the lps are located.


http://current-usa.com/aquarium-led-lights/orbit-marine/

 

[Jnickles85]

I purchased a Fluval Sea Marine & Reef LED and didn't like it. It was an emergency replacement for T5's which blew out and I had to buy it from Petco for $180. Very bright white light and it only had a 3 position (daylight/off/moon) rocker switch. Single channel LED's so no customization and this light bleached my favia.

I decided to give LED's one more try and switched to the Current Orbit Marine LED unit a couple weeks ago and love it. I ordered it from Aquacave in Chicago (a favorite of mine) for $150 with free shipping (I get it next day as I live 90 miles away). Comes very close to the blue look I had with my T5's (3 ATI Blue+, 1 ATI purple+) and my corals love it, mostly softies (zoas, plays, shrooms, GSA) and lps (favia, frogspawn, scolymia, duncan). Unit has 2 channels and comes with a controller and I'm using the preset 10 hour daylight setting which ramps up and down over 30 minutes. Wish it was longer, 1 or 2 hour ramp up and down but its okay. And my favia appears to be coming back under this light.

I should note a 29 gallon is 18 inches deep and I have a 1 inch sand bed so its 17 inches down to the bed where most of the lps are located.


http://current-usa.com/aquarium-led-lights/orbit-marine/

That light looks amazing. I am glad you found what you were looking for. Have any pictures of your tank?

 

[kzooreefer]

I haven't taken a full tank photo yet with the new LED's but I have a couple close ups of some new coral I added I'll attach them. I'll try and remember to get a full tank one tonight.

 

[Jnickles85]

I haven't taken a full tank photo yet with the new LED's but I have a couple close ups of some new coral I added I'll attach them. I'll try and remember to get a full tank one tonight.

Looks awesome

 

[kzooreefer]

Here are some shots showing the full lighting. The first two are with the new LEDs and the last with the old T5s. The T5's were a lot bluer but I like the crisper, cleaner look of the LEDs a lot more.

 

[Jnickles85]

Here are some shots showing the full lighting. The first two are with the new LEDs and the last with the old T5s. The T5's were a lot bluer but I like the crisper, cleaner look of the LEDs a lot more.

That is an amazing tank for sure! Which Korilia's are you using ?

 

[kzooreefer]

They are Koralia 1 UL 400 gph. They're at least 5 years old now and the magnets are starting to pop out and am looking to maybe upgrade to the controllable models.

 

[Jnickles85]

They are Koralia 1 UL 400 gph. They're at least 5 years old now and the magnets are starting to pop out and am looking to maybe upgrade to the controllable models.

Oh okay. I'm looking at the nano versions 425 gph I think they are rated. Looking at maybe getting two.