36 Gallon Bowfront - Lighting for SPS/LPS

[Chief2036]

Hey everyone,

I am quite new to this hobby, and looking to start getting more into corals for my tank. I currently have a current marine orbit LED light for my tank, and as I understand things, this will not be sufficient for growing most hard corals in my 36 gallon bowfront (19"L x 30.25"W x 20.875"H). I really like the idea of using LEDs for my tank, however I have seen on other forums that they may not work as well for some more light intensive corals, or you have to spend a fortune to make it work. I would be more inclined to go the T5 route, however I have also heard people talk about how they give off a large amount of heat, which concerns me from the aspect of heating my tank up, as well as concerns about the plastic bridge in the middle of my tank that helps hold things together (at least thats what I am assuming the piece is there for....). In addition, I am in a rental apartment and cannot hang any lights from the ceiling, so any light that I get would either have to sit above the aquarium with legs on the edges, or use some sort of stand over the tank.

So TLDR, I am looking for advice on recommended lighting setup for my tank that would allow me to grow a wide range of corals. I would prefer LED, however I am willing to entertain the notion of T5. I am also interested in people's experiences with certain brands or specific features, but much more general advice is also extremely appreciated. Thanks!!

 

[Ron Reefman]

A) Whoever told you leds can't grow light intensive corals is either giving you very old info or just very wrong. Now led fixtures can grow anything.

B) Regarding t5's and heat, they probably run a bit warmer than leds, but WAY cooler than metal halide.

C) It's highly unlikely a t5 fixture would cause any issues with the plastic brace (bridge) over your tank.

D) If you want leds, you need to decide what features you want to pay for and how much control of the light you want to have. Both cost extra. But they all run pretty cool, use a bit less electricity, and offer a variety of light adjustments as to the color in the tank.

A basic MarsAqua will grow sps corals just fine and are basic 2 channel (blue: white /red/green) and use manual dimmers with no timers.

OceanRevive is similar to the MA but it has dual built-in timers and digital dimming.

Reef Breeders comes in a variety of sizes, has 6 channels of light control and the ability to control the light to do sunrise/sunset.

From there it just gets a bit better made and a bit easier to use... and a lot more expensive.

 

[jacksonpt]

I can't comment as LEDs as I've never used them for anything more than moonlights... but I've been running T5s for a few years over my 38g. My 4x retrofit setup has no problem growing LPS, but SPS can be a struggle depending on the species and where it came from.

Heat is a non-issue. I have an enclosed canopy which is vented but I don't run fans or anything like that, and I have no problems with heat. It doesn't affect the canopy, tank/bracing, nor water temp.

If T5s were dimmable, they would be the perfect light for my needs... but that's really the only thing I can "complain" about.

 

[Chief2036]

Thank you both for your responses!

Ron, I really like the OceanRevive LEDs, they seem like they would have just enough functionality that I would want, at a reasonable cost point, and they even have the mounting brackets for the side of the tank, which is exactly what I need. I need to do a bit more research, but I think I will likely be going in that direction!