40% mor or less

[Elricsfate]

So I have a question just out of curiosity.

I read these forums every day, and I see all manner of posts regarding lighting. In case after case I read where someone has bought "XYZ lights that run produce XXX watts of light (in 73 different colors)", and they run them at "40% blue and 20% white".

Why not just buy a light that is 60% less powerful...and run it at 100%?

 

[d2mini]

So I have a question just out of curiosity.

I read these forums every day, and I see all manner of posts regarding lighting. In case after case I read where someone has bought "XYZ lights that run produce XXX watts of light (in 73 different colors)", and they run them at "40% blue and 20% white".

Why not just buy a light that is 60% less powerful...and run it at 100%?

Because the fixtures are designed to be as powerful as possible for deeper tanks.
Let's use Radions or Mitras as an example. If you want those features and qualities in a fixture, you only have the one choice. So if your tank is not 36" deep, you're probably not going to run them at 100%. The guy with a 36" deep tank and the guy with a 12" deep tank are both buying the same fixture. The guy with the 12" tank want's all the same features and qualities as the guy with the 36" deep tank. So instead of buying a lesser light fixture, he buys the same one and runs it at less power.

 

[mcgyvr]

If there were tons of options in lighting then sure.. One could do that..
But there aren't..

Example... Chinese black box LEDs you basically have a single 165W fixture..
I've never seen a 20W, 40W, 60W, 80W,etc... versions..

 

[Elricsfate]

Because the fixtures are designed to be as powerful as possible for deeper tanks.
Let's use Radions or Mitras as an example. If you want those features and qualities in a fixture, you only have the one choice. So if your tank is not 36" deep, you're probably not going to run them at 100%. The guy with a 36" deep tank and the guy with a 12" deep tank are both buying the same fixture. The guy with the 12" tank want's all the same features and qualities as the guy with the 36" deep tank. So instead of buying a lesser light fixture, he buys the same one and runs it at less power.

If there were tons of options in lighting then sure.. One could do that..
But there aren't..

Example... Chinese black box LEDs you basically have a single 165W fixture..
I've never seen a 20W, 40W, 60W, 80W,etc... versions..

Both of these explanations make sense. Thank you gentlemen.

 

[moondoggy4]

A good example would be the Kessil 160's and the 360's, I know that my 150 easily hit the bottom of my 24'' tank and was powerful enough for LPS.

One of the reefer here who was a huge equipment junky had a 120 tank and was using Kessil 160's over it. So had more 160 than if he had 360's, the advantage of having the 160 is that you can get more of them reducing the shadowing.

A few people here are using multiples of AI 26HD than the AI Hydra 52.

So your theory would work on the right confirmation.