Advice on light for a FOWLR?

[tomreefer]

I have a 75 gallon tank and came with a marineland led light says it's for freshwater so I assume can't use. I like a light that can create good coralline not too expensive. I may go back to reefing in the future though.

 

[Dundermifflin]

I've asked a few different times about lighting for a FOWLR, but never got much of an answer. I don't think the lighting needs to be too elaborate. I am now using a COSTCO LED shop light. $35 and covers 42 or 48" long.. Seems to do the job. I'm willing to go more elaborate if needed, but no one has told me that I need to for a 120G FOWLR.

 

[tomreefer]

Are Appolo Reef Led's available still? I seen some lights on Aliexpress.com looking for cheap led option

 

[vhuang168]

Check out the Chinese black box LEDs on eBay and Amazon. People here have been having good success with them growing LPS n sps even.

 

[tomreefer]

like this one:

http://www.aliexpress.com/item/WYZM...-Dimmable-Aquarium-LED-Light/32461697849.html

I wonder if you can control it using apex

 

[cloak]

The light you have is fine IMO. For a FOWLR tank all you really need is enough light to see the fish clearly, that's it. Also, depending on your parameters, coralline algae will probably grow as well. It really doesn't require super intense lighting to thrive.
FWIW, I had some of the best coralline growth in my old 60 gallon tank with just a 40 watt NO fluorescent bulb over it.

 

[first29gallon]

Can I use the 24w T-5 lighting that came with my 29 nano and put corals in there? One is a 12w white bulb and the other is a 12w actinic

 

[cloak]

Can I use the 24w T-5 lighting that came with my 29 nano and put corals in there? One is a 12w white bulb and the other is a 12w actinic

I wouldn't. You might be able to get away with some mushrooms or GSP up top, but those lights just won't be able to sustain the corals long term IMO. The colors won't be very bright, growth will be slow etc. Almost as if the corals were in limbo.

 

[first29gallon]

I wouldn't. You might be able to get away with some mushrooms or GSP up top, but those lights just won't be able to sustain the corals long term IMO. The colors won't be very bright, growth will be slow etc. Almost as if the corals were in limbo.

cloak, what about an anemone under my lights? Would that be okay?

 

[cloak]

cloak, what about an anemone under my lights? Would that be okay?

No.. These tend to require the bright lights as well plus a pretty stable environment too. If you want to create a happy healthy reef aquarium keep in mind that having the proper lighting will be key. I know they can be expensive and all, but if your in this for the long haul then it's definitely worth it.
Just as an example, for a 29 gallon tank something like a Kessil A160WE be a good choice. They're not very expensive, they don't generate a lot of heat, you'll be able to adjust both the whites & the blues to achieve the look you want, they're easy to mount etc. You should be able to keep pretty much anything in the tank with this set up.

http://www.aquacave.com/kessil-a160we-controllable-led-aquarium-light.html

 

[first29gallon]

No.. These tend to require the bright lights as well plus a pretty stable environment too. If you want to create a happy healthy reef aquarium keep in mind that having the proper lighting will be key. I know they can be expensive and all, but if your in this for the long haul then it's definitely worth it.
Just as an example, for a 29 gallon tank something like a Kessil A160WE be a good choice. They're not very expensive, they don't generate a lot of heat, you'll be able to adjust both the whites & the blues to achieve the look you want, they're easy to mount etc. You should be able to keep pretty much anything in the tank with this set up.

http://www.aquacave.com/kessil-a160we-controllable-led-aquarium-light.html

That is expensive!! I am in it for the long run but I might not be with the tank I have. I would like to upgrade the tank in 6 months when i move out. Maybe I will stick to FOWLR for the time being and then upgrade lights and the tank in the future. BUT what do you think about the Mars Aqua 165w LED Unit?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/165w-MarsAq...ull-Spectrum-LPS-SPS-Coral-Reef-/370857093101

 

[cloak]

That is expensive!! I am in it for the long run but I might not be with the tank I have. I would like to upgrade the tank in 6 months when i move out. Maybe I will stick to FOWLR for the time being and then upgrade lights and the tank in the future. BUT what do you think about the Mars Aqua 165w LED Unit?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/165w-MarsAq...ull-Spectrum-LPS-SPS-Coral-Reef-/370857093101

That might work, but to tell you the truth I'm not really too familiar with all of the LED set ups out there. I'm still running a MH bulb and loving it.. You might want to create another thread in the Lighting, Filtration & Other Equipment forum and see what others think about running that light over a 29 gallon tank. GL.

 

[igot2gats]

A florescent light will do the job.