Spartan 43
New member
Looking for led for my 40 gallon breeder the tank is 16 inches tall the corals in the tank will be mainly be soft and lps Coral maybe some sps like birds nest or montipora I would prefer if it had blue and white and dimmable
Best led for under 100 bucks
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ReefMaster48
New member
Black box on amazon. best deal
Spartan 43
New member
How many would I need
Spartan 43
New member
I was looking at the wattshine 180 watt light do I only need one for my tank
top shelf
New member
If your wanting to do sps I would think 2 would be your best bet. Says one will cover a 24x24 area and lights are usually slightly exaggerated so a 36in long tank you'd probably need 2. However I've personally never used them just with your given price range it fits the bill. Maybe someone who has personal experience with them can advise you better.
top shelf
New member
Never heard of that company but it seems they use decent LED's and there supposed to be 3w. I've heard a lot of people talk about Mars Aqua and many seem to prefer them outta all the Chinese black boxes.
nereefpat
New member
I agree Mars aqua seems to be quite popular.
Depending on how high above the tank you hang it, I would bet that one fixture would work. Higher above the tank equals more coverage and less disco effect too.
I don't have personal experience with this fixture either though. I'd get one and hang it high, then get another if needed.
Depending on how high above the tank you hang it, I would bet that one fixture would work. Higher above the tank equals more coverage and less disco effect too.
I don't have personal experience with this fixture either though. I'd get one and hang it high, then get another if needed.
top shelf
New member
While yes hanging the light higher will give you more coverage and lessen the disco effect it also cuts down on the effectiveness off the light. The further you hang the fixture the less par you are going to get from it.
If your budget really is only $100 you have a couple options. You could get one and keep your sps up at the top and towards the center of the light. You could save up and get 2, you will probably be happier in the long run. You could also.wait on sps until you get a second and enjoy some softies and more light forgiving lps.
BRS has a good review of the black box LEDs, Gives you a good idea of what you can expect from them. https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/vide...lack-box-led-lights-are-they-worth-the-price/
If you can save up more, you'll occasionally see used kessils or gen 2 or 3 radion xr15's online around for $200. I'm not sure what these LED's have for bulb life. If you do your research Im sure you'll find some write ups about this around the boards.
If you can save up more, you'll occasionally see used kessils or gen 2 or 3 radion xr15's online around for $200. I'm not sure what these LED's have for bulb life. If you do your research Im sure you'll find some write ups about this around the boards.
Pandagobyguy
New member
Theyre are LEDs so id be far more concerned with the actually hardware breaking before i gave a second thought to the diodes
ratherbeflyen
New member
On my 40 breeder I built my own light using a scrap piece of aluminum for a heat sink, 10 watt led chips, (2 - 390 nm UV, 5 - 440 nm blue, and 5 - 10k white) 12v power supply, and a TC420 led controller. I was able to build it all for around $50 and has infinite controlability for intensity and on/off control timing. As an added bonus it also powers and controls the lights on my fuge and algae scrubber.
