Best light unit for a Sca 66 gallon?

[Traderdan24]

I have been out of the hobby for a number of years, but had seen this sca 66 gallon tank and it got me excited again. This looks to be a all in one, sort of. It doesn't come with a light. I have been looking for one that would give me the option of growing both hard and soft coral. I had seen the EcoTech Marine Radion XR30w Gen4 LED Light Fixture and it seems to look as if it would have the spectrum as the tank is 32"x24"x 20"H. The price is scary though, so I was wondering if anyone would have a suggestion of lights that are good quality and would work with this tank. Led is a new world for me. Thanks for your help.

 

[LQT]

I know you are looking at LEDs but if I were to get an SCA 66 I would personally get a non dimmable ATI 8x24w Sunpower T5 fixture and grow anything I want with absolutely no shadowing issues. I say non dimmable because the dimmable fixtures seem to develop ballast issues over time. I know it's not the sexy LED fixture answer, but for proven results and max coverage, IMO it's a no brainier. That's my opinion and I'm sticking to it!

 

[Traderdan24]

I haven't even considered t5's. I just assumed that led was the new miracle light. My last tank had mh but always battled temp. I thought that with the led I probably wouldn't be fighting the temp problems anymore.

 

[tassy]

Mars aqua 300w. Has worked well so far no issues. I have found out not to turn the whites up too high, algae issues

 

[LQT]

My only issues with LEDs from the major manufacturers are the puck style arrays. You always end up needing more fixtures than they recommend due to shadowing issues especially for mature SPS tanks. If going for LPS and softies, it's not as much of a concern. On my next build, I will either go with an full ATI T5 fixture or have Dave of Nanobox Reef retrofit an ATI fixture with 4 Nanobox LED pucks for the best of both worlds.

 

[moondoggy4]

I like that tank I have considered it for myself. I would put a Radium 250 over it with a couple of Reefbrite led strips. The Reefbrites will be the most expensive. MH can still be found at a cheap price not as good as a couple off years ago.

 

[Ron Reefman]

Take a look at the Reef Breeders Photon V2 24" or 32" led fixture. It's slim and modern looking, has full spectrum and individual color control like the Eco Tech at half the price. I just put a 50" over my new CadLight 125g and a 16" over my 2' cube display refugium. Personally, I think if you want the control and don't want to spend premium bucks, these are the best deal out there. BTW, I had the older version of these lights over a 180g tank for 4 years and grew sps and lps corals just fine. My problem was the old fixtures were the wrong size for my new tank!

 

[Hentz]

The MH/T5/LED debate is literally like the Chevy, Dodge, and Ford debate. All those trucks will do what you ask, however each will have a different style and technology packages.

Point is, every choice you make will be a great choice and will allow you to successfully grow anything you put in your tank.

Metal Halides, proven for decades. Will grow whatever whenever but they run hot.
T5HO, proven for years as well. Will grow whatever whenever. The run warmish but will cover your tank completely.
LED's, new and upcoming however they're continuously proving themselves. While they're not plug and play like T5/MH, once you find their sweet spot and STICK WITH IT, they will be amazing just as every other light. These just offer more controllability than others and run very very cool.

Personally, I ran LED's with great success. First Reefbreeders, then Radion, then Hydra 26 HD's, then ATI 6x24 Dimmable, and now ATI 6x39 SunPower. They all work. However I will be keeping be T5's because they're simple and plug and play. Though I'd never hesitate to go back to LED's.

That being said, it's up to your budget and your want. Do you want to play with settings of LED's to find that perfect spot? Or do you just want to plug them in and let them do their thing? Only you can answer all this!

 

[Dj Anarkee]

I'm ordering an SCA 66 and just purchased Reef Breeders Photon 24-V2 since they were on sale. After doing some research they seemed like they are a good buy. I was really torn between them and the SBox 30" Elite ramping, but since they were on sale and the fixture looks nicer, in my opinion, I went the Reef Breeders. I was just in a LFS and saw them on a 65 gallon and they looked great. They did have some disco ball effect which some complain about, but it did not bother me. Good luck with your SCA 66! I'll post pics of my build when I get started.

 

[Traderdan24]

After much debate I decided to go with radion 30x pro. I talked with Scott from sca aquariums and that was the first light he told me to go with. I appreciate everyone's input as I did a lot of research with your suggestions. I will make a build thread later. Today was step one, reenforcing the floors. Now it's game on.