Do I need a new light?

[DCT326]

Hi all,

Background here:

I have a 17 gal bowfront nano acquired already set up from someone else. It is about 18 in deep. The only corals currently in it are a few palys and a lone mushroom. I want to add more, all softies like more mushrooms and zoas.

The light is an LED fixture with 5 3W diodes (1 blue, 2 white, 2 yellow).

2 questions:

1) Light intensity: Is a total of 15 watts LED light sufficient for a setup like this? I don't know but I suspect it isn't, especially if I want to put anything near the bottom of the tank.

2) Colors: Is the blue/white balance off? Most of the fixtures I've looked at seem to have more of 50/50 ratio, and I know corals need blue wavelength.

If this fixture isn't going to cut it, can anyone suggest an alternative? I'd like to stick with LED. I am not sure what features to look for or what brands are considered best. I'd also prefer not to break the bank.

 

[GimpyFin]

If all you're going to do is softies on a small tank, the Current USA Orbit marine LED fixtures are pretty decent. They're not really designed for more demanding corals, but they're also less expensive. They even come with a basic programmable controller.

 

[DCT326]

Hmm, good to know, thanks.What kind of wattage would be appropriate? People seem to always describe coral light requirements in general terms (high, medium, low) but I don't really understand how to translate that into something quantifiable that will help me decide what to get.

 

[Natereef]

Hmm, good to know, thanks.What kind of wattage would be appropriate? People seem to always describe coral light requirements in general terms (high, medium, low) but I don't really understand how to translate that into something quantifiable that will help me decide what to get.

Whats the dimension of your tank and whats the brand of the led you currently have?

 

[DCT326]

Whats the dimension of your tank and whats the brand of the led you currently have?

The tank is 18 in high by 20 long, 13 in deep at deepest point of curve. The light is a Solar Flare brand.

 

[DCT326]

Any input??

 

[Pmj]

1) Wattage is different with different lights. Standard, decent LEDs would be 3W LEDs like epistar or phillips that are used in Chinese black boxes (Evergrow, MarsAqua, etc.) and their USA counterparts like Reefbreeders Photon or OceanRevive. A lot of higher end Cree LEDs may be 3W or 5w but actually way brighter than the previous generation or cheaper company LEDs, so you don't need as many.
If you see anything with 1W LEDs they are probably not very good though, at least to grow high end stuff.

2) Yes, the ratio is off. There is usually at least a 50/50 mix of blue to white if not an even higher ratio when including other colors (like say 2 blue, 1 UV, 1 white).

I recommend looking at reefbreeders website for an example, they post both the number and type of LEDs and their layout, with size recommendations. Good for a comparison to other things.

 

[Natereef]

Any input??

Hey if your current mushrooms and zoas are doing fine I would say its sufficient. But if you want other corals its rly best to upgrade your light.

 

[DCT326]

1)

I recommend looking at reefbreeders website for an example, they post both the number and type of LEDs and their layout, with size recommendations. Good for a comparison to other things.

These look like nice lights! The nano version might be just the thing although it's a little pricier than I was thinking. Anybody have experience with reef breeders lights?