LED Lighting for 48" 65 Gal

J

JMcGarva

New member
Hello I'm just starting out in salt water tanks and I'm came here to hopefully find some answers to my questions.

I have a local guy near me who does nothing but salt water tanks for 30 years and he has answered a lot for me. I came on here to get a second opinion.

I'm currently looking for LED lighting for my tank. I am wanting to do corals so the guy suggested I do LED lights instead of T5's. He said I can do T5's but in the long run, LED would be way cheaper.

Right now, I have two hood units with 18" White T8 bulbs in them. They sit on top of a plastic cover. He suggested that I get rid of the plastic cover and the hood units and get just the LED light that goes across..

I was looking at the Marineland reef LED Lighting System 48-Inch to 60-Inch"

Would this be a good light to use.. I would have to take off the plastic covers that hold the hood units on and the light would just sit on top of the tank with no cover... would that work?

Also, I have a center bar that is horizontal with the tank to hold the hood units in place. It is not removal. Would that effect the light and make it reflect else where.

I might be able to do two lights because of the center bar.

If anyone else has any other suggestions please let me know. For the lights I would like to stay under 200 and the cheaper the better.

Thanks
 
I just purchased the 48" lights and I love them but you should look at the Orbit Marine they are NICE with remote! I may upgrade. Oh $319.00 for the 48" at Dr. Smith and Foster
 
I've heard good things and bad things about the marineland "reef" capable leds. I don't actually know any par readings but for $319 I'd rather have a Kessil a350 or a al vega. If your trying to stay below $200 check out reefbreaders value leds . There's numerous options for leds but if I were you I would save my money and get something nice. Just my 2 cents.
 
ReefKeep66 said:
I've heard good things and bad things about the marineland "reef" capable leds. I don't actually know any par readings but for $319 I'd rather have a Kessil a350 or a al vega. If your trying to stay below $200 check out reefbreaders value leds . There's numerous options for leds but if I were you I would save my money and get something nice. Just my 2 cents.
Click to expand...

Do these small single bulbs work good? How many would i need for a 48" wide tank?
 
I'd second Reef Breeders if you're on a budget. Most likely you'll end up needing two units to cover 48"

Not too sure about the Marineland LED fixtures. They seem expensive relative to what you get from other companies in the same price range.
 
I'm looking to stay away from hanging units.. Does reef breeders have any top of the tank stand style lighting. I didnt see any when i researched earlier.
 
LED Lighting for 48" 65 Gal

Here's how I've mounted my Reef Radiance :) You might want to check out their DM-165p or the DM-165p+ The prices on these are amazing for what they do!
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1413686724.733232.jpg
 
You are very limited because of your budget. DO NOT buy the marineland. I have experience with the double bright, reef capable, and reef capable with timers between myself and friends. I hate to talk bad about marineland since they make great middle shelf products and definitely have the best customer service I've dealt with in any business.

My 36" double bright failed after six months and was replaced all they needed was the serial number and never had another problem. My buddy bought the reef capable when the new timer models came out. It failed within the first couple months. Marineland upgraded to the one with the timer free of charge. Then it failed after about a year cause it got water inside somehow on a tank with glass lids. They sent him another one no questions asked. As I said... by far the best customer service in the industry.

When mine failed it still lit up so they sent the new one before I sent the old one back which made me and my fish happy. Now to the really important reasons not to consider that light. First I think it uses .5w leds which in my buddy's 30g with similar depth to your tank isn't enough power. It does fine for soft corals and most lps, but little chance of keeping any sps.

And the biggest reason I hate the reef capable light is the color and lack of color. The whole tank looks yellow and dirty just from the light. The corals look washed out and you can only see colors up close. Once he switches it to just the blues it looks a million times better. Great color and the corals pop like they should all the time.

Moving on... I agree with whoever said save up and get a good light. I went into great detail about options I am familiar with in another led thread on the new to hobby forum a few minutes ago. You may find it helpful. I swear by aquaillumination. I like my reefbreeder on another tank but it doesn't hold a candle to the ai (pun intended).

Now to tell you what you want to see... if you are firm on your 200 dollar budget I know of a pretty nice economy light from a very reputable company that is better than the marineland in nearly every way. As a temporary fix while saving for hydras I bought a used aquatic life led fixture. It had everything you mentioned.

Saw it for 180 bucks online but not sure if that was new or refurbished. It also uses four legs that hold it above the tank and look pretty nice. The only downsides are that there is no built in timer (mine worked just fine on a 5 dollar outlet timer) and you can't turn on just the blues to see the awesome pop and glow of all the corals (but you could buy a cheap blue strip for that). The color was great though. The tank, fish, and corals all looked good and responded well to it. My sps corals were struggling a bit. 1w leds aren't really enough for most sps but the ones up high in my tank were doing fine. My 90g is also 24 Inches deep so might be plenty in your tank.

Good luck and happy reefing!!
 
IF not the one I posted above then..

What about lights from http://reefradiance.com/

Which lights would be best for me.. I'm looking for ones that are on a timer and have auto dim mode..

I also notice they make a stand which is a plus!!!

I also noticed they try to sell you to make the lights into a 60º 90º or 120º optics.. What does they mean?

I was looking at the 132 model ...

http://reefradiance.com/dm-132e.html


Does this come with everything and dont have to buy a separate timer and such.

Also, I'm guessing I would need 2 of them? I have a 48 " wide tank and probably going to use the bracket they sell on their site..

If the 132 model isnt good for me which one is?

Thanks for your help
 
LEDs can be cheaper than T5s (long term) with some notes:

1. If you buy a crappy LED fixture and replace it, you'll spend much more on LEDs.
2. Depending on whether you need a chiller, LEDs can save money on electric. If you won't need a chiller with T5s, then you won't save much every month.
3. There is always a next gen LED fixture (like Radions gen 1, 2, 3). Buying the latest version each time is a quick way to spend a TON of money.

In your situation, with your budget, I'd go T5. The cheapest LEDs that I would personally recommend (and I have them!) are BuildMyLED (pick your color choice). If you went LED alone, you would need two fixtures (~$350 each and you'll need a controller). BML fixtures are awesome! I have 1 BML supplemented with 4 T5 bulbs. So you could always do a combo.

But if you buy a cheap LED fixture, you will regret it (and end up spending much more than you would have buying a reasonable LED fixture from the get go).
 
JMcGarva said:
Which lights would be best for me.. I'm looking for ones that are on a timer and have auto dim mode..
Click to expand...

I don't know anything about the specific lights you posted, but I personally like fixtures without anything built in. I have found those timers often break before anything else fails and you often have a worthless fixture as a result.
 
JMcGarva said:
I'm guessing im gonna have to put out about 500+.. So if I do, I might as well get the best for that price..

I'm looking between Two of the DM-165p+ because it has timer, dimmer, and can get a stand for them (without hanging anything)
I would get it with the 120º optics
http://reefradiance.com/dm-165p1.html


or

Reef Breeders Photon 48

https://www.reefbreeders.com/shop/photon-48/
Click to expand...

I know the Photon 48 is a very good fixture. I have no idea about the other so I wont comment on that. The photon gives you the ability to do a complete sunrise and sunset its fully programmable.
 
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