LED lights for 40 gallon breeder...

[mmittlesteadt]

I'm still in the planning stages for my 40 gallon breeder reef tank. I'm only going to have easy to care for corals, inverts and a few fish.

So, I'm looking into LED options. I don't want to spend a fortune, yet I don't want to skimp too much either. I have no idea what to look for in LED lighting as far as output or color.

What are your suggestions for someone just getting started in reefkeeping?

 

[Stackemdeep]

So many choices. Having a built in controller will make things easy for you if you are just beginning because they will run themselves once you get the settings done. A couple of suggestions. 1. Hang them high enough for them to blend well and properly do their job. If they say 8-12" is fine, go with 14. 2. A 40B is not that deep of a tank so when you begin start at a lower power setting such as 40% blue channel and 20% white. 3. They are much more powerful than they appear to your eye. 4. Put new coral down right on the sand and slowly move them up. Again a 40b is not that deep. 5. Increase your settings very slowly over time. This should take months to get to your final settings and will also allow you time to stock your tank well. Most Led light systems cover 24" in length and an assortment of depth and width so for a 40 b you will need to consider a pair of some light systems vs one light of other systems such as a Reefbreeder photon 32. Lastly do your homework and go with a proven light system where you can see some results and success from previous users. The sponsor forums are a good place to look for this information. Good Luck!

 

[mmittlesteadt]

So many choices. Having a built in controller will make things easy for you if you are just beginning because they will run themselves once you get the settings done. A couple of suggestions. 1. Hang them high enough for them to blend well and properly do their job. If they say 8-12" is fine, go with 14. 2. A 40B is not that deep of a tank so when you begin start at a lower power setting such as 40% blue channel and 20% white. 3. They are much more powerful than they appear to your eye. 4. Put new coral down right on the sand and slowly move them up. Again a 40b is not that deep. 5. Increase your settings very slowly over time. This should take months to get to your final settings and will also allow you time to stock your tank well. Most Led light systems cover 24" in length and an assortment of depth and width so for a 40 b you will need to consider a pair of some light systems vs one light of other systems such as a Reefbreeder photon 32. Lastly do your homework and go with a proven light system where you can see some results and success from previous users. The sponsor forums are a good place to look for this information. Good Luck!

Thanks for the info. Do you have a few other brands to recommend I look into besides the photon 32? I'm looking for options.

 

[Stackemdeep]

You mentioned "not wanting to spend a fortune" without defining the fortune. Proven Systems would include AI Hydra, Radion, Kessil, GHL, Reefbreeders and a few others. While I love the functionality and low cost of a Reefbreeder, my personal choice if I were to do a 40b would be a pair of Kessil A360w. But that choice is because it would be aesthetically beautiful to me. I try not to recommend specific equipment to reefers because when you get down to a group of good vendors, it becomes personal choice. If money was not an issue, I would love a pair of GHL Mitra but unfortunately that is not reasonable for me. Generally the Cree based systems will cost more. What I can say is that your husbandry discipline, water chemistry stability, nutrient import/export balance and patience will be far more important to your success than your choice of LED light. We keep water first, then some fish and coral.

 

[mmittlesteadt]

Anyone know about these lights?

ELive

We carry these where I work. Keep in mind these are only going on a 40 gallon breeder tank which is only 16" high.

 

[toothybugs]

I recently ordered a set of BML strips for my 40B. Depending on your rockwork, you could easily get away with a single 36" strip for full coverage. Me, I went with 2 strips at 75 degrees because of how I have my rocks set up (3D, no rock wall in back - I have islands). They are a sponsor and generally get good reviews. Check them out - www.buildmyled.com or on the sponsor forums (down a ways on the main Forums page).

 

[toothybugs]

Part 2: The suggestion I would have for you is to put your money in to good equipment RIGHT AWAY. It's more expensive to replace cheap equipment with good equipment than it is to buy good equipment from the get-go. Helps you rule out problems as you're starting too - "I'm confident it's not my lights because I have (these) set to (this and this)" etc.

 

[mmittlesteadt]

This is why I'm asking. I haven't cheaped out on the skimmer or an RODI unit...and my last "expensive" piece to the puzzle is my lighting.

Yet I want at this time to get the best value for my money. I am still reading A LOT about lighting as it takes a bit more to understand fully.

I can get two Aquatop SkyLED strip lights...one full white and one full blue and we have them on one of our reef tanks at my LFS (where I work, but not in the pet department). The corals in there look stunning and are growing quite fast. Keep in mind neither that reef tank at the shop nor my 40 gallon breeder are very deep. They are only 16" high.

 

[noj3333]

IMO you could always go with a cheap ebay t5 fixture. If you're just looking to keep basic corals a 4 bulb should be fine. Invest in high quality bulbs, and be prepared with some emergency $$$ if the cheap fixture dies.

 

[mmittlesteadt]

I recently ordered a set of BML strips for my 40B. Depending on your rockwork, you could easily get away with a single 36" strip for full coverage. Me, I went with 2 strips at 75 degrees because of how I have my rocks set up (3D, no rock wall in back - I have islands). They are a sponsor and generally get good reviews. Check them out - www.buildmyled.com or on the sponsor forums (down a ways on the main Forums page).

Which ones from BML did you specifically get for your 40B?

 

[mmittlesteadt]

OK...I've found a 24" Quad T5 reflector.

My tank is 36" wide but I will not be building my reef out the edges of the tank. It supports 4 -24" T5 bulbs. It comes with 2 HO 10,000K and 2 HO Actinic.

Would this be sufficient?

EDIT: I've been reading about these here...and reviews go from junk to fine. I'm not spending $300 plus on lights no matter how great they are.

 

[toothybugs]

Which ones from BML did you specifically get for your 40B?

Specifically, in my case I got the multichannel 20K lights. No major need to go that high-end but my bonus came through last week so I figured I'd be stupid to pass up the chance. I put 75 degree lenses on them because I want to use them later in life for something deeper.

If I were in your shoes, doing this all over again and planning a more open aquascape (rock wall against the back of the tank, maybe a few low-lying islands out in front) I would get a 14K strip from the regular (non-XB) line with 90 degree lenses. Only would need one unless you want SPS.

You should know - you will need a controller for BML lights. There is a thread somewhere about a guy jimmying a Kessil controller to suit them but BML's own SoLunar controller is specifically suited to their lights (duh). The first generation of the SoLunar was not well-reviewed. Hopes are that the second gen should be okay. Since I'm not a tinkerer, I'm giving it a shot for basically the same money as the Kessil. But if you REALLY want to set up your new system right and get rid of this controller issue, consider a small Apex unit for your tank. It's another 250 for your budget but only 125-150 over getting the two units previously mentioned as it controls your lights as well and will do a lot more for you.

Of course, you could always get the BIG Apex, but that's going to cost you everything your have in your setup so far

 

[mmittlesteadt]

Just a thought here...

I plan on aquascaping my 40G breeder so there are more open spaces (it's just a look I like) and plan on having two "islands" if you will...one taller one on the right and a shorter one on the left with room in the middle and not going out to the ends of the tank.

Since the tank is only 36" long, would 24" wide lighting suffice? I'm thinking I would not need 36" wide light strips (whether I went LED or T5).

Thoughts?

 

[GilliganReef]

Since the tank is only 36" long, would 24" wide lighting suffice? I'm thinking I would not need 36" wide light strips (whether I went LED or T5).

Thoughts?

I have 40b tank with 36" coral life t5HO lunar light. I paid 200 for it at a local LFS. Where I think you can buy them pretty cheap online. I have it setup with 2 ATI blue plus and 2 ATI coral Plus. I am going to be swamping out my 1 Coral Plus for a Purple Plus just so my red favia pops more.

 

[South City]

The OceanRevive lights have gotten very good reviews and are very modestly priced. Do a search on Youtube for the OceanRevive T247 and see the many reviews there.

At the moment, Tyler Johnson has them on sale on his website. You can check out T247 at the link below. For a 40B, one unit would suffice.

http://www.addictiveaquaculture.com/en/led-lighting-reef-grow/8-arctic-t247-led-aquarium-light.html?search_query=t247&results=1 $148 and shipping for free

 

[mmittlesteadt]

The OceanRevive lights have gotten very good reviews and are very modestly priced. Do a search on Youtube for the OceanRevive T247 and see the many reviews there.

At the moment, Tyler Johnson has them on sale on his website. You can check out T247 at the link below. For a 40B, one unit would suffice.

http://www.addictiveaquaculture.com/en/led-lighting-reef-grow/8-arctic-t247-led-aquarium-light.html?search_query=t247&results=1 $148 and shipping for free

Those look interesting.

 

[South City]

Those look interesting.

I just ordered 4 of them last night for my 180 gallon build. I have heard nothing but positive things about these lights from those who already own them. They are being offered for $50 less on that site verses Amazon or the manufacture's website. Not sure how long that sale will last.

Quick searches on Youtube and Google should give you similar positive impressions about the OceanRevive lights.

 

[koko maung]

Is it just me or its just the light setting that making the T247 reef tank pics color washed out?

 

[exray]

I'm still in the planning stages for my 40 gallon breeder reef tank. I'm only going to have easy to care for corals, inverts and a few fish.

So, I'm looking into LED options. I don't want to spend a fortune, yet I don't want to skimp too much either. I have no idea what to look for in LED lighting as far as output or color.

What are your suggestions for someone just getting started in reefkeeping?

Check out Aquaticlife they the new Halo Led something like the Kessil. what's good about them is the master has the controller built-in and you get the slave also. that way you'll have two light with one controller and they use the Cree leds.

Good Luck

 

[mmittlesteadt]

OK, I got some lights. They aren't on anyone's list of LED lights to buy. I certainly appreciate everyone's input on this.

I bought three 24" Aquatop SkyLED lights. Here's my reasoning for going in this direction. First of all, I work for Ace Hardware and we have a huge pet department, specifically fresh and saltwater/reef tanks. As an employee I get everything at cost. Everything I've purchased thus far (RODI unit, 40G Breeder tank, stand, Eshopps PSK-100 HOB skimmer, powerheads, heaters, these LED light strips, etc.) is over $1000 retail, but I've only put in a tad over $500 so far and I'm ready to rock'n'roll with this setup. I run the frame shop at Ace (not working the pet department, although I help out occasionally) and because I'm also an artist I've been doing murals in the store in trade for store credit (in addition to being paid my regular wage) so really this entire setup is costing me nothing.

Here's my reason for the LED lights purchase. I basically get whatever we stock for free. I've been keenly observing our reef tanks at the store. Our resident reef experts in pets have been running these lights over the reef tanks here for quite a while. It's not what they would recommend as much as what they can store use for the tanks here. They are all shorter tanks like my 40G breeder and the corals they have are not only thriving, they are growing like weeds and looks absolutely gorgeous. They are running 36" lights over their tanks...one daylight (10,000k and 7,000k blend) and two actinic blue fixtures. My reason for choosing them was my cost (nothing) plus firsthand experience with these lights working on the reef tanks here (that are not very tall like mine).

I went with the 24" because the way I'm going to aquascape my tank it is not necessary to cover the tank with light all the way from one side to the other. I'm more concerned with coverage with my depth.

At some point if we ever get better reef lights in stock (which I'm sure we will at some point...we're always upgrading products we sell) I can always sell these to someone else and purchase better lights at cost.

For now these should work very well. I can't dim them, though based on the tanks here it isn't necessary (as I'm sure they're not high enough output to worry), but I am going to plug each fixture into timers to automate the startup and duration.

OK...so go ahead and tell me they won't work. I've got nothing really invested anyway. I'll keep looking into lighting and upgrade as necessary. Thanks again for all of your input. Lots of great choices.