LED Recommendation for 36"+ Deep? SPS & Anemones

r0cksteady

r0cksteady

New member
Hi All,

I've got a dilemma basically too many opinions and im just getting confused now.

I have a 3ft deep tank (36") and need LED lights that are capable of growing SPS toward the bottom of the tank and keeping my carpet anemones happy on the sand bed. Money isn't an issue (for initial outlay) but running costs are as im looking to reduce the electricity bill.

Im not sure if I should go:

Orphek DIF-100 XP
Orphek Atlantik
Vertex Illumina
TMC AquaRay AquaBeam 1000 HD Ultra Reef White

OR something else?

The focus being on something that can more than compensate for the depth. Controlling, asthetics etc are all secondary to the primary need to keep my carpets and grow SPS down low.

Can anyone please help me? My head hurts with all the conflicting info I read and I dont want to burn thousands of dollars only to realise I purchased the wrong product.

Many thanks in advance for taking the time to read and hopefully respond :)
 
The only problem is, your depth isn't very common so I don't think you're going to get any real suggestions.. Personally, the pendent with 45* optics will get you closest but you're going to need several of them for coverage because the beam is so narrow.. Have you thought about diy instead of a pre-made fixture?
 
Im sure another choice could be AI sol blues, they have a fairly tight optic and would penetrate that deep. Im getting a PAR of 230 with them on the sand bed 18" down running at 70% and 14" above the water.
 
My 150 is 48x24x31. I run a total of 110 LEDs over my tank. I have 60 degree optics on about 90% of the LEDs. I can't tell you par but I'm able to grow clams on my sand bed.
 
Depth is front to back, height is top to bottom, I am assuming you mean height when you say depth? I would also look at the Mitras, they currently have a customer using them with a 48" high tank.
 
Sorry I meant 36" HEIGHT. The depth is 30" and the length is 96"

Im currently running 250W MH with ice cap ballasts and lumen bright reflectors which work a treat. Ive grown acros off the sand bed and have a healthy collection of giganticas and haddonis.

I would like to avoid DIY and am looking for something to suspend from the ceiling.

So it sounds like there is no clear industry winner for the most powerful LEDs?

I was thinking I would get away for 4 DIF-100 or 4 Atlantiks?
 
r0cksteady said:
Sorry I meant 36" HEIGHT. The depth is 30" and the length is 96"

Im currently running 250W MH with ice cap ballasts and lumen bright reflectors which work a treat. Ive grown acros off the sand bed and have a healthy collection of giganticas and haddonis.

I would like to avoid DIY and am looking for something to suspend from the ceiling.

So it sounds like there is no clear industry winner for the most powerful LEDs?

I was thinking I would get away for 4 DIF-100 or 4 Atlantiks?
Click to expand...

Thing of it is, it's not very common to have a tank that deep. All LED lights are good for different reasons. You're going to need a powerful LED with some very sharp optics to penetrate that deep if you want clams in SPS near the sand bed. The drawback 2 sharp optics is your going to need many of them to fill the space . I can't think of any 4 fixtures that will handle your 30 inch depth in 36 inch height.
 
All of the cannon style ones will punch the depth, but as was noted above they do not spread very well. This is one of the areas the GHL Mitras do shine, they do not use optics but rather a unique reflector to help with spread and still punch the height. IIRC there is one of their customers using them on a 48" tall tank.

Out of curiosity why change from what you are using if they are working? You may find you need almost as much wattage of LED's to get what you already have.
 
I was hoping to reduce my electricity bill to be honest. Im paying $1200 a quarter.

The current MH lights = 1000 watts. 4 Atlantiks are 186 watts each which isnt half but a significant drop.

Truly im not sure what to do :(
 
I have Reefbreeders with 90 degree lenses on a 24 inch tall tank. They are 10" above the top of the tank and they run at 50 and 40% at only 3 hours of the day. AND I have 1/2 acrylic covers over the top of the tank!!
The Reefbreeders would work great and you would save a ton of money! They are a excellent light, and my SPS are coloring up nicely and rapidly growing. And you cannot beat their 2 year warrantee!
 
I would not buy canons. You do not need them. It will cost you alot more money and make little difference in my opinion........
 
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