I was out the hobby a couple years and now I'm back in. I thought for sure the conversation would change by now. Yet, when we talk about coral growth even in 2017, we still use words like "t5" and "metal halide". I mean, shoot, I was watching a BRS video the other day and they were using an ATI bulb as the standard for evaluating a led's spectrum. I know we buy the crap out of leds, but when I look through all the threads, it becomes pretty apparent (at least to me) what the "easiest" solution to keeping and growing a reef continues to be. I'm sure it will all change, just kind of thought that day would be now.
Lighting advice for new 93 gallon cube
- Thread starter dleute
- Start date
I was out the hobby a couple years and now I'm back in. I thought for sure the conversation would change by now. Yet, when we talk about coral growth even in 2017, we still use words like "t5" and "metal halide". I mean, shoot, I was watching a BRS video the other day and they were using an ATI bulb as the standard for evaluating a led's spectrum. I know we buy the crap out of leds, but when I look through all the threads, it becomes pretty apparent (at least to me) what the "easiest" solution to keeping and growing a reef continues to be. I'm sure it will all change, just kind of thought that day would be now.
Greybeard
New member
I was out for over a decade, started back in 18 months ago with LED lighting, BRS 2 part for calc/alk, and a thin layer of sand.
I now have halide lighting, am dosing kalkwasser, and just filled the bottom 5" of my tank with oolite sand.
Sorry folks, newer ≠ better. I'm back with what worked so well for me a decade ago. To each their own, I'm not saying it can't work for you, but it didn't work for me, and I _know_ this will.
I saw the CoralCare on BRS. I do like it, but it's not worth the hassle for me.
It looks like the Giesemann fixture has a mac desktop app. I'm not sure it is actually for the Aurora fixture though.
I work in technology, I just don't *want* to have a windows laptop for this. I have them and I have parallels. It's just annoying.
--Derrek
drummerboyevil
New member
I have this tank and I run a 24" geisemann spectra with a 400 watt radium 2x pure actinic 1x coral plus 1x blue plus. I'm about to build led strips to attach to the front and back. I tried G4 radion xr15 and the discoballing was too much for me...
My second choice would be Ati 8 bulb sun power with LED strips on the front and back.
My second choice would be Ati 8 bulb sun power with LED strips on the front and back.
4 hydra 26 hd are on the list for that reason.
I really like the reef breeders. Price, design, capability, they seem like a really good light. Two of them would be both cost effective and functional.
The reason they didn't stay on the radar is lack of apex. Though their own controller may be sufficient. The rapidled corona should be considered for non-apex options as well. That at least has an iPhone app.
Reefbreeder also has supernova (coming soon) which will have wireless control and a single unit may work for this cube. That is a very interesting option if it comes out soon enough.
I may simply need to give up apex.
--Derrek
How many g4 xr15 did you have?
That's MH and T5? MH is not something I really want to deal with.
The pre-built t5/led are starting to look better and better. I just wish they had apex controllability.
--Derrek
drummerboyevil
New member
Prebuilt t5/led are stupid overpriced for what you get.
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That may be, but I'm not sure I have the time or knowledge to build an apex controllable custom unit and mount it.
Do you have any info/resources that make a custom LED/T5 that will be controllable via APEX? Aurora pucks from rapidled could be used. There are also dimmable retrofit kits like this for T5:
http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/dimmable-t5-ho-miro-4-retrofit-kit-let-lighting.html
This would at least make APEX possible, but I don't have an apex today (and likely won't for a while). Is there a cheaper controller I could use temporarily until I go apex?
I will have many weeks while the tank cycles. So if the info is out there and easy enough to follow, it's not impossible.
--Derrek
drummerboyevil
New member
If you don't have time to build it, you could buy the reefbrite actinic strips and attach them to the Ati. I believe they have a dimming accessory that is apex compatible. Sbreef is supposed to be coming out with dimmable version of their bars as well in the next month or so, though I have no idea if it will be "apex ready."
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I haven't found any info on the ATI sunpower/powermodule software. Trying to figure that out. Honestly, setting up the cycle once and tweaking probably isn't the end of the world.
I've never looked at GHL Mitras. That is a completely new light to me. I'll check it out shortly.
--Derrek
drummerboyevil
New member
Check out orphek as well.
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Are those the strips that can pop in to a t5 bulb space? or just separate units to attach/hang with the fixture?
I looked at SBReef. I really liked them as well. They have sizes that actually match the cube size and the pricing and control is good, just not apex. Two of them seem like a remarkably good thing though.
As to orphek from your other post, they seemed almost like a fake company to me. There are obviously a lot of LED's on those units. And the pricing/power of 1 unit would be great if a single unit can actually cover this cube. Again, no apex. I don't know if the light spread can really cover the entire 30x30.
--Derrek
rtparty
Raise The Reef!
When it comes to LEDs, you should always plan on needing more than the manufacture states. The most successful LED tanks I've seen run more than manufacture claims.
Yeah, right now I'm leaning toward 4 hydra 26 hd. If this isn't enough light for a 30x30 cube to grow anything, I'm not sure LED's work. That's basically the most cost effective LED lighting with Apex controllability at their respective power.
I think LED lighting is particularly susceptible to a lot of misinformation because it is so tunable. I imagine serious LED users with par meters and sufficient density of lighting will do just as well as any T5, MH or hybrid. The key here may be density cost. If I'm not willing to do 4 hydra 26 hd from a cost perspective, the next stop would be a giesemann matrixx II T5 fixture or similar. Much cheaper, but not really what I want.
T5 and MH are very much "set it and forget" technologies. They just work, nothing to do.
My very close second choice at this time is the 24" Giesemann Aurora. It's about the same "up front" money as the hydras above (actually less, because mounting is cheap compared to HMS) but I don't have sufficient knowledge to say it is actually better light for what is in the tank. The LED aspects seem a bit like an after thought for a tank this size. Can the one 75 watt LED panel in that really make much of a difference? It seems like it adds visual appeal for color control more than tank wide nutritionally useful lighting. How could it cover 30x30 when full on LED lights really really don't. And, in that case, why have it at all?
*ponders*
--Derrek
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