Lighting Advice

[Abstrakt5]

I am planning on converting my Cichlid 45 gallon (36" length, 22" deep) into a reef aquarium. I've done a reef aquarium before, but there's a lot of things I want to do differently this time. The one I'm not too sure on is lighting. I saw some LEDs I liked but not sure if they're enough due to the 22" depth. I am leaning towards T5's, a little scared of heat from MH's. Any advice on types, brands, etc.?

 

[lpsouth1978]

My personal opinion is: if you go with T5, stick with ATI or Giesmann. You cannot go wrong with either. As for LED, I have always gone the DIY route, but was seriously considering the AI hydra 52 and the less expensive RapidLED Onyx with Storm controller.

 

[Abstrakt5]

Thanks I'm really liking the ATI 4x39w.

 

[kgravity]

I also second the DIY if you go LED. It just gives you a little more customization, you can do a mix of optics to control penetration.

 

[Ron Reefman]

My personal opinion on DIY leds is they cost as much or more than good chinese leds. The more control you try to add, the more expensive they get. Custom led layouts are fairly over rated. I have 3 custom layouts and 3 standard layouts and the difference is minimal.

If you are a big DIY person and want to build an led fixture, go for it. But if you think it looks like too much work, you're right.

 

[kgravity]

I agree it is really hard to compete with Chinese prices, and trying to get anything that looks good to house the setup is going to really up the cost. Control these days though is pretty cheap with the ldd drivers and arduino setups. But just like you said thats really for DIY lovers.

 

[lpsouth1978]

My personal opinion on DIY leds is they cost as much or more than good chinese leds. The more control you try to add, the more expensive they get. Custom led layouts are fairly over rated. I have 3 custom layouts and 3 standard layouts and the difference is minimal.

If you are a big DIY person and want to build an led fixture, go for it. But if you think it looks like too much work, you're right.

I won't argue these points, all of my DIY LED builds have cost AT LEAST as much as a retail product (plus a LOT more work). My latest cost considerably more than a retail product, but I have EXACTLY what I wanted.

Personally, I do not trust the build quality and components used in the Chinese boxes. For a little more money, I would go with the RapidLED Onyx fixtures and get the storm controller. The build quality is great, it offers more controllability with the storm controller, and it can be daisy chained with multiple Onyx fixtures. They even give a discount on multiple fixtures and supply you with the daisy chain cables (at no additional cost).