lighting? help 134gallon

[stocktons.tank]

i have a 134gallon 48x32x18 salt water tank i want it to be a reef tank. i have no idea what type of lighting i should get to keep corals at the very bottom. i plan on moving corals an clam out of my bio cube into the tank an the clam. i dont want to die so please help!!

 

[danielreef]

U can use corallife fixture with 8 bulb. Or led light is good too

 

[sirreal63]

To be clear...48 wide, 32 deep and 18 high? It will make a difference on the lighting.

 

[stocktons.tank]

Its

 

[stocktons.tank]

ITS 48 long 18 wide 32 deep

 

[sirreal63]

If you want to go T5, you will need to look at ATI, a lesser T5 will have a tough time with that 32" height, if Halide then a high par 250 watt setup.

 

[FDshoes]

LED's. They are the present and future plus save boatloads on electricity.

 

[stocktons.tank]

which ones cheaper

 

[sirreal63]

32" tall and cheap lighting to do not mix well if you want to keep any light loving corals on the bottom. LED's will need tight optics to punch the depth and that means you will need more of them to get the coverage. If you are handy, a DIY LED would be the best bang for the buck, or a used MH with very good reflectors.

 

[FDshoes]

Not true any more the new stuff coming out is absolutely ridiculous the readings are off the charts. LEDs are more expensive up front but you will save the difference in electricity within the first yr. I bleached a 6in birdsnest colony 10 in deep when i switched to mine.

 

[sirreal63]

Oh great, a hype machine.

 

[FDshoes]

We can all thank the cannabis industry for fueling the evolution of new LEDs and understanding the science behind them. Whether u like it or not it is a multi billion dollar industry and we as reef keepers will benefit greatly from the advances that are being made technologically and understand which exact wavelengths produce the best growth. So everyone say thank you to all the pot heads lol.

 

[FDshoes]

Not hyping a friend of mine and an lfs owner just came back from a lighting conference in chicago a couple weeks ago and all they talked abt was LEDs and there future MH and t5 really will be a thing of the past. Reasons from previous post are true not made up all from info i received from this conference.

 

[stocktons.tank]

what will be good leds? how many an what colors?

 

[sirreal63]

I am interested in his answer too.

There are led fixtures that will do what you want out of the box, depending on your budget.

 

[FDshoes]

Correct there are ones right out of the box that dimmable & programmable about 400 per unit. I personnelly have the coral maxx II they have whites blues and red all on different ciruits for the timmer. I really like them just wish they were dimmable because almost to strong for anything within 8 in of the surface. Really have to slowly move up any new sps frags i get. I have a green trachyphyllia open brain that has more then doubled in like 4 months its now prb 6 in in diameter on the bottom of tank. Not sure on what exact companies there are now so many of them. Research grow lights.

I know the reds and the purples are starting to be used more especially the UV red it does not penetrate deep into the water but sps corals do benefit from it. There are multiple wavelengths of whites being used and the deep 460 nm blue which is absolutly stunning to look at. I dont have a ton of info since i am also still trying to learn more as well. But from my expierence with my LEDs and what this guy was saying LED is the only way to go.

I forget the company but it :s making led expandable strips so you can mix and match any color and wave length that you want. The good LEDs will now double the par and pur readings at the bottom of a 24 in tank then a new 250w MH can produce.

Sorry for the unorganized response. The only other thing i personally left my reds on to long and not only does the sps like it but so does hair algae so be carefull with how long its left on.

 

[FDshoes]

Typical units cover a 2x2 square so on a 4 ft tank you need two of them 6 ft 3 etc. Look for ones that are dimmable timeable programable etc. Look for there charts for each ones specific colors and the wavelengths they chose to use then look at how far down each will penetrate. The good companies will have graphs set up showing this and there par and pur readings. So much out there and so much coming out soon.

 

[sirreal63]

While that fixture is probably a competent unit, the company selling it is full of b.s., this from their web page...claiming the mh is a 10K XM, one of the strongest bulbs readily available. In order ror it to have that poor of numbers there is something wrong with it or it is 10 years old. FWIW my 150 watt halide has better numbers.

Type of lighting: Metal Halide (250w)
Depth: PAR

light to surface (15"): peak-400 avg-350
just under surface of water: peak-91 avg-80
12" under water: peak-87 avg-80
bottom of 55 gallon tank (19"): peak-47 avg-40


Type of lighting: LED(Coral Maxx Ultra 2, 180w)
Depth: PAR

light to surface (15"): peak-700 avg-600
just under surface of water: peak-380 avg-375
12" under water: peak-250 avg-200
bottom of 55 gallon tank (19"): peak-175 avg-165

It is sad when a company trades in rubbish in order to make something else look good. To anyone who has ever held a par meter in their hands this is an insult, the mh par readings are closer to what you will get with a 70 watt MH. The led unit should be a decent one, but it cheapens it by making ridiculous claims.

 

[stocktons.tank]

where did u get ur coral maxx II? what a good company to get leds?

 

[FDshoes]

I never said go with mine there are newer ones that are way better. I bought those abt a yr ago little over. That doesnt change the fact that leds versatility make them a bettee option. There has been millions upon millions of dollars spent recently on leds potential to grow plants and replicate natural sunlight because of the cannabis industry. No joke. Higher end models do now outproduce any other lighting you obviously have to research them all because you have tons of companys trying to jump into this market. If the light is made to repliccate natural sunlight as close as possible it doesnt matter if its for growing plants indoors or lighting your reef tank. Never before has this hobby seen so much beneficial research done to promote proper lighting.

I just recommend everyone does a little research on it the information on what is out there it really is mind boggkling with leds you can hit every beneficial light wavelength in one unit how these plants and corals grow in nature is all abt the wavelength of light they use and leds can hit them all.