Lighting suggestion

[cellingson]

Perhaps controversial but looking for some opinions.
I really want to grow a diversity of corals, mostly acros, but am having trouble picking a good light.
I currently run 2 165w visaspectra lights over a 36" by 36" by 20" custom tank. The acros do okay. Bird nest and LPS are doing fine.

I was thinking of improving growth with either an echo tech radion 30x gen4 pro or ATI sun power T5 unit.

Any thoughts or suggestions?


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[mcgyvr]

There are plenty of people able to grow those corals with Viparspectra or other "Chinese black box" leds..
There are also people with more expensive (Radions,etc...) light fixtures that can't grow anything well..
Often people blame their LEDs first and foremost but light is only one variable..

Supplementing with a single/dual T5 is often done by some to provide some "improvement" mostly in personal color preference and some "self shadowing" reduction..

 

[reefteaser]

It's been my experience with different LED fixtures on 2 different tanks that the most important thing for good growth (with regards to the lights only) is how the lights are set up. I don't own or use a meter, which would surely make things easier, but where's the fun in that? Anyway, through lots of trial and error I'm able to grow softies, LPS, and SPS without spending a couple of mortgage-like payments on lights. Placing the corals in an appropriate area has been important as well.
It would seem as if any decent quality LED's will grow coral, and the cost is more related to software, program ability, controller integration, and other such niceties.
I wonder if anyone has every thought of producing a fixture that could have separate zones for different intensities and colors so you'd have more choice in where to place everything.