Need LED Lighting Advice
- Thread starter Spudroach
- Start date
chris.scang
New member
Take a look at the reef radiance dm-165p+ lights. I have 3 of them over my 180 mixed reef. My corals are growing like crazy since I got these lights.
ClownMan727
New member
These are working for me. Growing SPS. http://www.oceanrevivellc.com/goods.php?id=19
snake1
Premium Member
Those look nice clownman can you make both lights operate off of one controller
A quality setup that can grow anything, deliver pop to your corals, shimmer and once dialed in is virtually set it and forget it is the Photon 48. Comes with a 2 year transferable US warranty and one of the big pluses for me is the unit is user serviceable. If something should fail, rather than sending it away for repair leaving you with out a light for several weeks, you can easily swap out LEDS, drivers, the controller, etc. without voiding the warranty.
The ReefBreeders Photon 48 is fully programmable for an automatic sunrise/sunset/moon light simulation. This is a huge benefit opposed to just dimable lights on a timer because the 24 hour light cycle is automatic including the moonlights.
https://www.reefbreeders.com/shop/photon-48/
Now, you may find that ANY led setup alone will work, but not as well as adding a supplement like T5's. LEDS by the nature of their design don't blend spectrum all that well and tend to spot light which means you can have corals do great in one spot of the tank, but not so great in another. To cure this you can add 4 of these SunBlaster NanoTech T5 fixtures to your setup. Two on either side of LEDS. The fixtures won't break the bank as you can find them for ~$30 each. Each fixture can be connected to each other to run on one circuit on a timer or aquarium controller. They come in 2, 3, and 4 foot sizes, however, note that the 4 foot size is greater than 48 inches, 49 and change. So you may need to go to the 3 foot fixture to avoid light spillage or if your captured by a canopy. Don't forget you're also going to need to buy bulbs approximately every 6-9 months. ATI is the bulbs you want.
http://sunblasterlighting.com/nanotech-t5ho-reflector.php
This setup is proven to provide excellent growth for corals assuming you keep your water parameters stable and within acceptable ranges. JanesMW (Mike) has been running this setup for a while with good success and I will be running this exact setup on my 310 gallon upgrade.
There's plenty of other ways to light a tank, this is just one that works very well.
Hope this helps.
The Photon 48 looks pretty good.
I was looking at EcoTech lights because I have two MP10 wireless units. I figured XR15Ws and a Reef Link unit would be nice because I assume every thing could be controlled thru the Reef Link. But good grief, I would have to spend almost $1000 for the two lights and the controller. Don't know if it would be worth twice the cost of the Photon.
I was looking at EcoTech lights because I have two MP10 wireless units. I figured XR15Ws and a Reef Link unit would be nice because I assume every thing could be controlled thru the Reef Link. But good grief, I would have to spend almost $1000 for the two lights and the controller. Don't know if it would be worth twice the cost of the Photon.
They will both grow any coral. IMO, the Ecotech lights have a lot of bells and whistles and they do use Cree LEDS opposed to Bridgelux, but the small footprint of the light which requires multiple units for coverage and the price were too much to overcome for me. Not to mention I could really care less about lightning effects or seeing a graph of my light intensity on a computer screen. I simply want to grow corals.
And again the BIG plus of the RB lights is they are user servicable. I had the left side moonlight driver go bad on me a few months ago, called Logan and it was at my door 3 days later, no questions asked and it did not void my warranty like most manufacturers will. Took me 20 minutes to replace, most of which was time spent unscrewing and re screwing the panel. You can't beat that customer service. Especially for a $500 light that will cover a 48"x24" footprint.
And again the BIG plus of the RB lights is they are user servicable. I had the left side moonlight driver go bad on me a few months ago, called Logan and it was at my door 3 days later, no questions asked and it did not void my warranty like most manufacturers will. Took me 20 minutes to replace, most of which was time spent unscrewing and re screwing the panel. You can't beat that customer service. Especially for a $500 light that will cover a 48"x24" footprint.
Sonicboom
Addicted to salt
I'm a fan of the AI Hydras, and you have different options to choose from that won't make you sell your first born for. They offer the AI Prime, Hydra, Hydra 26 and Hydra 52, All can be controlled with 1 controller and the prime has a controller built in. I have been using them since day one almost 3 years ago with SPS dominated tank.
Henchman24
Member
I really like the kessil A360 I have on my cube. one covers a 2 foot radius so 2 would be needed if you went with these. They are controllable with apex for sunrise/daylight/sunset effect & have sweet shimmer.
