Novices need LED lighting questions answered.

Rats, here I thought they were going to be somewhat decent.

Here's my list of corals I like and what I was kind of planning on eventually getting too. Think most of these will be out or ?

Toadstool
Cabbage
Torch
Flower Pot
Cauliflower Colt
Fire & Ice Colony Polyp
Lavender Mushroom
Birdsnest
Neon pineapple Tree
Blue Mushroom
Cauliflower

I had kind of avoided most SPS but I think a few had slipped in there.
 
Hello,
I'm looking to supplement my current lighting system on a 48" tank. I have a lighting unit, but have a little extra room where I'd like to sneak in a LED strip. Does anyone sell a good LED tube/single strip that's kind of thin? No more than 2-3" wide I'd say
 
As everyone has noted getting clean info on LED lighting is tricky.
At the moment we are running a 25gal nano reef (16in deep) and I want to upgrade lighting. The hood we are using has 2x 24in T8's and isn't much good for anything but mushrooms (even then they aren't thriving). It was good for when it was FOLWR tank but now its coral time.

LFS suggested refitting with Sunblaster HOT5's (which they have) or something like this
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/331972755776

Economically the ebay light strip makes sense but I am weary. The light spectrum looks reasonable however after 2 days of searching and reading the last 6 pages of this thread I can't gather enough info to accurately evaluate these lights. We'd like to run soft corals and perhaps some SPS's down the road. The T5's are the go-to option but the refit will look kinda garbage. Where the tank is situated there are no options to hang lighting above and little room behind for accessories.

Any advice?
 
You might look at the OceanRevive T247 fixture (they have a sponsor forum here).

It's about $30 more, but it's a much better looking (more modern) fixture, has the same basic led layout as the MarsAqua. And both will have good light for any corals in even a 24" deep tank. The OR T247 comes with adjustable legs, a built-in on/off timer for each channel and digital dimmer control (not sunrise/sunset but better than manual dimmers).
 
razord said:
Hello,
I'm looking to supplement my current lighting system on a 48" tank. I have a lighting unit, but have a little extra room where I'd like to sneak in a LED strip. Does anyone sell a good LED tube/single strip that's kind of thin? No more than 2-3" wide I'd say
Click to expand...

ok, so I found what I'm looking for from 21LEDUSA. Going to go with a ReefBar Pro, but curious which one to buy. If I'm supplementing my current PCs, should I go with a 50/50 bar or Full Spectrum? I'd love to hear someone's thoughts on that.

https://www.21ledusa.com/aquarium_led_reefbar_pro_48_5050_p/rbp505048.htm

Thanks!!!
 
hybrid lighting.

hybrid lighting.

what is the optimum combination of T5 and LED wattage for a 110 gal high for soft coral and fish?
 
Trying to figure out wattage of lighting for a tank used to be a common formula with MH and t5. But even back in the day it was a VERY shaky way to size your lights. And since leds have come onto the seen with dimmers and controllers and now even some t5 are dimmable, wattage formulas are pretty much out the window. What you really want to look at is PAR (Photosynthetically Active Radiation), and there is a meter for measuring PAR. Look around and you may find a nearby fellow reefer with one you can borrow, an LFS or even some outfits rent them out.

Get led fixtures that will work for your tank. Then add any t5 you want and dial back the leds a bit. Even a Current Orbit led fixture would probably be OK with 2 or 4 t5 bulbs given you just have soft corals, But I'd recommend sticking with led fixtures that use 3 or 5 watt leds and that way you can always migrate to lps or even sps if you want to.
 
I have a 55 gal tank I'm currently setting up

I have a 55 gal tank I'm currently setting up

my tank I have is 55 gal. it's currently in the cycling stage.
haven't decided if I should do coral reef or just fish with live rock.
what are the pros and cons. what lightening would I need for a regular fish set up and what's good but affordable for a reef set up
 
Well, the pros and cons about fish only tanks and coral reef tanks are probably better addressed in the regular forum as this one is supposed to be for lighting.

Lighting:

A fish only tank can run with pretty much anything for lighting, even a $25 fluorescent shop light from the local hardware store. All you are doing is lighting the tank so you can see the fish.

A coral reef tank has live corals which host an algae inside the polyps called zooxanthellae and it needs strong cool white light. The algae needs the bright light to be able to perform photosynthesis which feeds the coral. You'll want to buy a fixture that is specifically made for lighting a coral reef aquarium. Easy corals need a bit less light and harder corals need rather intense light. Fixtures can be MH (Metal Halide), t5 fluorescent or led (or some combination of these). A basic fixture for a 55g tank that is 4' long will cost at least $100 for the very cheapest t5 fluorescent and $200 for a couple of MarsAqua led fixtures and the sky's the limit after that. Some fixtures for a 4' reef tank can run up over $1500!
 
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