Tank Dimension 36" X 20" X 20" - light query?

[csantanavaz]

Hi All,

Am starting a new reef setup and want to purchase some LEDs as i love the look of them... Unfortunately having looked online at a large number of brands, i cant seem to find any brands recommending their lights towards specific tank dimensions..

I was wondering what type of lights people recommend for a tank with the above dimensions? Obviously it is a fairly shallow reef, so i was hoping I could get away with 1 light...

I plan to keep fish, LPS & SPS so am aware I will need a fairly decent LED light.

Anyone have any recommendations?

Thanks all,

Calvin

 

[Ron Reefman]

There are a ton of fixtures from cheap to expensive, with extras from cool and useful to stupid and useless. You can get a couple of MarsAqua fixtures off Ebay for $160 with dimmer knobs up to a couple of Radions for $1500+ that controls everything... including all your spare time. Haha!

Do you want basic dimmer knobs and external timers that cost extra?
Or digital dimmers and built-in timers?
Or built-in controllers to do sunrise/sunset effects?
Or a fixture that can be run by a system controller like an Apex?
Do you want moonlights? (worth having IMHO) Thunderstorms? (a waste of programming space) Extra channels for different looks like sunny, cloudy, moonlights only, manual and custom? (also useful when showing off the tank to others or when selling corals to your friends)
Are Chinese made fixtures OK or not? (IMHO some Chinese fixtures are quite well made and some use really cheap parts that make them much less useful. Like loud fans, not using stainless steel screws, using painted metal cases rather than aluminum and powder coating, and no heat sinks vs good heat sinks)

I haven't bought an led fixture new in a couple of years, but don't most of them tell you the area they can cover? Consider that most leds have 90 degree lenses and therefore only cover an area in the tank that is less than double the area of the leds in the fixture.

And in looking at fixtures, don't get fooled by a couple companies that use 0.3W leds vs real 3.0W leds. The low power ones aren't worth the effort given you want to have lps and sps.

I'd also consider the sellers that are sponsors here at RC to be better bets. They have user forums here, they answer questions here and if you should have an issue, they will help you from here because they don't want the bad publicity.

And just so you know where I'm coming from, I have 4 tanks and 2 refugiums that have 7 led fixtures from 3 different companies, but they are all made by the same quality Chinese manufacturer.

 

[Breadman03]

With those dimensions, I'd think a pair of Kessil A360WE's would be a pretty good match.

Many fixtures cover about a 24"x24" area.

 

[Mark426]

For almost any of the top three brands you will need three fixtures to cover your tank without excessive shadowing. For instance, three Radions hung with the long axis running front to back should work well. Might get away with just two if hung high enough although I would expect quite a bit of shadowing. Guess you could start with two and see what you think.

I know you said LED's but an 8 Lamp ATI Sunpower would be my choice for your dimensions and livestock plans. Dimmable or not is up to you. Same fixture is available in a hybrid if thats something you prefer.

 

[Ron Reefman]

One 32" fixture from ReefBreeders or OceanRevive or ReefRadiance. Way more than enough PAR, great coverage over a 36" tank, sunrise/sunset ability, multiple modes, moonlights and a fairly inexpensive fixture for all you get. I have one from ReefRadiance over a 36" shallow reef and two OceanRevive units over a 180g sps/lps tank.

 

[Zacktosterone]

i would say a nice 36" REEFBREEDER brand light

2 kessil a360W E not the narrow... you might be able to get away with one.

2 radions

2 evergrow leds

if budget isn't a problem and you're going for the highest quality and don't mind a hybrid, go 24or36" ati led power module

 

[Bill Nye]

6 bulb ATI sunpower and never look back .

 

[Ron Reefman]

i would say a nice 36" REEFBREEDER brand light

2 kessil a360W E not the narrow... you might be able to get away with one.

2 radions

2 evergrow leds

if budget isn't a problem and you're going for the highest quality and don't mind a hybrid, go 24or36" ati led power module

ReefBreeders doesn't have a 36" fixture. They have a 32" and a 48".

EverGrow, ReefBreeders, and OceanRevive are all made by EverGrow.

 

[Zacktosterone]

ReefBreeders doesn't have a 36" fixture. They have a 32" and a 48".

EverGrow, ReefBreeders, and OceanRevive are all made by EverGrow.

oh i'm sorry. 32" would be fine

 

[colorful1180]

2 of 165w or 1 of 32'' 300w Chinese Black Box Timer Led Light would be perfect,white/blue/moon light channel,remote control and built in LCD screen with 3 channel timer,great spectrum,I run 2 of the timer lights,cost me $133 each shipped.

 

[Ron Reefman]

2 of 165w or 1 of 32'' 300w Chinese Black Box Timer Led Light would be perfect,white/blue/moon light channel,remote control and built in LCD screen with 3 channel timer,great spectrum,I run 2 of the timer lights,cost me $133 each shipped.

Where can I see specs on these fixtures? Do they have a website that lists the spec info? Is there a heatsink (more than a sheet of aluminum? What is the case made of, steel or aluminum? Is it painted or powder coated? Are the screws stainless or just steel? The Facebook page isn't very helpful.

 

[DocHogan]

You may also want to look at Maxspect led fixture. Timer and channels are build in so no need for an additional controller. I am using the 27" R420Z 16k and its plenty bright and only ramps up to 70% at peak time. Plus it mounting legs or you can hang it.

 

[csantanavaz]

thanks all!! am going to start a build thread soon as building the stand has begun..
will check all these lights out over the weekend..
was originally thinking of going all out for 2 ecotech xr15w pro's... i love the look & the controllability online etc..

but will look at all of these options.. definitely want to stick to LEDs though rather than a hybrid.

having got electrocuted by my previous t5s and having to give my tank up because of it has definitely put me off them!