Vertex Illumilux question

[sneeyatch]

Hi Jeremy -

I'm looking at getting into a Mr. Aqua 12 gallon long nano. Dimensions of the tank are 8.3" x 9.4" x 35.4" long. Plans for this tank is a LPS dominant tank with some softies here and there. My plan is to use only a single Illumilux beam for all of my lighting (since the tank is shallow both ways).

My main question is - what is the light spread like from the sides of the fixture? My concern is the length of the tank being slightly smaller than 36" and I don't want to spill a lot of light over the sides, but what about a 24" fixture? Would the spread on the sides be adequate to light these areas as well? I can always put softies on the sides if necessary, I just don't want major dark spots on the sides.

Thanks for any info!

 

[Jeremy B.]

The Illumilux has a tremendous amount of spread to it, so much that the 36" fixture would definitely spill a lot of light into the room. The 24" fixture running at about 3" - 4" above the water surface would be the way to go. The only thing that I can see becoming any issue at all for you is the color. I'm assuming you'll end up running the 50/50, which might be a little too white for what you're wanting coloration wise. This would lead you into running two fixtures at that point, which not only gets pricey, but it will cover up over 2/3 of your open top tank.