On a 48in, 75 gal, what could grow with one LED light fixture?

[Golden Age]

I know for this size of a tank, I will need 2 LED fixtures or one BIG fixture, but I can't afford to buy 2 right now, and I would prefer to buy 2 great LED fixtures like a Radion instead of 1 big cheaper LED fixture like a Reefbreeder Photon 48, so I want to buy 1 now then add another in a few months.

In the meantime while I'm waiting to purchase the other, what could be grown? I'm interested mostly in softies and LPS along with polyps.

[myram]

Don't under estimate the "cheap" Reefbreeder units...............price doesn't always dictate performance.

If you can't afford a Photon 48, go with a Photon 36 and remove the optics.

[laredo300c]

Uhhhh, ive read some people who had radions, switch to reefbreeders and now im hearing vortech users switching to wp40 or 60.

[Golden Age]

Originally Posted by myram

Don't under estimate the "cheap" Reefbreeder units...............price doesn't always dictate performance.

If you can't afford a Photon 48, go with a Photon 36 and remove the optics.

Bad choice of words. I didn't mean cheap, I meant more in terms of features.

I'd rather have the fixtures that do what I want them to, than a fixture that doesn't, but is less expensive.

The problem is I can only afford one of the more expensive fixtures at a time and my question is if that is pointless and if I will need 2 right off the bat to grow softies in a 75 gallon.

[myram]

I've seen the radions next to a reefbreeder, in the same frag tank.............to me the reefbreeder did a better job.

[Golden Age]

Originally Posted by myram

I've seen the radions next to a reefbreeder, in the same frag tank.............to me the reefbreeder did a better job.

Okay, let's pretend I'm getting a reefbreeder and could only afford the small fixture now and was going to buy another one down the line (also in case I may upgrade my tank down the line)

Could I grow softies in a 75gal with one right now or I do I need 2 or the big photon 48 right away?

That's my question.

[Anemone12]

Most likely your only be able to grow things on one side of the tank if you get the smaller reefbreeders. But that goes for radions to. You will ends to led light fixture to light the Whole tank.
Both are still very powerful lights.

[Donkeykong]

Its not about what can grow but where? You will be limited to to putting corals close to where you have the light hanging. You can hang the light very high and thus get the whole tank lit up but will still need to keep the high light corals directly under or fairly close to the light fixture. I have a buddy that has a single radion over a 4 foot frag tank, the tank is shallow so he doesnt have to worry about depth. He has the light about 18 inches above the water and only has zoas and softies out at the edges of the tank with lps a little closer and sps directly centered.

[laredo300c]

Isnt easier to have a budget....say $200 now and $200 down the road or $300? Or $400 whatever, this would make it easier for us to recommend something now.

[Portsie]

I don't think it's a hard question, or that any more info is needed. If you have your heart set on radions, and can afford one now and one later, go ahead and do it! One will definitely be able to support coral growth. If you center it over the tank, you will probably have dark spots near the outside edges, but just keep your corals towards the middle of the tank.

[myram]

One radion is $650.........48" photon is $500

If you can afford one radion now, then you can do the photon and get full coverage.

[ghostman]

+1 to the comments above. A full sized reefbreeders is high on my list of desirable light fixtures. You have to ask yourself what features you will be missing.

[Stackemdeep]

+2. You can grow anything you want with a 48 photon Reefbreeder. On that tank I doubt you will need to run it above 50%.

[fishcraze_1]

You can cover the 75 with a photon 32 and still grow just about anything throughout the tank. They cover a very large area. I have clients that have photon 48's on 4 foot tanks that wish they had gone with the 32.

[tmantaylor18]

Originally Posted by fishcraze_1

You can cover the 75 with a photon 32 and still grow just about anything throughout the tank. They cover a very large area. I have clients that have photon 48's on 4 foot tanks that wish they had gone with the 32.

Sps tanks?

[Golden Age]

Thanks for all your help everyone. I suppose I'll just run my tank dark for a couple more months and save up for the Photon 48 instead of buying one Kessil now and another later.

[moondoggy4]

Kessil's 350 w tuna blues, 299 each.

There is a LFS that uses the basic Reef Breeders lights for his frags tanks for softies and loves them, they have the manual control.
Get the 32 fixture like fishcraze 1 stated.

[Frostslasher]

I have the same size tank, and couldn't agree more with moondoggy4. The Kessil 350's are now considered late model, so you could probably get 2 used in good shape for around $200-250. I myself use 2 350N, as opposed to 350W, and it covers the length of the tank quite well.

[Gugs Jr]

If you are a DIY selfer you can look at rapidled.com

That's where I purchased mine and they've done really well.