So Confused: LED Lighting

[bob1825]

I am in the process of planning a 54 gallon reef tank and would like to keep Maxima Clams and other corals that require high amounts of lighting. I may not start out with these types of animals but it is where I eventually would like to go. So, I would like to get the lighting right from the start. Tank dimensions would be 35 inches wide, 21 inches high and 20 inches deep.

Here are my questions:

• Will one Radion XR30w Pro
• Generation 3 provide enough coverage
• What should I look at to determine whether or not I will have enough coverage for a tank that is 35 inches wide?
• What other less expensive but good brands of lighting should I consider?
• Any general pieces of wisdom would be appreciated!

Thank you in advance for your time and thoughts.

My experience: numerous freshwater and saltwater tanks since I was a kid. Now 45 but have been out of the hobby for 10 years, and can't believe how much the technology has changed in that time. Trying to play catch up.

[JammyBirch]

You'll get mixed reviews, I run an LED system and have good growth, but a lot of people don't like them and haven't had a good experience. With LEDS, you have to adjust the height off of the water to get the best coverage for width and length, the depth of your tank will determine the power level you'll need to drive the light into the water.

I run an 18" cube so an LED setup was a great choice for me, but if I had a larger tank I'd probably run t5's. It's really easy to bleach out coral with these LED's, they are more direct light and add some complexity. T5's seem like an easy way to get the job done, you just turn them on, plus they are cheap to get started with. Life, power consumption and heat are an issue with everything but LED's though.

Keep researching these forums LED's are a hot topic.

It's a tough choice, and will depend on your budget, the final look of your tank and how interested you are on figuring out your setup.

Good luck.

[gone fishin]

LED's are a hot topic. Some folks hate them others love them. Some swear by one brand or the other. I currently use the Maxspect razors, the only LED I have used. They have done the job for me. The one thing I would say is IMO get 3 watt LED's that are controllable. Also, take your time setting them up. It took me about 2 months to get them dialed in to the settings that worked for my corals and for me. good luck in your search.

[smittysmith2]

I have a Current USA LED Strip. I don't know if it's bright enough for your clams, but I'm pleased with it.

[jpa0741]

If you stick with a high quality led you should be fine. Just find a fixture that covers your tank well. I use reefbreeders on a 26" deep tank and can't even dial them up half way yet. Your problem wont be not having enough but too much.

[SparkyTuna]

I got the Radion xr30 pro gen3 on a 40 gallon cube. Growth and color is thru the roof, and im only running at 55% intensity. Tried a few other lights, but once i got the radion i never looked back.

[duckmeat]

I installed the reef radiance D-165p+ last friday. fully controllable from smartphone 3 seperate dimmable channels, and full spectrum $249, and love it. However i wouldnt recommend the overpriced POS mounting kit($60) that you can buy seperately. it doesnt fit properly and leaves the light 2-3 inches off the water. and now that i own the mounting bracket, i cannot return it.

[toothybugs]

I have a pair of multi-channel BuildMyLED strips over my tank and love them. Took a bit to get used to them (I'm used to a Kessil system) but I've ran several halide systems and now several LED systems, and I think I'm leaning LED for the flexibility. Nice thing about BML is that you can get them custom-ordered to suit your particular tank - lens angles, particular spectrum, etc. and the controller, though a little challenging to learn at first, offers a nice variety of setup options. I like the Kessil system for its color, easy to use controller (that little thing is incredible), and shimmer effect though. Not nearly as many options, however, unless you hook it up to an Apex (which you can do with BML strips too).

[oldbones]

Take a look at the lineup from AquaIllumination.

I'm currently running an AI prime over a 29g biocube, and I REALLY like this light. The controllability is outstanding, 7 separate color channels controllable over a 24 hour clock. Speaking of which, the clock just struck 6, and the first hint of "sunrise" just came on. You can control the lights with your Ipad/IPhone, Android device, or over the web with your computer.

I am having a new tank built, very similar to yours (34l x 19w x 19.5t). I'm on the fence about using two AI Primes (should be fine for softies and LPS, maybe a little SPS up high right under the lights), or stepping up to either; two Hydra 26 or one Hydra 52.

[pdiehm]

just ordered a photin 48 from reef breeders.

[ajespo85]

Originally Posted by pdiehm

just ordered a photin 48 from reef breeders.

+1 on that.

I run the Reefbreeder value fixture on my 20 gallon, and by buddy does to over his 40 cube. He has 2 clams, both do good. When I upgrade to a 40 long, I'm getting the 48 reefbreeders for sure.

[Bpb]

If you're prepared to spend the money on a single radion pro which will NOT provide you with adequate coverage, instead spend the money on two Buildmyled 20k multichannel strips with a controller and be set. You'll have all the par you need and phenominal color and super high quality diodes.

[Wesus]

I had 24" reefbreeders, now 2 Kessil A360 on my 57 gal. Both very powerfull. I like better Kessil coloration

[Dmorty217]

Originally Posted by bob1825

I am in the process of planning a 54 gallon reef tank and would like to keep Maxima Clams and other corals that require high amounts of lighting. I may not start out with these types of animals but it is where I eventually would like to go. So, I would like to get the lighting right from the start. Tank dimensions would be 35 inches wide, 21 inches high and 20 inches deep.

Here are my questions:

• Will one Radion XR30w Pro
• Generation 3 provide enough coverage
• What should I look at to determine whether or not I will have enough coverage for a tank that is 35 inches wide?
• What other less expensive but good brands of lighting should I consider?
• Any general pieces of wisdom would be appreciated!

Thank you in advance for your time and thoughts.

My experience: numerous freshwater and saltwater tanks since I was a kid. Now 45 but have been out of the hobby for 10 years, and can't believe how much the technology has changed in that time. Trying to play catch up.

Look for 3watt Cree LEDs if you want the best LEDs. There are all sorts of makers of LED Reef lights. They vary really only in quality and controllability.

[xCry0x]

Originally Posted by Dmorty217

Look for 3watt Cree LEDs if you want the best LEDs. There are all sorts of makers of LED Reef lights. They vary really only in quality and controllability.

+1

As long as the LED diodes are Cree you are generally good to go.

At the bottom of the price range you typically get fixtures that are not controllable besides on/off. They are also typically single channel. All lights on, all lights off.

A step up from there is dual channel, whites on, whites off. Blues on, blues off.

Step up from there is dual channel & dimmable. on/of, 50%,60%, etc.

Step up from there starts to get into fancier $$ light fixtures. Mixing in cool white, warm white, royal blue, blue, red, green LED diodes and possibly full control over each spectrum.

Even fancier start getting all the add ons like "weather patterns" "sunrise simulation" blah blah blah.

I have a "cheap" dual channel non dimmable fixture. Has worked fine for me. I put a sheet of window screen over the light to dim it for a while, now I run it uncovered about 3" off the water - actually I just hung it from ceiling the other day so it is ~5-6" off water now.

Works great, corals grow great. Coral like light in general.

LED start to fall off when your tank is deeper, you need to switch optic types and start playing a tradeoff from the nice spread of a 120* optic to 90* optic to tighter and tighter optics to focus light deep into tank, at which point you risk getting spotlights from the lights. That is why on bigger tanks people still typically use nice high end 350/400w metal halide lights. Huge lighting, huge energy bill.

[WhiteTang]

Originally Posted by bob1825

I am in the process of planning a 54 gallon reef tank and would like to keep Maxima Clams and other corals that require high amounts of lighting. I may not start out with these types of animals but it is where I eventually would like to go. So, I would like to get the lighting right from the start. Tank dimensions would be 35 inches wide, 21 inches high and 20 inches deep.

Here are my questions:

• Will one Radion XR30w Pro
• Generation 3 provide enough coverage
• What should I look at to determine whether or not I will have enough coverage for a tank that is 35 inches wide?
• What other less expensive but good brands of lighting should I consider?
• Any general pieces of wisdom would be appreciated!

Thank you in advance for your time and thoughts.

My experience: numerous freshwater and saltwater tanks since I was a kid. Now 45 but have been out of the hobby for 10 years, and can't believe how much the technology has changed in that time. Trying to play catch up.

I have a Giesemann TEZLA LED for my nano. I have seen other tanks with leds and almost all of them, even the high end Radions, have a disco ball effect to them. That when light scatters through the water surface and reflects on the sand / back panel etc with different shades of colours. This is happening because the various color LEDs have a certain distance between them and don't merge toggle a uniform color. Check it on youtube to see what I mean. The only LED that is powerful enough that does not have this disadvantage are the KESSIL LEDs (A360xx). They also have great shimmer and the color is great. But I have to admit that RADIONs also make the tank look amazing.
In any case I would go with Kessil for my next tank.

Whatever you choose, know that it is going to be expensive, because you need to have high intensity. Also consider that the light you buy will have a controller.
Personally I would stay away from cheap brands. Not because they are not good, but you can sell much easier if you are not 100% satisfied with it.

There are a lot of options, shapes and sizes with LEDs. Don't be fooled by the silly functions of most high end kits. The features that really matter are color temp and sunset/sunrise functions. Storm, cloud and what not mode are just silly fanfare..

[murdock84]

According to ecotechs website one radion will cover a 30" wide area. You could probably do it but the outer edges of the tank won't be so bright. I run two on my 60" tank. Here's a picture of how it covers that. I am running the radions, just not the pro's my tank is probably about 20" from water to top of sand. I also only have them at 50% but may back it off a to 45%.

[Tigerdragon]

The lumentek series is also a good sys

[brittonv]

NO expert here, but for my 36" tank I contacted EchoTech and they recommended 1 xr30 and 1 xr15 as the XR30 is good for about a 24" Spread.

That is what I got and I am happy with it... But I dont' know any better either so...

[WhiteTang]

Originally Posted by murdock84

According to ecotechs website one radion will cover a 30" wide area. You could probably do it but the outer edges of the tank won't be so bright. I run two on my 60" tank. Here's a picture of how it covers that. I am running the radions, just not the pro's my tank is probably about 20" from water to top of sand. I also only have them at 50% but may back it off a to 45%.

Very sharp looking tank! I like what you did there!

[toothybugs]

Originally Posted by xCry0x

LED start to fall off when your tank is deeper, you need to switch optic types and start playing a tradeoff from the nice spread of a 120* optic to 90* optic to tighter and tighter optics to focus light deep into tank, at which point you risk getting spotlights from the lights. That is why on bigger tanks people still typically use nice high end 350/400w metal halide lights. Huge lighting, huge energy bill.

If you go BML you can get lenses as tight as 30 degrees for mega-punch. I have 75 degree lenses on mine. The big tank in my basement will be getting 60 degree lenses on the outer edges to reach the bottom better.

[bob1825]

Thank you everyone for your time and insightful responses. You have given me a lot to think about. I am sure I will have more questions based on this info.

If anyone has additional thoughts it would be appreciated! Thanks again.

[BigCountry74]

if I were going to buy LED again I would go Radion xr30 pro gen3 or Kessil A360WE

they are $ but so far are the only LED proven to work. the cheap **** does not work. least for me. I tried it. no growth.

[murdock84]

Originally Posted by WhiteTang

Very sharp looking tank! I like what you did there!

Thanks, added a few frags and changed the rockwork a little since that was taken about 2 months ago.