Questions about lighting.

Gsharp · 01/13/2016, 09:33 PM

So, I've been doing a lot of looking the past month and a half trying to get all of my equipment priced out and what not; and I can't seem to find a light fixture that will suit my 29g tank. Its 30" long by 12" deep and 18" high, I was leaning toward LEDs because of the efficiency and the fact that I wouldn't have to change bulbs, but their so expensive..

I really hope someone can give me some suggestions as to what lighting products I should buy, either t5 or led work for me. I want to grow some softies and eventually get into lps and sps.

-grant

Sk8r · 01/13/2016, 10:11 PM

Consider that you will have to replace mh bulbs every 6-8 months, T5s not quite so often, but you do have to change bulbs, and mh's can go 50.00 a swat. I calculated that if my LEDs lasted 5-6 years I might be within spitting distance of a reasonable cost. I'd think one lighting unit should suffice.

Virtual Balboa · 01/13/2016, 11:25 PM

I had the same problem as you. I ended up putting two AI Primes on my tank. I like them a lot too. Have a lot of control and grow softies and lps no problem. I haven't tried sps but I have plenty of room to turn the lights up more if I wanted to. My best advice is if you're planning on using a standard 29 gallon, don't. Get a 40 breeder. I wish I would have.

rsain · 01/14/2016, 09:57 AM

There are some extremely affordable LEDs. Try MarsAqua on eBay. Search here for a huge discussion on them.

I dumped my MH for them.

-ryan

davehead86 · 01/14/2016, 10:39 AM

You can find a discounted AI or Radion on the selling page here which greatly increases the cost efficancy. If a standard LED lasts 50,000 hours your looking at roughly 4100 12 hour cycles before they go bad. Thats 11 years. Most of the LED's for sale here are 3-4 years old and most of them have sat in a box for 6 months to a year because the person tore the tank down or switched to T5 or MH.

30 wide tank will be fine under 1 light. If you go any bigger you need more than 1 light. Seems like the light drop off after 30 inches is standard and dramatic for most LED lights.

01/13/2016, 09:33 PM	#1
Gsharp Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Posts: 1	Questions about lighting. So, I've been doing a lot of looking the past month and a half trying to get all of my equipment priced out and what not; and I can't seem to find a light fixture that will suit my 29g tank. Its 30" long by 12" deep and 18" high, I was leaning toward LEDs because of the efficiency and the fact that I wouldn't have to change bulbs, but their so expensive.. I really hope someone can give me some suggestions as to what lighting products I should buy, either t5 or led work for me. I want to grow some softies and eventually get into lps and sps. -grant

01/13/2016, 10:11 PM	#2
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	Consider that you will have to replace mh bulbs every 6-8 months, T5s not quite so often, but you do have to change bulbs, and mh's can go 50.00 a swat. I calculated that if my LEDs lasted 5-6 years I might be within spitting distance of a reasonable cost. I'd think one lighting unit should suffice. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

01/13/2016, 11:25 PM	#3
Virtual Balboa Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Michigan Posts: 246	I had the same problem as you. I ended up putting two AI Primes on my tank. I like them a lot too. Have a lot of control and grow softies and lps no problem. I haven't tried sps but I have plenty of room to turn the lights up more if I wanted to. My best advice is if you're planning on using a standard 29 gallon, don't. Get a 40 breeder. I wish I would have. __________________ Mark "Anything worth doing, is worth doing right." Current Tank Info: 29 gallon, 75 gallon in the works

01/14/2016, 09:57 AM	#4
rsain Empiricism's Evangelist Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Spokane, WA Posts: 119	There are some extremely affordable LEDs. Try MarsAqua on eBay. Search here for a huge discussion on them. I dumped my MH for them. -ryan __________________ "The methods of science have been enormously successful wherever they have been tried. Let us then apply them to human affairs." - BFS "You can't fix with statistics what you buggered by design." - d Current Tank Info: They have water.

01/14/2016, 10:39 AM	#5
davehead86 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Monticello, IL Posts: 819	You can find a discounted AI or Radion on the selling page here which greatly increases the cost efficancy. If a standard LED lasts 50,000 hours your looking at roughly 4100 12 hour cycles before they go bad. Thats 11 years. Most of the LED's for sale here are 3-4 years old and most of them have sat in a box for 6 months to a year because the person tore the tank down or switched to T5 or MH. 30 wide tank will be fine under 1 light. If you go any bigger you need more than 1 light. Seems like the light drop off after 30 inches is standard and dramatic for most LED lights. __________________ My build thread http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=24225945#post24225945 Current Tank: 65 Gallon Mixed Reef\| 40B Sump\| 2 Radion Gen 3's\| 2 MP10wes\| Vectra M1 \| Reefkeeper Lite