Novices need LED lighting questions answered.

[pkstylez]

Originally Posted by Ron Reefman

3/4" leds...???

I have no idea why the size of the led matters? It's about the light it puts out and if it has enough PAR and enough blue spectrum. Algae doesn't care what size the bulbs are. If you have tiny leds putting out a good amount of PAR in the blue spectrum it won't grow alga at all (well, very, very little).

The big answer is, 95% of aquarium led fixtures will work. There are a few like Current Orbit and Marineland that use 0.3watt to 0.5 watt leds which are only good for shallow tanks (under 18" max and better at 12" than 18"). The inexpensive Chinese Black Boxes use 3.0 watt leds and drive them at 2.2 watts so they run cooler and last longer. These will grow coral just fine. As good as any high priced fixture IMHO.

If you want to buy a Mercedes or Cadillac version of an led fixture, be my guest, but the Kia and Hyundai versions of led fixtures put out the same kind of light as the expensive ones.

What do you recommend for a 24in deep 48in wide tank. It also has a hood so trying to make it slide in there to replace the t5 system instead of a clip on from back.

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[Ron Reefman]

Two questions:
1) Do you have a budget in mind?
2) What features do you want to pay for?

There are a handful of low cost fixtures that can work. From the very basic two channel dimable units like the Mars Aqua, to units that have built-in timers like Viparspectra, Reef Breeders Superlux and Ocean Revive T247B, to units that have the ability to do sunrise sunset like Euphotica, to units that have multiple channels (more than 2) for color control like Reef Breeders, Aqua Illumination, Maxspect, Eco Tech. Some have wifi, some can be driven by an Apex system, some have computer link able software.

It's no secret that my option is the Reef Breeders Photon V2. You need a good size budget (just under $600 for a 32" or 48" fixture ), but for all the features and looks it offers, it's the least expensive in it's class and is well made with Cree and OSRAM leds, slim aluminum case and can hang or use legs. But that's my choice. Nobody NEEDS multiple channels of color control, or sunrise, sunset control, or even built-in timers. The basic Mars Aqua makes virtually the same light with two 16" fixtures for under $200.

The differences in the actual light that most aquarium fixtures produce with 3w and 5w leds is so similar that there isn't enough difference to matter to the coral. They all grow coral, cost is driven more by features, size and looks (and profit margin in the case of really expensive fixtures).

[pkstylez]

Originally Posted by Ron Reefman

Two questions:
1) Do you have a budget in mind?
2) What features do you want to pay for?

There are a handful of low cost fixtures that can work. From the very basic two channel dimable units like the Mars Aqua, to units that have built-in timers like Viparspectra, Reef Breeders Superlux and Ocean Revive T247B, to units that have the ability to do sunrise sunset like Euphotica, to units that have multiple channels (more than 2) for color control like Reef Breeders, Aqua Illumination, Maxspect, Eco Tech. Some have wifi, some can be driven by an Apex system, some have computer link able software.

It's no secret that my option is the Reef Breeders Photon V2. You need a good size budget (just under $600 for a 32" or 48" fixture ), but for all the features and looks it offers, it's the least expensive in it's class and is well made with Cree and OSRAM leds, slim aluminum case and can hang or use legs. But that's my choice. Nobody NEEDS multiple channels of color control, or sunrise, sunset control, or even built-in timers. The basic Mars Aqua makes virtually the same light with two 16" fixtures for under $200.

The differences in the actual light that most aquarium fixtures produce with 3w and 5w leds is so similar that there isn't enough difference to matter to the coral. They all grow coral, cost is driven more by features, size and looks (and profit margin in the case of really expensive fixtures).

https://www.marineandreef.com/Aqueon...p/res15722.htm
Is this an affordable.option for a reef tank that is 24 inches deep?

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[Ron Reefman]

Originally Posted by pkstylez

https://www.marineandreef.com/Aqueon...p/res15722.htm
Is this an affordable.option for a reef tank that is 24 inches deep?

Absolutely NOT!!!

First, in their own info they state that the PAR (Photosynthetic Active Radiation) is only 18 at 12" deep in the tank, like that is a good number. They are banking on you not knowing what that really means. You really want the PAR to be at least 50 at 24" deep and it would be even better if it was 100 at 24" deep. A PAR of 18 really is not enough for any coral and that's only 12" deep. I wouldn't use this fixture over a 12" deep tank with coral. It's a fish only fixture.

Second, they say it has 76 leds but the NEVER offer info about how many watts the leds are (you want 3 watt leds run at about 2 watts minimum). And they never tell you how many watts the entire fixture uses. My best guess is it's probably about 24 to 36 watts and the individual leds are running at 0.3 to 0.5 watts each. That's not nearly enough.

If any fixture doesn't give you wattage for the individual leds or the total wattage for the fixture and the number of leds so you can calculate it yourself, don't even consider it as being worth looking at.

[pkstylez]

Originally Posted by Ron Reefman

Absolutely NOT!!!

First, in their own info they state that the PAR (Photosynthetic Active Radiation) is only 18 at 12" deep in the tank, like that is a good number. They are banking on you not knowing what that really means. You really want the PAR to be at least 50 at 24" deep and it would be even better if it was 100 at 24" deep. A PAR of 18 really is not enough for any coral and that's only 12" deep. I wouldn't use this fixture over a 12" deep tank with coral. It's a fish only fixture.

Second, they say it has 76 leds but the NEVER offer info about how many watts the leds are (you want 3 watt leds run at about 2 watts minimum). And they never tell you how many watts the entire fixture uses. My best guess is it's probably about 24 to 36 watts and the individual leds are running at 0.3 to 0.5 watts each. That's not nearly enough.

If any fixture doesn't give you wattage for the individual leds or the total wattage for the fixture and the number of leds so you can calculate it yourself, don't even consider it as being worth looking at.

Thanks brother!

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[Ron Reefman]

Originally Posted by pkstylez

Thanks brother!

Always happy to try and help with light issues.

[Tastee]

I have a 6 month old Red Sea Reefer 250 that I am stocking up as a mixed reef tank with fish. Soft coral dominant, but do want some SPS and/or LPS in the future. I am a long term freshwater fish keeper (40 years) but new to the saltwater hobby so are sticking to the beginner options. Currently have a couple of leathers, a torch and and some zoanthids.

My light is a Maxspect Razr 420R with the marine clusters. I am currently running a cycle maxing at 50%. I don’t currently have anything to measure PAR however. The tank is 18” (45 cm) deep.

1. 07:00 A 0%, B 1%
2. 09:00 A 15%, B 30%
3. 12:00 A 50%, B 50%
4. 18:00 A 50%, B 50%
5. 20:00 A 30%, B 40%
6. 22:00 A 0%, B 1%

Does anyone have any experience with this light in a tank of this depth?
Any suggestions as to the light cycle and max %age I should aim for?

Currently the corals are going reasonably well. The Sinularia and the brain coral are very happy, the torch seems ok, but one set of Zooanthids died, and some of the second set also died. The others seem ok for now. The zooanthids were placed lower than the other corals.

Tank picture here: https://sites.google.com/site/bradta...ures/tank1.jpg

Thanks!

[zeeGGee]

Originally Posted by Ron Reefman

Absolutely NOT!!!

First, in their own info they state that the PAR (Photosynthetic Active Radiation) is only 18 at 12" deep in the tank, like that is a good number. They are banking on you not knowing what that really means. You really want the PAR to be at least 50 at 24" deep and it would be even better if it was 100 at 24" deep. A PAR of 18 really is not enough for any coral and that's only 12" deep. I wouldn't use this fixture over a 12" deep tank with coral. It's a fish only fixture.

Second, they say it has 76 leds but the NEVER offer info about how many watts the leds are (you want 3 watt leds run at about 2 watts minimum). And they never tell you how many watts the entire fixture uses. My best guess is it's probably about 24 to 36 watts and the individual leds are running at 0.3 to 0.5 watts each. That's not nearly enough.

If any fixture doesn't give you wattage for the individual leds or the total wattage for the fixture and the number of leds so you can calculate it yourself, don't even consider it as being worth looking at.

what about the Current Orbit Marine PRO?



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[Ron Reefman]

zeeGGee, and your point is what? That a PAR of 20 at 24" deep isn't enough to grow sps coral, right?

[gabe145]

I have 2 AI Prime HD lights, is this enough for my 20" cube tank?

[gabe145]

Oh, I'm looking to make the tank an LPS tank that eventually evolves into an SPS tank.

[deal1]

This is all new to me...everything.
I'm using a flat hood that fits my 20 high..16 leds in groups of 4.Non dim-able. Yet my coral is growing(it is small and has a healthy color..no bleaching.
I'm not a technical guy,but it seems like what I've got is working

[Jloebenberg]

Howdy I’m running two fluval marine and reef led 2.0 on my 40 gallon tank (36 w, 24ish deep) These are Dom able and have a night/moon feature. I’ve jut introduced some sps frags to the tank (3 different lords, a micromussa and a frog spawn). Quick question among many others, do you leave your blues on all night or do you eventually dim them to complete darkness? Thanks in advance.
JL

[Ron Reefman]

Originally Posted by Jloebenberg

Howdy I’m running two fluval marine and reef led 2.0 on my 40 gallon tank (36 w, 24ish deep) These are Dom able and have a night/moon feature. I’ve jut introduced some sps frags to the tank (3 different lords, a micromussa and a frog spawn). Quick question among many others, do you leave your blues on all night or do you eventually dim them to complete darkness? Thanks in advance.
JL

JL, it doesn't make a lot of difference one way or the other (as long as the blues are dim overnight). The zooxanthellae (algae) inside your coral uses blue spectrum to do photosynthesis which helps feed the coral. It needs bright light for 6 to 9 hours as a minimum. But being bright 24/7 isn't good. The zooxanthellae need down time just like almost everything. But very dim blue moonlighting is OK.

Hope that helps.

[Fietsenrex]

I've been somewhat crippled by the sheer amount of LED fixture's out there so I do need some help..
yes I'm Dutch and have some shipping limitations regarding American based company's who don't ship international.

I'm planning on a 100gal reefer (35"x27"27") but it needs something to light it..
this is my first salt water aquarium and therefore I do not plan on starting with SPS corals or other expensive or demanding corals.
but I want my fixture to be able to grow more demanding corals if I want to.

the tank will be one with a closed canopy mainly to prevent light pollution in my living room.

I came across this but it doesn't state PAR data..
I was planning on eheim powerled+ leds but they also don't state PAR data..

AI hydra52HD or hydra26HD aren't the best of choice since I want a closed canopy, same goes for the Philips coralcare and kessil lights.

so really looking for something like a LED bar solution to get a somewhat better spread.
can someone help me out? trying to keep the budget at €600-€800 maximum..

[Nickyfish]

I just started in the reef hobby always had fish

I have a 120 and a kissel ap700 and a orbit 48" any thing u would add

[tatmanfish]

I'm finally going to make the move to LED for my new tank, but have a couple things I need help with.

My tank is a aquavim 105g corner making it tough to figure out an exact fixture or fixtures to cover the tank with little shadows. Don't mind shimmer at all as I have ran MH.

The tank is a 32" quarter cylinder with the longest distance between corners hitting 45" and a depth of 30".

It will be an sps dominate tank and I will be using the Neptune Apex so compatible fixtures are a plus. Price for fixture/s isn't too big of an issue, but the south side of $1000 is ideal.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.


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[Ron Reefman]

Originally Posted by Nickyfish

I just started in the reef hobby always had fish

I have a 120 and a kissel ap700 and a orbit 48" any thing u would add

Are you planing on using those two fixtures together? If so, how will you place them?

The Kessil is much more powerful than the Orbit (which is only good for fish only or shallow reefs under 18"... even better would be 12" or less).

Originally Posted by tatmanfish

I'm finally going to make the move to LED for my new tank, but have a couple things I need help with.

My tank is a aquavim 105g corner making it tough to figure out an exact fixture or fixtures to cover the tank with little shadows. Don't mind shimmer at all as I have ran MH.

The tank is a 32" quarter cylinder with the longest distance between corners hitting 45" and a depth of 30".

It will be an sps dominate tank and I will be using the Neptune Apex so compatible fixtures are a plus. Price for fixture/s isn't too big of an issue, but the south side of $1000 is ideal.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Tough tank to get good over all coverage. Is there an overflow in the back corner? I'd be looking at a 24" fixture up each side or doing 2... maybe 3 pendants like Kessils. Good luck.

[Pedal Damnit]

I'm new to LED, so I need to ask:

How much heat are these LED lamps giving off? Do they run cooler than MH? I have used MH before and I had excessive heat issues. I'm interested in setting up a 24" deep tank and considering a few LED pendant lamps.

[tatmanfish]

I was hoping to get away with a single kessil ap700 given the reviews and videos I've seen. I do have a corner overflow system as well so that eats up a few inches of the depth.

Originally Posted by Ron Reefman

Are you planing on using those two fixtures together? If so, how will you place them?

The Kessil is much more powerful than the Orbit (which is only good for fish only or shallow reefs under 18"... even better would be 12" or less).



Tough tank to get good over all coverage. Is there an overflow in the back corner? I'd be looking at a 24" fixture up each side or doing 2... maybe 3 pendants like Kessils. Good luck.

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[Ron Reefman]

Originally Posted by Pedal Damnit

I'm new to LED, so I need to ask:

How much heat are these LED lamps giving off? Do they run cooler than MH? I have used MH before and I had excessive heat issues. I'm interested in setting up a 24" deep tank and considering a few LED pendant lamps.

It depends on the fixture. Most led fixtures, even the Chinese Black Boxes I've dealt with, run a bit warm, but that's probably cooler than most t5 fixtures and way cooler than any MH.

Then there are the better led fixtures, like the Reef Breeders Photon V2 that run cool enough that at anything less than about 80% total power, the thermally controlled fan doesn't even turn on. About 75% of the time it's running (during the time it ramps up and then ramps back down) it runs so cool that it's barely a couple of degrees above the room temperature. Some other leds run this cool as well.

But there is the other extreme. I have two 21LEDUSA reef bar led strips that run so hot they're almost too hot to pick up with my bare hands. I've also had a very high end and well thought of led fixture that ran quite hot as well. I haven't used any of their newer releases and it would be my hope that they have improved their design and run cooler now. But I'd be going to a store and asking to see one in use and feel it for myself before I'd buy that brand again.

If you are looking at pendant leds, I assume you are looking at Kessils? They are commonly found in use at may LFS or coral shops. They offer a lot of shimmer (important to some users) and the run a strong blue which coral sellers like as it makes the corals look more colorful. But if they are running a lot of blue and very little or no white in the mix, be aware that the fixture is running at about 50% total power and it should be very cool to the touch. I have very little experience with them as I've found them to be slightly down on PAR when I've tested them with my PAR meter for fellow reefers in our local club.

[Ron Reefman]

Originally Posted by tatmanfish

I was hoping to get away with a single kessil ap700 given the reviews and videos I've seen. I do have a corner overflow system as well so that eats up a few inches of the depth.

My bad, I was thinking Kessil pendants when I said you might want 3 of them, not the ap700.

You have a 45" corner to corner distance across the front on what you want to be an sps dominated tank and you want to cover all that with one ap700. It probably can work for you, but I think you'll end up with dim front corners unless you mount it fairly high off the water. Kessil says that the ap700 can cover 48" of width with the fixture 18" off the water. But that will make for lower PAR levels the further out toward the corners you get, which isn't good for an sps tank. But then how many sps corals would be out at the far corners of the tank? Just be aware and keep slightly less light loving corals out there.

It's just an idea, but I'd still recommend 2 smaller fixtures running from the corner at the back of the tank out toward the front of the tank (assuming they fit), especially for an sps tank. You'll get better coverage in the front corners and more overall PAR for sps corals. One other advantage is that if one should fail for some reason, you still have one functioning fixture to keep the tank lit (although dimmer) vs one big fixture that if it should fail, you have no light at all (unless you have some kind of backup sitting on a shelf... which is never a bad idea).

[Pedal Damnit]

Originally Posted by Ron Reefman

If you are looking at pendant leds, I assume you are looking at Kessils? .

Thanks for the info. and yea, it seems like Kessil is the only choice for pendants? I don't see much else out there in that style. It would be just an aesthetic choice to go with 2-3 hanging pendants. I guess we need to be more open minded to the long slimline rectangular units.

[Special K85]

I am new to hobby and looking at slowly getting in to corals. I have been looking at 2 hydra 26 or kessil a360. i have a 75 gal tank with just a few zoas in there now. I want to be able to grow harder corals down the road and not have to replace my lights. i like that the hydra has built in wifi and I dont need to buy a programmer like i do for the kessil. Thanks. been lurking for a while soaking up info.

[Ron Reefman]

Originally Posted by Special K85

I am new to hobby and looking at slowly getting in to corals. I have been looking at 2 hydra 26 or kessil a360. i have a 75 gal tank with just a few zoas in there now. I want to be able to grow harder corals down the road and not have to replace my lights. i like that the hydra has built in wifi and I dont need to buy a programmer like i do for the kessil. Thanks. been lurking for a while soaking up info.

Sorry, I have zero experience with either of these lights so I can't be much help.