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Unread 08/12/2020, 09:53 AM   #1
thislittlefisho
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Best lighting?

I’m trying to pick the best lights for my reef tank I’m setting up. It came with some single setting white LEDS in a bar, but I'm feeling like that isn't that great. I've researched some, too, and seen a bunch of different things. Thought I'd ask here: Do LED lights with settings (like night mode, storm mode, sunrise, etc.) really make much of a difference? Or would something that doesn't have all the fancy stuff work?


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Unread 08/12/2020, 04:05 PM   #2
Misled
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You really don't need all the fancy stuff, but I don't think just white LED's will work that well. You may be ably to grow some things, but I would look more for "full spectrum" lights. The only white would not be to my tastes for viewing either.


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Unread 08/13/2020, 03:54 AM   #3
wsboyette
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The lights the tank came with probably aren't full spectrum daylight. Need to get a lighting setup that is made specifically for reef aquariums. Metal Halide is great, but power hungry. I would opt for a modern LED reef lighting setup.


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Unread 08/17/2020, 02:13 PM   #4
Hellsangelbx
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I'm building my new tank now. I don't think there is one light on the market that can take on the shimmer of the Kessil. It's an actual lighting company. I was going to do Radions but after seeing Kessil in person again. I'm just in love with the product. The one Caveat is if your doing SPS your going to have to double the lights that you would normally put on for a SPS. What this means is - if you have a 48" tank you are good with 2 Kessils A360x for LPS but if you are going with SPS you will need 4 Kessils A360x. I'm all in on this for my new tank.


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Unread 08/17/2020, 02:28 PM   #5
ycnibrc
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If you want a proven plug and play light that works then T5 is the one. Acro needs the correct spectrum to grow. T5 is a proven light has been working for a long time. Led is great for viewing but to dial the correct spectrum need a lot of trial to find it. There are hybrid fixture now that use t5 n led together.


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Unread 09/04/2020, 12:01 PM   #6
smatter
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T5. Plug it in and it grows corals.


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Unread 09/04/2020, 03:10 PM   #7
herostar
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T5's burn out or lose their power/spectrum after 10-12 months. LED's will last for years. Something to consider regarding all-in cost.

Reefbreeders has some good budget LED options. I've had really good success growing SPS and other corals with their Value fixture, which allows you to dim the blue and white lights separately. They also have good customer service.


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Unread 09/18/2020, 07:17 PM   #8
cody6766
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The question is worse than Ford vs Chevy, but we'll work with you. haha

LEDs are the new hotness. Spend a little up front and you'll get a light that can grow anything and will last a long time. They're expensive and they cause more shadowing under rock ledges and coral branches than I like, but there's no argument that the good lights grow coral very well.

T5 is "old tech" that requires bulb replacement every 12mos or so. You'll hear some argue for every 6 mos, and everywhere in between. I change mine every 12'ish months and grow everything in my tank with great color.
They're less energy efficient than LEDs, aren't cheap when bought new, and have yearly replacement costs. That said, they give a better light 'fill' in the tank when compared to LEDs. LEDs are really directional and have very little spill past their reflector's focal area. This is great for intensity and limiting light spill out of the tank, but it's what causes the heavy shadowing I mentioned before, plus causes the 'disco ball' effect from some LED fixtures.

Metal halide is definitely old tech, but it works. Lights are harder to find, very energy inefficent compared to LEDs, still have annual replacement costs, and can also cause heat issues in the tank. Light spill is pretty bad, and they really benefit from T5 or LED supplementation in the the blue spectrum. They're not bad lights in the slightest, but they're just not worth buying new when starting out IMO. That said, one of my favorite light setups is a 250w Radium + T5. It's just hard to find the stuff to do it, and LEDs offer more flexibility.

All that said, I like LEDs with T5s. You can chose your primary source in either flavor. I ran a great 120g that used LED as the primary source with T5 supplementation for fill and color. Now I run a 6 bulb AI T5 light with LED supplementation. Both tanks were very successful and looked great.

I'd probably go all LED if someone twisted my arm and said that I have to find a light with just one source.


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Unread 09/18/2020, 07:33 PM   #9
moondoggy4
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BRS has a video on this, get all XHO's or Oprpheck light bars. No dimming, stagger on for effect.


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