I want to update my lighting...

[brandi1215]

I'm going to update my lighting system. It's way overdue! I plan on having coral in my tank and want to get good lighting for them. I would like to spend no more than $350 maybe a little more. I also plan on upgrading my tank to a larger size by the end of the year (I'm thinking anywhere from 90 Gallons to 120 gallons) so I want to get lighting sufficient for a larger tank than what I have now which is a 65 tall.
Oh, I would want something where I can still put my canopy on my tank.
I've attached a picture of my current lighting...
Hope I'm not breaking any rules by posting this picture, if I am please let me know and I'll remove it. Thanks

 

[snakeblitz33]

All I see is the top of the fixture...
What type of lighting is it? Is it T5HO or Metal halide? How many bulbs? How many watts?

 

[1guydude]

looks like a t5 unit to me... id go led if i was you's....no changing bulbs is great!
Also if u upgrade to a 90T or maybe a 120 u could still use the light and add a lil more for coverage.
I like evolutions, starks okay but not so great customer service wise imo, i do run par38 led bulbs but ud need more than the cost of a fixture.
Deff get a led fixture and make sure its using 3w crees or a lot of 1w's
Itll make sense as u look at em.
HTH's
-d

 

[siptang]

LEDs are great but natural sun's spectrum doesn't just contain blue and white. You would need to add red and green as well. (radions have them)
Majority of regular LEDs companies don't have these on there and you should in order to have nice colors on SPS corals. LEDs seems to do wonders for softies regardless of missing spectrum though.

 

[1guydude]

the sps dont actually miss out. The zooxenthelle (sp i know)... adapts and turns the blues(light) into the glucose for food... ive found that leds becuase of the narrow light spectrum actually shock the coral, however they come back with better color than ever!
Im not saying it would be better to have the other colors in the spectrum but its deff not hurting not having em imoe.

 

[siptang]

yea, I mentioned that softies do extremely well with leds.
Just sps misses out in some colors with missed spectrum. We have done independent research from our reef club and 2 tank running on same water but 1 with MH, 1 with LEDs (rapid led blue and white) showed that while growing at a great rate, coloration was WAY different when the water was same, same nutrient, dosing and etc.
I read somewhere online as well. I'll be soon creating a custom 3w cree set up with 48bulbs with whites, blues and also with uvs, greens and reds to create complete spectrum of light.

 

[snakeblitz33]

Sip, let me know when you make the build thread. I am interested in learning from you. I have been thinking of diying my own cree led fixture as well.

 

[siptang]

Sure, I just made the list and will be ordering tomorrow morning.

 

[siptang]

Seth, here you go.
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/392514/my-new-diy-led-set-up