Light Recomendations

aquapod 24

aquapod 24

Member
Alright just making sure..... Perfect timing for one of my pc bulbs to go out, just another reason to get a new light! Just got to figure out how I'm going to hang it. Do you know of someone that makes a wall bracket or something that goes on the back of the tank that I could put those yo yo thing on? Are there any legs that would fit it?
 
nikesb

nikesb

Active Member
no legs that would fit. the best would be to hang it from the ceiling or to get an l bracket to attach to the wall and hang it from there
 
aquapod 24

aquapod 24

Member
I think I'm going to get a nice looking l bracket and mount that to the wall and hang the fixture from that with the included hanging system. I hope to order it tomorrow. Do you think I would need to do something to acclimate my tank to the new light?
 
nikesb

nikesb

Active Member
thanks, yes i run 6 t5s over my tank. i will be adding led strips to accent the colors after this winter
 
aquapod 24

aquapod 24

Member
I showed my dad the fixture and he researched it and he found someone that it has to small of a heat sink and that it is a generally cheap fixture and he will not pitch in any moony to buy it (I disagree with him but I can also see where he is coming from because he is very skeptical) altho he is very supportive of the led concept. He said that the nano tuners led retro fit 5.6 . My only concern is that it would get to hot and that it is not powerful enough. So my 2 question are:
1 would it be powerful enough to support sps corals and clams? (the $400 one)
2 would it get hotter than the stock pc fixture even if I got the upgraded fans?
3 what would be a good led color arrangement that would give me colors between 14k and 20k?( I was thinking 2 antics and 3 50/50)
 
nikesb

nikesb

Active Member
for between 14-20k, you want a ratio of either 2:1 or 3:1. nano tuners retros arent fixtures, theyre designed to keep the stock hood which alot of people like. i dont think itll be as hot at all. you may want to contact them yourself and ask them for temperature comparisons
 
aquapod 24

aquapod 24

Member
Ya it defiantly an expensive upgrade and from what I was reading sps corals and clams will only survive and not thrive as much as they would under hqi or t5 s so I might be back at square one now..... I was looking at the 4 bulb finnex t5/LED, the 6 bulb finnex (both finnex fixtures are $300), or the aquatic life hqi clip on $260. Would the corals look or grow any better between all of the fixtures? ( my guess is yes) also, would I get more light from the 6 bulb finnex or the 150w hqi? Is there anything wrong with the $220 viper fixture because it seems to cheap to be good?
 
nikesb

nikesb

Active Member
the finnex fixtures arent good at all. for a 150w hqi, i dont really like any of the clip ons. you would be better off using a lumenmax 2 pendant and choosing your own ballast depending on your bulb
 
aquapod 24

aquapod 24

Member
Are hqi bulbs with 2bases better then the one base bulbs? Is 250w overkill? Is there any notisable difference between 150w and 175W?are the lumatek ballasts any good ( can run 150w 175w and 250w all on the same ballast and you can dim the bulbs)? Would that ballast be good paired up with a 150w aquamax bulb (on sale for only $35)?..... Thank for all your help again!
 
nikesb

nikesb

Active Member
250w would be way too strong imo for your tank. the only way is if u hang it 15+ inches. the aquamax bulb is actually pretty nice. 150w are for de and 175 for se. i think ud have more choices for 150w de. lumatek ballasts are pretty nice too. id consider a dimmable ballast that way if you ever upgrade you can still use the same ballast. as for the cayman fixture, youll be fine as long as you're not using any radium bulbs. the included ballast are not meant for running radiums to spec.
 
posiden

posiden

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by nikeSB http:///forum/thread/380568/light-recomendations/20#post_3314997
250w would be way too strong imo for your tank. the only way is if u hang it 15+ inches. the aquamax bulb is actually pretty nice. 150w are for de and 175 for se. i think ud have more choices for 150w de. lumatek ballasts are pretty nice too. id consider a dimmable ballast that way if you ever upgrade you can still use the same ballast. as for the cayman fixture, youll be fine as long as you're not using any radium bulbs. the included ballast are not meant for running radiums to spec.
I'm running the Lumatek dimmable ballast myself. I have the 250 watt ballast that adjusts from 150, 175, 250, and HQI. I'm very happy with it. I'm running the ReefLux 175 watt 20K over my 29 gallon Bio Cube. It is hung 14" above the water and I have egg crate on the tank.
 
aquapod 24

aquapod 24

Member
Ordered the evolution led light from reef koi.... We will see how is does and I hope it is not as bad as some of the negative reviews
 
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