tjbeams
New Member
Hello all,
I am really interested in upgrading my lights for the purpose of maintains my coral, and to keep new ones, such as some easy SPS and a clam or two. I have been looking at a fixture that has 48 lights (36 white and 12 blue) with an exhaust fan for ventilation, and it also has a toggle switch to choose from white and blues, or or to have blue only ( no dimmer).
Upon doing some research and reviews here is what I found, which was hard to find cause the product is a couple months old.
" While comprehensive performance test results are not back yet, we can tell you that the output of the white LEDs is in the 10,000K range, and the blues operate at approximately 460nm. The optics on the diodes are focused to penetrate to the bottom of a 30” deep tank, and very informal meter readings in our warehouse resulted in a measured PAR value of 209 at that depth, so it would be fair to predict readings in the 400-600 range and above at shallower depths. The fixture has only been available for sale for about six weeks, but we have already received a considerable amount of positive feedback from reef keepers using the light with both soft and stony corals."
Here is my dilemma...
My main LFS closed unexpectedly, therefore I'm in the process of trusting another store with my business. I have two stores that I had asked about the light.
The first store said I would need two fixtures to keep any SPS or clam. He gave a reasoning for the lighting needs for those corals and the narrow optics, and didn't go too much farther than that.
The second store, which I think i like better (so far), said I would need one fixture with a separate moonlight fixture. The reason being, no one wants to get up and switch the main fixture from whites and blues to only blue. I would have to agree with that statement because I have my lights on timers now, and sometimes I am not home to either turn them off or on.
I thought about it and came up with the fact that the fixture has 30 degree optics and the light possibly wouldnt illuminate wide enough. (it would be a stand fixture) He then stated how my rock work is laid out and how much width I would need to be illuminated. With around 12-15 inches of guessed illumination he said it should be enough, if not just raise it off the tank a little.
So who do I believe? Has anyone hear of a " similar" fixture? Are they both right or wrong?
As a side note, the 48 bulb fixture has two rows of LEDs, they make another model with a single strip of LEDs. So an additional question would be, would it be best to have the dual strip fixture along with a single strip?
This would fix the first stores issue?
I know what the fixture is called, but choosing to leave the name out, as per the rules.
I am really interested in upgrading my lights for the purpose of maintains my coral, and to keep new ones, such as some easy SPS and a clam or two. I have been looking at a fixture that has 48 lights (36 white and 12 blue) with an exhaust fan for ventilation, and it also has a toggle switch to choose from white and blues, or or to have blue only ( no dimmer).
Upon doing some research and reviews here is what I found, which was hard to find cause the product is a couple months old.
" While comprehensive performance test results are not back yet, we can tell you that the output of the white LEDs is in the 10,000K range, and the blues operate at approximately 460nm. The optics on the diodes are focused to penetrate to the bottom of a 30” deep tank, and very informal meter readings in our warehouse resulted in a measured PAR value of 209 at that depth, so it would be fair to predict readings in the 400-600 range and above at shallower depths. The fixture has only been available for sale for about six weeks, but we have already received a considerable amount of positive feedback from reef keepers using the light with both soft and stony corals."
Here is my dilemma...
My main LFS closed unexpectedly, therefore I'm in the process of trusting another store with my business. I have two stores that I had asked about the light.
The first store said I would need two fixtures to keep any SPS or clam. He gave a reasoning for the lighting needs for those corals and the narrow optics, and didn't go too much farther than that.
The second store, which I think i like better (so far), said I would need one fixture with a separate moonlight fixture. The reason being, no one wants to get up and switch the main fixture from whites and blues to only blue. I would have to agree with that statement because I have my lights on timers now, and sometimes I am not home to either turn them off or on.
I thought about it and came up with the fact that the fixture has 30 degree optics and the light possibly wouldnt illuminate wide enough. (it would be a stand fixture) He then stated how my rock work is laid out and how much width I would need to be illuminated. With around 12-15 inches of guessed illumination he said it should be enough, if not just raise it off the tank a little.
So who do I believe? Has anyone hear of a " similar" fixture? Are they both right or wrong?
As a side note, the 48 bulb fixture has two rows of LEDs, they make another model with a single strip of LEDs. So an additional question would be, would it be best to have the dual strip fixture along with a single strip?
This would fix the first stores issue?
I know what the fixture is called, but choosing to leave the name out, as per the rules.
