Upgrading the lights in my tank for corals.

nikesb

nikesb

Active Member
i think you'd be wasting your money with the reef capable LED from marineland. my par testings showed that these things could barely produce good par. the only places you'd be able to keep corals is directly underneath the leds themselves. i would suggest looking for a used light fixture on a local forum to save money
 
wartooth1

wartooth1

Member
Thanks Travelerjp98. I looked up those lights and they seem pretty nice. The price doesn't seem too steep either. I just called the LFS that sold me my tank about the reef capable version. They said that they don't have them in stock but can get them by next Tuesday. I'm hoping they will be giving me a good price for them since I'll also be giving them back the hood and lights currently on my tank.
So if I just went with that light on my 40 gallon tank, would that take care of all my lighting needs for corals? Would these lights support all corals or only certain ones?
 
wartooth1

wartooth1

Member
NikeSB, I didn't see your post until after I posted my last response. What type of light fixture would you suggest? Thanks to the amount of sand I have in the tank, there is only about 14 inches from the surface of the water to the sand floor in my tank. Even if I had corals on the floor or on a middle rock, wouldn't that still be close enough for the corals to benefit from the LED light?
 
2quills

2quills

Well-Known Member
If you're looking to keep corals then I beg you to please do some more research on these lights before you spend your money and wind up disappointed.
 
wartooth1

wartooth1

Member
Well, thats why I'm asking :)
When I talk to the stores, I leave feeling like they are just trying to sell me product. On webstores, most light descriptions are mostly technical gobblygook that goes over my head and I'm not sure how it translates to "this light is good for corals X, Y, and Z." Even on here there is no agreement... as soon as someone posts a suggestion someone else posts why it is a bad idea lol.
Since it seems like there is no "overall" good light system for all corals, and since I haven't made up my mind which corals I would want exactly, would it be better to decide on the corals first and then figure out which lights are specifically best for them?
 
1guydude

1guydude

Well-Known Member
look up reviews on the lights ur looking at! Travelerjp is the 1st person i have heard say he liked these lights! Look into a t5 system or a LED system!!!!!!!!!! As Nike said, wanna save a buck than go to local reef club site and usually they have equipment for sale! This is a good piece of info i wish i knew when i started!
 
nikesb

nikesb

Active Member
If i were to rank the reef capable fixture from marine land, it wouldnt even be on my list of things to look at. i think you should look into a 4 bulb t5 system from TEK (you can find these used) or look for an evolution LED 1G fixture. this should give coverage over your whole tank
 
travelerjp98

travelerjp98

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by 1guyDude http:///forum/thread/386075/upgrading-the-lights-in-my-tank-for-corals/20#post_3389834
look up reviews on the lights ur looking at! Travelerjp is the 1st person i have heard say he liked these lights! Look into a t5 system or a LED system!!!!!!!!!! As Nike said, wanna save a buck than go to local reef club site and usually they have equipment for sale! This is a good piece of info i wish i knew when i started!
I like them for my FOWLR... they are quite nice and simple, I've never had the reef-capable lights, but I know that they are stronger than the regular ones
wanna save a buck than go to local reef club site and usually they have equipment for sale! This is a good piece of info i wish i knew when i started!
+1!
 
wartooth1

wartooth1

Member
Cool I will be looking into those. According to this site, marine land reef capable lights are good for soft corals only. I like the idea of LEDs, so I'll start researching the various brands of LED systems. If I don't find any that meets my wants/price range, I'll look into T5s as well. I'll let you all know what I come across from.
If I may ask, as far as wats/lumens/PAR goes... what is ideal for my sized tank (40 gallons)? Knowing my "light range" will help in knowing what to look for in the lights I'm choosing.
 
wartooth1

wartooth1

Member
Well just FYI, I found a chart that gives the PAR and LUX for the Marineland reef capable LED light. I don't know if I should link it since it came from a competitor's site but according to the chart, at 14 inches (the bottom of my tank), the light is giving roughly 130 PAR and 12700 LUX. Is this good? I called a couple of stores in my area about this light, and they told me that at only 14 inches deep, it doesn't make a difference if a coral is placed at the bottom or at the top of the tank.
Just to make sure I asked how this light will treat hard corals and clams and they have said that this would be a very good light for them (but I've seen on some sites they say that this light is only good for soft corals) but maybe thats the case for larger tanks and since mine is relatively smaller I should be ok.
I even asked if they could recommend a better light in the same price range and they said it was the best light. I even asked how about a slightly more expensive light for $100 more and they said this light would still be the way to go.
So, assuming 130PAR and 12700LUX are good numbers, these might be the most appropriate light I can find at the moment. But since I'm not actually getting new lights any time soon... there is still plenty of time to continue research and who knows, a newer, better light system might be released by the time I'm actually ready to buy a new light lol.
 
2quills

2quills

Well-Known Member
Most SPS at the very minimum need at least around 250 par and up. Clams you might be able to get away with around 150. Softies, you'll be ok, and probably some LPS. Growth probably isn't going to be anything to write home about. I don't know if you've seen the color that they produce but it really isn't all that great considering most of the leds on the fixture are mostly white with just a handful of blues. A friend of mine has the double brights over his cichlid tank which is the same fixture just not as bright and I think it looks like garbage to tell you the truth.
I have to ask, are these guys telling you this is a good light because they have it over a tank in their store and are successfully growing a variety of different corals? Or are they just giving you their word? It's your money dude, but 130 Par at 14" is really nothing to brag about to be honest with you. I would do a google search and read through as many threads as you can find and read about other peoples experiences with this fixture before you buy it. But that's just me.
 
nikesb

nikesb

Active Member
those numbers are ONLY directly under the light. else where the par is <100. this is first hand testing. They create a spotlight effect and the color is also rather drab.
 
wartooth1

wartooth1

Member
Thanks 2Quills and nikeSB. Now THATS the kind of info I'm looking for! I'm pretty sure the stores I called aren't actually running their display tanks using these lights and that its just their word that these lights are the best in my price range. I'm not dedicating myself to this light just yet though... like I've said I got lots of time before I would actually need to upgrade.
I did just come across the 30 inch Coralife Lunar Aqualight T5 HO Fixture for roughly the same price. Unfortunately I have yet to find out the light's PAR and LUX ratings but it seems like a good light at first glance. Any opinions on this light?
 
travelerjp98

travelerjp98

Active Member
I've never had them but does anyone think that the

aquaticlife 4-Lamp T5HO Light Fixtures
would be good for his tank?
 
2quills

2quills

Well-Known Member
How about something like a Finnex 24" T5/Led combo. 4 bulb set up with 9 1w dimmable blue leds for moonlighting and daytime suppliment. Has nice individual polished reflectors. Not bad price range.
 
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