50g 18" deep, 36" long Lighting Requirements

Guns286 · May 28, 2022

I’m building a tank, from scratch, and am new to SW reefs. But, I do realize that the type of coral, the aquascaping, and other factors play into what lights you should get.
‘I’m hoping that you guys can give me a general idea of what I should be looking for, in the medium to high light range. As the post title says, this will be a 50g, 36’’ long by 18" deep tank. I plan to put coral on rocks in the middle 3rd of the tank. What would you suggest for a budget friendly, full spectrum, programmable light that would provide strong enough light to about a 12" wide by 12"-15" depth?

glb · May 28, 2022

Guns286 said:
I’m building a tank, from scratch, and am new to SW reefs. But, I do realize that the type of coral, the aquascaping, and other factors play into what lights you should get.
‘I’m hoping that you guys can give me a general idea of what I should be looking for, in the medium to high light range. As the post title says, this will be a 50g, 36’’ long by 18" deep tank. I plan to put coral on rocks in the middle 3rd of the tank. What would you suggest for a budget friendly, full spectrum, programmable light that would provide strong enough light to about a 12" wide by 12"-15" depth?

I have an ATI T-5 fixture on my 40g which has similar dimensions of your tank. It’s not adjustable, but I’m very happy with the results!

oreo54 · May 28, 2022

Guns286 said:
I’m building a tank, from scratch, and am new to SW reefs. But, I do realize that the type of coral, the aquascaping, and other factors play into what lights you should get.
‘I’m hoping that you guys can give me a general idea of what I should be looking for, in the medium to high light range. As the post title says, this will be a 50g, 36’’ long by 18" deep tank. I plan to put coral on rocks in the middle 3rd of the tank. What would you suggest for a budget friendly, full spectrum, programmable light that would provide strong enough light to about a 12" wide by 12"-15" depth?

Your dimensions and assumed goals means most any light fit for a approx 16x16" cube should work.
Used 16" to push the par a bit.
Look up recommended lights for this.
Could be as easy as a AI Prime.

Guns286 · May 29, 2022

oreo5457 said:
Your dimensions and assumed goals means most any light fit for a approx 16x16" cube should work.
Used 16" to push the par a bit.
Look up recommended lights for this.
Could be as easy as a AI Prime.

I’ll check it out. Thanks.

Guns286 · May 29, 2022

I looked at the AI Prime and it’s great! But a little pricey for me, at this point. I came across this on Amazon. It has 1,412 ratings and is 4 and a half stars.
I’m not sure if I’m thinking about this correctly, but the AI Prime is 60w. These AO29 Aquarium Lights are 30w. I equate watts to power and power to PAR. So does that mean that these lights are weaker (less PAR) then the AI Prime? Would they be suitable for my setup?

oreo54 · May 29, 2022

Guns286 said:
I looked at the AI Prime and it’s great! But a little pricey for me, at this point. I came across this on Amazon. It has 1,412 ratings and is 4 and a half stars.
I’m not sure if I’m thinking about this correctly, but the AI Prime is 60w. These AO29 Aquarium Lights are 30w. I equate watts to power and power to PAR. So does that mean that these lights are weaker (less PAR) then the AI Prime? Would they be suitable for my setup?

Yes wattage can allow some estimates of light output.
You may want to look at the light below..
I'll defer the "useability" to others..

Amazon product

According to them the 80 w model produces 470 par at 12"

Picking lights like this though you need to verify mount. Will it fit your rim?
Other options for you.
Amazon product
Amazon product

Out of stock..