Biased or not? BRS opinion on my opinion on lighting.

[2Sunny]

So, been doing this for awhile ( 2Sunny's Coral Cube ) and I definitely have developed opinions in that time frame, but as I get older I realize more often than not that my opinions don't have as much fact behind them as I thought. Right now I'm contemplating upgrading my kitchen Fiji Cube 20 to a Fiji Cube 48 all for the purpose of changing my lighting from AI Primes alone to AI Primes + Aquatic Life 24" Hybrid, and the sole reason for doing so is to increase coral growth. Growth in my 20 under 2 AI Primes has been far less than what I am used to seeing in my 240 which uses ATI Powermodules hence my biased opinion.

Question: BRS has tested more about more than any other individual or group that I am aware of, so, if you, BRS, were setting up the "perfect" SPS dominant 50 gallon tank for your personal use would you go LED alone or LED + T5?

Thanks!

JP in NY

P.S. Thanks for having such an awesome online retail operation. I was worried when Marine Depot closed, but BRS makes it just as easy and affordable to keep up with all my reefing needs. Kudos to BRS!!

My main reef today:

 

[Bulk Reef Supply]

Hey JP!

We appreciate the compliments, and love seeing this stunning reef you have! That chalice in the middle is a show stopper for sure!

As for how we would set up a reef tank in regards to lighting, Ryan is showing off how he would approach it today with the new 52 Weeks of Reefing Second Edition. Something that has always worked for us is the combination of Kessils with T5s, it's what we did with the BRS 160 for the first 52 Weeks of Reefing and something we did again with the BRS/WWC Hybrid tank on the E-170. These are two of our best tanks when it comes to overall success with little headache.

The concept here has been boiled down to combining the LED with a fill light to help reduce shadows. That fill light primarily being the T5s historically. However, with the recent release of the AI Blades, Ryan has decided that replacing the standard T5s with 2x Coral Grow and 2x Coral Glow should help eliminate shadows and give us an option that won't require bulb replacement. Admittedly, this is a very expensive option depending on your tank size but a T5 Hybrid will get you great results at a lower cost (referencing purely the lighting not including a tank upgrade to make it work).

You can find out more about how we are blanketing aquariums in light for SPS growth in our Acropora Collection Tank video with a whole section dedicated to lighting:

 

[2Sunny]

Wow, thanks for the speedy reply. I hadn't heard about the AI Coral Grow/Glow. Now you made my decision even harder, LOL!

None the less, I will be eagerly awaiting the results of Ryan's latest test of the AI Grow & Glow regardless.

Since I didn't say it above let me also offer my deepest heartfelt thanks for producing such detailed and incredibly useful videos. BRS TV has, in my opinion, done more to benefit this hobby than any other person are group . . . period.

I look forward to many more years of great videos!!

 

[Bulk Reef Supply]

Wow, thanks for the speedy reply. I hadn't heard about the AI Coral Grow/Glow. Now you made my decision even harder, LOL!

None the less, I will be eagerly awaiting the results of Ryan's latest test of the AI Grow & Glow regardless.

Since I didn't say it above let me also offer my deepest heartfelt thanks for producing such detailed and incredibly useful videos. BRS TV has, in my opinion, done more to benefit this hobby than any other person are group . . . period.

I look forward to many more years of great videos!!

Happy we could help with our videos and a reply here as well!

It's been a couple months since Ryan moved the corals from the 750XXL to the 360 in his office, the acros have been doing pretty well. The tank is currently lit with the same Kessil and AI Blade combo that is running on the Acro Collector tank in the video. Still only a short term case here, but so far the corals have been doing pretty well despite moving tanks!