Good lighting for 55 gallon tank

CLYRIC · Feb 3, 2023

Hi, I currently have a beamswork 48" light that I'm planning on upgrading on after reading that they're not that good. I'm planning on keeping mostly soft coral and LPS corals in my 55 gallon tank. I'm looking for a light that's within my budget ($300ish) and a light that is not hanging from the wall/roof, I would preferably like a light that can hang from the tank. Any suggestions?

I was looking at NICREW from amazon, but I'm not sure which Watt to get and how many of them, any thoughts on NICREW or are they just not that good?

Thank you for any help on this!

N1tew0lf1212 · Feb 3, 2023

For a 55 i would go with 2 lights tbh 2 100w nicrew would be good or even 2 noopsyche 140w you can always buy one go centered on it while saving for the next one

CLYRIC · Feb 3, 2023

N1tew0lf1212 said:
For a 55 i would go with 2 lights tbh 2 100w nicrew would be good or even 2 noopsyche 140w you can always buy one go centered on it while saving for the next one

Is there that big of a difference between nicrew and noopsyche?

N1tew0lf1212 · Feb 3, 2023

CLYRIC said:
Is there that big of a difference between nicrew and noopsyche?

The controllability nicrew is in 5% increments noop in 1% higher wattage so no need to run full blast on either but i have a single 100w nicrew on my 55g and it does great even have some green slimer acro doing awesome...but am increasing for better spread and overall light spectrum....i am upgrading to 2 140w noops just for controlability as well.....here is a pic

CLYRIC · Feb 3, 2023

N1tew0lf1212 said:
The controllability nicrew is in 5% increments noop in 1% higher wattage so no need to run full blast on either but i have a single 100w nicrew on my 55g and it does great even have some green slimer acro doing awesome...but am increasing for better spread and overall light spectrum....i am upgrading to 2 140w noops just for controlability as well.....here is a pic

Oh wow, your tank looks awesome, are all the types of corals (soft/LPS/SPS) doing well?

Can you adjust the lighting well with the nicrew light? (Adjusting % of blue/white light)

N1tew0lf1212 · Feb 3, 2023

CLYRIC said:
Oh wow, your tank looks awesome, are all the types of corals (soft/LPS/SPS) doing well?

Can you adjust the lighting well with the nicrew light? (Adjusting % of blue/white light)

You can but it is in increments of 5% as opposed to noop with increments of 1% also you can control reds uvs greens blues with the noop in increments of 1%.....thank you by the way i have a pretty good mix and all is doing extremely well....

Scooter21 · Feb 3, 2023

I have the nicrew 150. As stated, it only adjusts in increments of 5%. I bought the controller also ($45). I've got both channels off at 9am and 40% and 10% at noon. So, the blue will ramp up 5% every 20 minutes or whatever and the white ramps up 5% every hour and a half.

I had envisioned this really gradual moonlight effect. Gradual increase that you don't notice at all. It's VERY noticeable. When the light goes from 0% white to 5% white, the color is instantly completely different

Other than that, I really like the light

CLYRIC · Feb 4, 2023

Scooter21 said:
I have the nicrew 150. As stated, it only adjusts in increments of 5%. I bought the controller also ($45). I've got both channels off at 9am and 40% and 10% at noon. So, the blue will ramp up 5% every 20 minutes or whatever and the white ramps up 5% every hour and a half.

I had envisioned this really gradual moonlight effect. Gradual increase that you don't notice at all. It's VERY noticeable. When the light goes from 0% white to 5% white, the color is instantly completely different

Other than that, I really like the light

Oh there's a separate controller that you need to buy also? I thought it came with one, can you control the % of light or set timer for the light without the remote? Or do you need the remote for that?

Scooter21 · Feb 4, 2023

CLYRIC said:
Oh there's a separate controller that you need to buy also? I thought it came with one, can you control the % of light or set timer for the light without the remote? Or do you need the remote for that?

You can only set the percentages with the light and then you would either need to manually turn it on and off or use a timer to cut the power to it. If you want to have it ramp, you need the controller

Spare time · Feb 4, 2023

I'd go with noopsyche over the nicrew personally. If you go with nicrew, you would want two of the double puck fixtures.

N1tew0lf1212 · Feb 4, 2023

I agree with noop you will want the same though 2 fixtures for a 55 cause of the spread length but the price of nicrew now for 40$ more you can get the noopsyche and not have to worry about purchasing the controller the wifi app is super easy to use and can have way better control over the full spectrum light so it pretty much equals out....