How can anyone be happy with the lighting options out there?

[Dana Riddle]

I bought a second-hand aquarium that came wit black boxes. They worked fine, and in fact, can produce too much light.

 

[jda]

It gets easier if you narrow down your dislikes and choose either 1). what is best for the coral or 2). what is best for you. Hard to ride both of those horses with one butt if you are picky.

 

[lilgrounchuck]

I see that one of your "narrowed" options include the "Orbit Marine LED". Personally I'd make sure you at least get the "Orbit Marine IC LED" (you'll get more PAR & bluetooth controller). And if you do then you can also get their "e-flux" pumps and control both lights and pumps through their app via Bluetooth. This is sort of an alternative to spending $800+ on a APEX controller (though APEX has much more functionality) that will allow you to properly control flow and your lighting (including syncing them to ramp down during your lunar/night cycle) for a budget friendly option.

The IC is stronger, but if you really want to grow corals in a deeper tank like a 29 you’d probably need 2, and at that price there are much better options.

 

[NS Mike D]

It gets easier if you narrow down your dislikes and choose either 1). what is best for the coral or 2). what is best for you. Hard to ride both of those horses with one butt if you are picky.

excellent point. I think it fair to say that a lot of people don't know the difference between what is good for coral growth and colors and what our eyes see when they buy their first lights.

If you want to grow and color up then flood them with blues, but if you want to enjoy looking at them you'll need some red and green in the mix.

I run my lights during the day for the corals but at night, when I am more likely to be home the mix switches for my enjoyment. I like that ability in a lighting fixture.

 

[Trylobyte]

The IC is stronger, but if you really want to grow corals in a deeper tank like a 29 you’d probably need 2, and at that price there are much better options.

I guess it depends, if he is doing SPS then yeah I definitely would reconsider those lights, but even at his 18" depth he should be fine to grow LPS/softies with no problem.

 

[jda]

Look at a Photon V2 if you are considering an Orbit. They are on a different level, even compared to the IC. You did not list any panel-based LEDs on your first post, nor the gripes.

 

[Waynerock]

Somebody talk some sanity into me. Seems like every lighting setup has some major flaw. I have a 29 Gallon -

and I am have the HARDEST time finding a good lighting option. I just can't pull the trigger on ~$600 when I'm not confident I'll have success.

T5's - Simple success, but are just as expensive as some LEDs, have no shimmer and no controlability. Bulb replacements arent so bad I guess.
Metal Halide - Old, power hungry, unsightly, but give great results.
Puck LEDs - Expensive. Either spotlights or disco ball. Kessils are great but $$$ and are known to go out after 2 years. Maybe Redsea 50's?
Strip LEDs - Economical. Not many newer models out there. Some have huge paneling on them. Barely generate enough PAR for SPS. Just as expensive as pucks, but look worse.
LED + T5 Hybrid - Performance king. BRS recommended. But can't help wonder why I would spend $$$ to add LEDs in later if they are just for aesthetics? Plus, who wants a HUGE fixture above their tank?

I've narrowed it down to:

Budget option - 1 or 2 Orbit Marine LED Strips - $150

Economical option - Maxspect Razer X R5 - $450

Ideal option - 2xRedsea Reefled 50's - $520

Dream option - 1xRadion XR30 G5, or Orphek v4 compact

What am I missing here?

Why not 2 prime 16’s? 400 for the lights and another 100 or less for the mounts. You could add a cheep t5 later if you need it. I have 3 over my tank and they are great. I am very happy with mine and my tank is growing like crazy

 

[Caseyoidae]

Black boxes or wait for Radion gen 6. Maybe they’ll get it right the 6th time lol

 

[b4tn]

You forgot about reefi. They are pretty new but on PAR (pun intended) with the big boys. A little extra height and one would easily cover a 30" tank. I had money in hand for Radions and ended up getting these instead.

Interesting 'New' LED Light

I just received two ReeFi LED lights for testing purposes. This company has been around for a while, but it is new to me, and I'm impressed with the thoughtful design. There are 72 LEDs in the array including cool white, warm white, amber, lime, blue, royal blue, violet, 420nm and 400nm, each on...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[sde1500]

Seems kinda nitpicky some of your concerns. Though as others have said, you skipped LED boxes, extreme budget being some of the cheap ones on EBay. I'd vouch, as others have, for Reefbreeders. Local shop for me, good quality products, and good price.

 

[ADAM]

Noopsyche K7, Black Boxes, ReefBreeders are the wallet friendly I see referred to most.

With a 30” tank the T5 selection is limited unless you go with a 24” or 36” inch fixture. Coralife is one of the only companies I could find that make 30” T5 fixtures or bulbs. I had to offset two 24” retrofit kits on my 29 years ago.
Figuring out what you want and need from a light and then going from there is easiest.

 

[91yjeeper]

I think there is plenty of options out there for lighting. Just pick one and go with it.

I personally opted for T5's. Simple on and off, with no guessing what my par or spectrum should be set to. I also could care less about shimmer, or turning my tank into a windex bottle.

What bulbs and fixture are you using? Price seems same as most LEDs...

 

[91yjeeper]

Noopsyche K7, Black Boxes, ReefBreeders are the wallet friendly I see referred to most.

With a 30” tank the T5 selection is limited unless you go with a 24” or 36” inch fixture. Coralife is one of the only companies I could find that make 30” T5 fixtures or bulbs. I had to offset two 24” retrofit kits on my 29 years ago.
Figuring out what you want and need from a light and then going from there is easiest.

Noopsyche has disco ball. Reefbreeder looks interesting.. is it the Photon v2+?

 

[Bpb]

What bulbs and fixture are you using? Price seems same as most LEDs...

Just like leds, t5 fixtures will have a range of cost based on feature set and economies of scale/country of origin. There is not a universal rule that t5 cost of entry will be lower than all led options but higher in the long run. Too many variables. Buy what you like the look and function of inside your designated budget. Don’t just automatically wonder what is the cheapest.

 

[91yjeeper]

You're missing black boxes, the affordable option.

Which ones do you recommend? They're cheap, but I'm scared of lighting my house on fire.

 

[91yjeeper]

I bought a second-hand aquarium that came wit black boxes. They worked fine, and in fact, can produce too much light.

Which blackboxes do you recommend?

 

[91yjeeper]

Why not 2 prime 16’s? 400 for the lights and another 100 or less for the mounts. You could add a cheep t5 later if you need it. I have 3 over my tank and they are great. I am very happy with mine and my tank is growing like crazy

Does the Disco Ball go away with 3 of them? Disco really bothers me.

 

[sarcophytonIndy]

Somebody talk some sanity into me. Seems like every lighting setup has some major flaw. I have a 29 Gallon -

and I am have the HARDEST time finding a good lighting option. I just can't pull the trigger on ~$600 when I'm not confident I'll have success.

T5's - Simple success, but are just as expensive as some LEDs, have no shimmer and no controlability. Bulb replacements arent so bad I guess.
Metal Halide - Old, power hungry, unsightly, but give great results.
Puck LEDs - Expensive. Either spotlights or disco ball. Kessils are great but $$$ and are known to go out after 2 years. Maybe Redsea 50's?
Strip LEDs - Economical. Not many newer models out there. Some have huge paneling on them. Barely generate enough PAR for SPS. Just as expensive as pucks, but look worse.
LED + T5 Hybrid - Performance king. BRS recommended. But can't help wonder why I would spend $$$ to add LEDs in later if they are just for aesthetics? Plus, who wants a HUGE fixture above their tank?

I've narrowed it down to:

Budget option - 1 or 2 Orbit Marine LED Strips - $150

Economical option - Maxspect Razer X R5 - $450

Ideal option - 2xRedsea Reefled 50's - $520

Dream option - 1xRadion XR30 G5, or Orphek v4 compact

What am I missing here?

I have five kessils, three A360WEs over my 125 mixed, and two A160s each over a biocube. Over the years, I bought them, all used at about half the retail price. They have been flawless, no issues. Just love them.

 

[91yjeeper]

You forgot about reefi. They are pretty new but on PAR (pun intended) with the big boys. A little extra height and one would easily cover a 30" tank. I had money in hand for Radions and ended up getting these instead.

Interesting 'New' LED Light

I just received two ReeFi LED lights for testing purposes. This company has been around for a while, but it is new to me, and I'm impressed with the thoughtful design. There are 72 LEDs in the array including cool white, warm white, amber, lime, blue, royal blue, violet, 420nm and 400nm, each on...

www.reef2reef.com

$650?? They might be a good alternative to the Radions at that price, but I'd rather not spend that much in general.

 

[Waynerock]

Does the Disco Ball go away with 3 of them? Disco really bothers me.

I went from prime HD to the 16s and I never saw disco with either lights. I do have a BB so its hard to see and I have them mounted 10 inches above the tank to help with blending. Here is a quick video I took of a torch but you see see the lights shimmering on the rocks to get an idea. I mostly run B,RB,V,UV Hugh and 24% white.