Light help!

[John_A]

Hello I'm tossing around ideas for a light up grade for my tank it's a 40 Breeder and I want to be able to have whatever without light issues whats a better option 1 150 Nicrew,2 100 nicrew or another option in the same price range $300-$400 and controlled currently have a SB Reef light pro 32

 

[Dom]

Hello I'm tossing around ideas for a light up grade for my tank it's a 40 Breeder and I want to be able to have whatever without light issues whats a better option 1 150 Nicrew,2 100 nicrew or another option in the same price range $300-$400 and controlled currently have a SB Reef light pro 32

The light you choose will depend on the footprint of the tank and total tank depth.

There are two things to consider when selecting a light; spread and penetration.

Spread is the total area the light covers within the tank.

Penetration is the amount of power making it to the deepest part of the tank.

So, what are the dimensions of your tank (LxWxH)?

 

[John_A]

The light you choose will depend on the footprint of the tank and total tank depth.

There are two things to consider when selecting a light; spread and penetration.

Spread is the total area the light covers within the tank.

Penetration is the amount of power making it to the deepest part of the tank.

So, what are the dimensions of your tank (LxWxH)?

36" x 18" x 16

 

[Kingman]

I’ve got two Nicrew 100’s on a 55 gallon - about 30” off the sandbed - my tank is 48” long, so it’s a bit longer than your breeder, but I’d highly recommend two lights over a single unless you plan to mount it much higher than I do. They have about a 24x24” spread at 24” from the light source and the cutoff is pretty visible.

 

[Dom]

36" x 18" x 16

Look at the AI Hydra 32; I saw it today on BRS for $449.00

Suspended above the tank, you could easily cover that footprint with one light and still have good penetration.

 

[Kingman]

Also - recommend you get the Nicrew controller too. They have limited adjustments you can make without it.

 

[crazyfishmom]

Consider Viparspectra if you’re in the 200-300 range. They offer a lot of bang for the buck.

 

[John_A]

Consider Viparspectra if you’re in the 200-300 range. They offer a lot of bang for the buck.

I was reading something about them having too much read light I believe it was?

 

[crazyfishmom]

I was reading something about them having too much read light I believe it was?

I don’t have them myself. A friend does and everything in his tank grows like weeds so I will not question the lights!

 

[cilyjr]

Look at the AI Hydra 32; I saw it today on BRS for $449.00

Suspended above the tank, you could easily cover that footprint with one light and still have good penetration.

I had 2 hydra 32 over a 30b frag tank. It's the same footprint. Only more shallow. A single fixture over a 40 breeder will not cut it, especially for an SPS dominant tank. The op said he wants to be able to keep whatever.

It's not about the power of the light. It's more about the spread.

 

[crazyfishmom]

I had 2 hydra 32 over a 30b frag tank. It's the same footprint. Only more shallow. A single fixture over a 40 breeder will not cut it, especially for an SPS dominant tank. The op said he wants to be able to keep whatever.

It's not about the power of the light. It's more about the spread.

Agree. I have a Hydra 64 over a 40 g breeder and that is pushing it at the edges of the tank.

 

[cilyjr]

Agree. I have a Hydra 64 over a 40 g breeder and that is pushing it at the edges of the tank.

Yup. More at lower intensity!

It really doesn't matter what the brand when you're dealing with LED. Their spread isn't much better than a laser even with lenses.

To the op, I'm sure any of the black box lights on Amazon or whatever will work for you. I'd suggest getting 2. What these cheaper lights lack from the bigger brands are going to be controllability. Each color is probably not on an individual channel, but rather three or four colors on a few channels.

The disadvantage to this is you can't make the light whatever you want, honestly people play around with their LEDs too much. Just said it initially and stop messing. So maybe it's not a disadvantage at all...
Another thing to consider is adding a couple of t5 bulbs on either side.

I will never run LED without supplementation.

 

[Dom]

It's not about the power of the light. It's more about the spread.

You can find flashlights that will provide adequate spread too, but the penetration power will not be enough to grow anything.

The same applies with tank lighting; lighting the tank isn't enough, you need ample power to the bottom of the tank too.

 

[cilyjr]

You can find flashlights that will provide adequate spread too, but the penetration power will not be enough to grow anything.

The same applies with tank lighting; lighting the tank isn't enough, you need ample power to the bottom of the tank too.

This is my point.
An LED cannot give adequate spread with one fixture. The solution is more fixtures at lower intensity.

 

[John_A]

Ok so if I go Nicrew it would probably be best to do 2 100 Watts vs 1 150 correct?

 

[John_A]

Or some of the SmatFarm lights it's really a toss up between these 2 I see on Amazon they have a 140 version 2 of these or 2 95s

 

[Dom]

This is my point.
An LED cannot give adequate spread with one fixture. The solution is more fixtures at lower intensity.

After thinking about this answer, I'm thinking about some changes to my lighting.

On my 145 gallon, which is (6ft W) x (18in D) x (21in H), I run three Hydra 32s.

I started them at 40% and then over several months, increased them to 100%.

If I understand your point, I'd be better off running those lights at less intensity, becoming a "more light with less power" configuration.

 

[cilyjr]

After thinking about this answer, I'm thinking about some changes to my lighting.

On my 145 gallon, which is (6ft W) x (18in D) x (21in H), I run three Hydra 32s.

I started them at 40% and then over several months, increased them to 100%.

If I understand your point, I'd be better off running those lights at less intensity, becoming a "more light with less power" configuration.

Sure but also adding a fixture. More fixtures at less intensity will give you more even lighting.
I know it sucks because of how expensive the fixtures are but I practice what I preach.

 

[Dragen Fiend]

Man I went through the whole lighting situation and spiraled down the rabbit hole myself. When it comes to this hobby lighting is by far the worst aspect.

I currently have a Nano fluval 20watt, Kessil A80, NICREW 50, NooPsyche K7 Pro III and the mini and now an AI prime 16 lol.

NICREW is good. But loses its value when NooPsyche is app control. I also like the blues for NooPsyche compared to NICREW.

AI prime has one of the best app control, and likely better color control. But its not enough for me to justify the price increase. I plan to get rid of my AI prime in favor of another NooPsyche K7 Pro III for a larger tank in the coming months.

Considering your budget of max $400 that is two NooPsyche K7 Pro III that has a lot of power compared to other products in that price range. That and this gives you the coverage you need for SPS.

 

[michaelzk]

Or some of the SmatFarm lights it's really a toss up between these 2 I see on Amazon they have a 140 version 2 of these or 2 95s

I bought the SMATFARM 60W about half a year ago and it’s been exceeding my expectations. I’ve got my eye on the 140W model for my next tank since it has separate red and green channels, which should balance out the color scheme nicely. If you end up getting it, I’d love to see some pictures.