Lighting for 48"x24"x10" frag tank commercial grow

[BigWillStyle]

That makes so much sense!

I do want it to look nice when people come over to view the corals to purchase so ascetics of the coral color are important. I think I am down to LEDs or T5s at the moment. With the viperspectra is there any par measurements with the lens mod? It would be about the same for either T5 or Viperspectra. That seems like a good option in between going for the $800 option

 

[DIYreefer]

That definitely makes sense. I will be doing largely lps at first. Scolys acans and torches. I just noticed that I can get a t5 fixture new with 8 bulbs 48 inch for 120 bucks so even the cheap LED is hard to swallow

That's a lot of light over that tank, growing lps. The 4 bulb unit would be plenty for your intentions.

 

[Peace River]

That definitely makes sense. I will be doing largely lps at first. Scolys acans and torches. I just noticed that I can get a t5 fixture new with 8 bulbs 48 inch for 120 bucks so even the cheap LED is hard to swallow

The 8 bulb T5 fixtures that I have seen which come with bulbs usually are for hydroponics and they are not the best bulbs for growing coral. If you replace the bulbs with ATIs, those bulbs are usually $20-$25 apiece which alters the cost dynamic especially when you change the bulbs once a year as recommended.

 

[oreo54]

That makes so much sense!

I do want it to look nice when people come over to view the corals to purchase so ascetics of the coral color are important. I think I am down to LEDs or T5s at the moment. With the viperspectra is there any par measurements with the lens mod? It would be about the same for either T5 or Viperspectra. That seems like a good option in between going for the $800 option

First a bit about modding them. Read the comments as well.
Personally my choices would be to leave all lenses and increase height to spread out the hot spot and more room for blending.
Or as telegram suggests keep the lenses on the outer ring. Change some inner ones.
People have done all sorts of these like one just the red/ greens or checker board like.

DIYL! ViparSpectra 120° lens retrofit (the de-laserbeam mod)

DIY Live!120° lenses for your ViparSpectra - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33004388989.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.1a124c4dH3aLjp15% off at ViparSpectra - h...

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But back to the par thing.
See post#40
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/ideal-settings-for-viparspectra-165w.772323/page-2.

Your tank is 10" and mounting height would be about 8-10" most likely. So say 20" total.

Set at 100% blue 30% white.
388 par at 24" total.

Now 90 par with the lenses off. Scary huh but it isn't right for 2 reasons 1) With the lenses off and not replaced the diodes is in a deep well. Light is lost. 2) Free air is not a tank and does not count internal reflections.
Anyways others have reported losses like say 30%.

Funny nobody asks about the t5 par.
Pretty sure an 8 tube will be at 2 vipars even at 100%
6 tubes close.

Btw you did start out on lower demand livestock so part of this looked at it this way.
Your lighting didn't need to be high demand at the get go.
As product was sold generating cash flow ( didn't say profit) one can graduate to more or better lighting .

Budget 165w Chinese LED Fixture PAR Numbers

Lightimetunnel WiFi LED Aquarium Light https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07F1BJB8B/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_unE5CbTVM90QX Set up this light tonight and took a few quick readings for anyone who cares. Light was at 19 inches from tank bottom. No water or substrate to reflect light. Also, no canopy/top. With b...

www.nano-reef.com

 

[Hooz]

Honestly, if I was setting up a mini farm right now, with the goal of just growing coral, I would suggest two things.

1. Setup a much larger sump from the start. Instead of a 20L, use a 40B for a DIY sump. That way, you can just plumb in the second lowboy to expand the system. And, you will eventually expand the system.

2. I'd recommend just biting the bullet up front on the lighting. I probably wouldn't run Blades on my personal display tank, but they are perfect for a farm/growout application. A pair over a lowboy would be perfect for LPS and softies, but I am all about planning ahead, so I would do three if it was me. You'd have complete coverage, and enough headroom to grow anything, including sticks. It'd be up to you to decide what mix of Grow and Glow you wanted based on your personal preferences.

 

[BigWillStyle]

Honestly, if I was setting up a mini farm right now, with the goal of just growing coral, I would suggest two things.

1. Setup a much larger sump from the start. Instead of a 20L, use a 40B for a DIY sump. That way, you can just plumb in the second lowboy to expand the system. And, you will eventually expand the system.

2. I'd recommend just biting the bullet up front on the lighting. I probably wouldn't run Blades on my personal display tank, but they are perfect for a farm/growout application. A pair over a lowboy would be perfect for LPS and softies, but I am all about planning ahead, so I would do three if it was me. You'd have complete coverage, and enough headroom to grow anything, including sticks. It'd be up to you to decide what mix of Grow and Glow you wanted based on your personal preferences.

1) You bring up a great point. When looking over this option I started looking for potential downsides since the upsides are so great. Especially since I have Apex with automated testing and reactive dosing. The real downside I was considering was the ability to isolate a tank in case of a disease or issue. Once I can run three tanks, I think I will link two or more and start larger sumps for cheaper frags.

2) I really like the blades but I can get used lights so much cheaper and they have a proven track record. I love my AI prime but the blades are untested as of this moment. I could start with T5s and an AI prime then replace the T5s with blades as frags sell.