New Innovative Marine 25G Lagoon

[Rawsreef]

Good morning reefers,

I pulled the trigger yesterday on a 25G Lagoon from IM, dimensions are 24" Length x 20" Wide x 12" Height

I am looking to make this an SPS dominant tank, what are some recommendations on lighting for this setup?

 

[Shawnd08]

You could probably get away with using pretty much any light with it being so shallow. Years ago I had a 25 gallon Lagoon mixed reef with a Nanobox Duo. It grew SPS no problem. Years later I tested the par and it was maybe max 200 in the upper section of the tank.

 

[Northern Flicker]

For SPS dominant I would run a 16 or 24” reefbuilders photon v2. This would give nice front to back coverage, and it comes with mounting legs.

I ran 2x prime 16HD on mine and it worked well but I would go photon again if I could go back.

 

[Rawsreef]

You could probably get away with using pretty much any light with it being so shallow. Years ago I had a 25 gallon Lagoon mixed reef with a Nanobox Duo. It grew SPS no problem. Years later I tested the par and it was maybe max 200 in the upper section of the tank.

Yeah the tank being 12" deep will definitely be a help. I was thinking maybe 2 AI prime 16 but at the same time I was hoping for a single fixture that way I can keep a cleaner look to the setup too.

 

[Vinaka_vakalevu]

there are truly endless ways to light a tank like that. Do you have a preference on light brand? If you’re trying to stay relatively cheap with every inch of that tank covered you could look into two k7 minis and a single 24” Orphek bar to front fill shadows.

 

[BristleWormHater]

Yeah the tank being 12" deep will definitely be a help. I was thinking maybe 2 AI prime 16 but at the same time I was hoping for a single fixture that way I can keep a cleaner look to the setup too.

I saw a youtube video of a sps dominant using 2 ai primes I'll find it and link it for you.

 

[BristleWormHater]

Also thought I'd mention, I have this tank and a single ai prime works great for softies and lps I think I'll try some stylophora at the top of the tank, but 2 primes would work for sure.

 

[Shawnd08]

Yeah the tank being 12" deep will definitely be a help. I was thinking maybe 2 AI prime 16 but at the same time I was hoping for a single fixture that way I can keep a cleaner look to the setup too.

You could always start with 1, with those dimensions it may work out very well. if you feel its just not enough you could add the second one. an xr15 would cover that tank well but for that price you could do the two primes.

 

[Vinaka_vakalevu]

The problem with and “single source” light in that lagoon for sps is going to be shadows. I have a k7pro and a k7mini /on an IM 20 long which is the same tank just not as deep as the 25 same length and height and I can promise you I need more fill light for my SPS. It’s not an issue of par in that tank. It is an issue of shadows. Any modern LED will put out enough par for a 12” deep tank. I would also recommend that you really think and plan out your coral before putting stuff in. A mixed reef tank in only 12” of water is very hard to dial in the proper flow and light for the sps when not just blasting LPS with light they don’t want.

larger fixtures:
Quanta Atlas
Refi Uno 2
Orphek Atlantik icon compact,


Bars: (both sets of bars are now dimmable and controllable on their own)
Orphek OR4
Quanta Bars

 

[X-37B]

This is 2 16hds on my old 18" nano cube. Nice light and will grow anything in your system.
1 Xr15 would get you going. I run 3 on my ext 50.
I have and will run a photon 24 on my RS 170, 24×20×20.
Lots of options.
Old 18" cube and current 2 month old ext 50 for some reference.

 

[eliaslikesfish]

maybe i’m mistaken but for that size tank I feel like 1 AI prime will suffice. I have 2 on my IM 40G cube and it is more than enough

 

[Rawsreef]

Also thought I'd mention, I have this tank and a single ai prime works great for softies and lps I think I'll try some stylophora at the top of the tank, but 2 primes would work for sure.

Thanks for the input, I feel 2 AI 16s would do great for this setup, which is what I'm leaning towards ATM. I can probably find a couple used ones for around 100 bucks each.

You could always start with 1, with those dimensions it may work out very well. if you feel its just not enough you could add the second one. an xr15 would cover that tank well but for that price you could do the two primes.

I'd love to try the ecotech lights but the cost is something to consider. Don't really care for the fancy name brand. I just want something that throws good par/coverage while looking aesthetically pleasing.

The problem with and “single source” light in that lagoon for sps is going to be shadows. I have a k7pro and a k7mini /on an IM 20 long which is the same tank just not as deep as the 25 same length and height and I can promise you I need more fill light for my SPS. It’s not an issue of par in that tank. It is an issue of shadows. Any modern LED will put out enough par for a 12” deep tank. I would also recommend that you really think and plan out your coral before putting stuff in. A mixed reef tank in only 12” of water is very hard to dial in the proper flow and light for the sps when not just blasting LPS with light they don’t want.

larger fixtures:
Quanta Atlas
Refi Uno 2
Orphek Atlantik icon compact,


Bars: (both sets of bars are now dimmable and controllable on their own)
Orphek OR4
Quanta Bars

The bars do look great and I love that you can cover the entire tank with the correct length bar. I will have to look into the orphek bars and if it would be worth the price. I think 3-4x 24 inch bars would be what I would need to properly cover the entire tank.

 

[Rawsreef]

This is 2 16hds on my old 18" nano cube. Nice light and will grow anything in your system.
1 Xr15 would get you going. I run 3 on my ext 50.
I have and will run a photon 24 on my RS 170, 24×20×20.
Lots of options.
Old 18" cube and current 2 month old ext 50 for some reference.

Very nice looking! I love the way 3x leds on the single mount looks.

maybe i’m mistaken but for that size tank I feel like 1 AI prime will suffice. I have 2 on my IM 40G cube and it is more than enough

For a mixed reef one would probably be okay, but since I plan on doing lots of SPS I think a second led would be better. I'm new to the SPS game but I know some people run 400+ par. Id like to have enough light to be able to get the best growth

 

[Northern Flicker]

maybe i’m mistaken but for that size tank I feel like 1 AI prime will suffice. I have 2 on my IM 40G cube and it is more than enough

1 would be enough for SPS but only directly under it, and the light would need to be cranked which creates some hot spots.

I switched to 2 and much appreciated the new spread.

 

[X-37B]

If you get the 16's get a couple new lens, $5 each. I ran 12 at one time and eventualy replaced all lens from the uv melting it. Keep you settings at or below 100%. I ran mine in the pic at first 4 100% and the rest 50%. The lens melt even at this level but take longer. They say they fixed them but my experience says they did not.
Also a good light would be the Noop K7. 1 would do well and 2 better. They are clones of the Radion gen 4's. I have one and it would worked well on your system for the $'s invested.
THe 16hds are what got me off halides and now I run Radions and Reefbreeders with the noop and 16's just sitting in a drawer, lol.

 

[BristleWormHater]

If you get the 16's get a couple new lens, $5 each. I ran 12 at one time and eventualy replaced all lens from the uv melting it. Keep you settings at or below 100%. I ran mine in the pic at first 4 100% and the rest 50%. The lens melt even at this level but take longer. They say they fixed them but my experience says they did not.
Also a good light would be the Noop K7. 1 would do well and 2 better. They are clones of the Radion gen 4's. I have one and it would worked well on your system for the $'s invested.
THe 16hds are what got me off halides and now I run Radions and Reefbreeders with the noop and 16's just sitting in a drawer, lol.

Yeah my 16 fan screams during peak hours. There are certainly better options, but the 16 is the only light I've used.
Edit: the replacement lenses are very cheap as mentioned, so it's not a big deal unless the whole diode melts, which seems rare.

 

[X-37B]

Very nice looking! I love the way 3x leds on the single mount looks.

For a mixed reef one would probably be okay, but since I plan on doing lots of SPS I think a second led would be better. I'm new to the SPS game but I know some people run 400+ par. Id like to have enough light to be able to get the best growth

I only used the radions because I had 5 from another build. I prefer the photons. With 2 radions the par was only 200ish on the top of the rocks and 300+ with the 3rd 15.
I run 2 50's on my ext 170.
You could run 1 24 on your system and use the photon when you upgrade to a bigger system.

 

[Rawsreef]

I only used the radions because I had 5 from another build. I prefer the photons. With 2 radions the par was only 200ish on the top of the rocks and 300+ with the 3rd 15.
I run 2 50's on my ext 170.
You could run 1 24 on your system and use the photon when you upgrade to a bigger system.

This is not a bad option, 24 long so it would span across the entire tank. I would probably have to place it a few inches above the tank to reduce light spillage. Also the price is pretty good. It's even less than the price of 1 AI 16 new.

 

[Northern Flicker]

@Rawsreef there are some good pictures in this thread too. I would go Photon v2 but Primes will be fine.

 

[mh0ward]

Yeah the tank being 12" deep will definitely be a help. I was thinking maybe 2 AI prime 16 but at the same time I was hoping for a single fixture that way I can keep a cleaner look to the setup too.

I've got a 21gal lagoon that's 36x12x12 and faced a similar decision with lighting. Mine being 3 ft long made the decision to go with 2 lights vs one larger one a little easier, but I liked the idea that if one were to die, I'd still have the other light to help keep the tank going while I got a replacement for the dead one. Spreading the light out more evenly and eliminating at least some shadows was also a factor, and already mentioned by others.

As far as keeping a clean look with 2 AI primes, if you're somewhat handy or know someone that is, making your own mount for those lights goes a long way.