lighting situation

[marklugo23]

i have a cube column and looking for lighting, something that can reach the bottom, has anyone ever used Marineland Single Bright LED Lighting System 18-24"i
i found a great price on these and they look great.
my tank is 20x18x 28.. please let me know before i order them now
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=23688

 

[JonnyJ]

What kind of tank? REEF? FISH ONLY?

if its a reef im afraid those lights will not work. The only ones marineland make that would be "ok" would be their reef capable lights. [and even they are iffy]

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3733+10704+23687&pcatid=23687

 

[andylee]

Designed for freshwater per the write up. Total wattage is 3.24 watts. That will be ok for fish only to see, but not for any photosynthetic corals. I have a 90 watt LED system in a tank about your size and I don't think it's enough for LPS.

 

[marklugo23]

oh that sucks i wanted to do a reef cube, are you positive i cant get away with this lighting?

 

[andylee]

Extremely positive!

 

[JonnyJ]

Reefs require powerful lights. Those are not powerful at all.

Your tank happens to be very deep, you definitely want something that can penetrate the bottom.

I dont know what your budget is, but if you let us know maybe someone cant point you in the right direction.

Leds are not cheap, but then again nothing in this hobby is.


I'd also like to add that i don't even believe the reef capable light from marineland would work for your tank. Deep tanks can be hard to light.

 

[marklugo23]

i know lol what do you recommend jonnyj, i mean dont go out of your way to look around for me but do you know of any good lights i can check out for a decent price?

 

[JonnyJ]

LED units generally come with 1 or 3 watt LEDS


if your set on getting leds and your budget is low i would suggest one unit of those 90 or 120Watt led chinese style lights...
Can check out - Boostled.com, Reef Koi, ebay, our used section. There are a bunch of different styles coming out of china, some people offer US warranties and some need to be shipped to china. Most are very similar to one another, just re-branded.

some are basic on/off
some have 1 cord for both blue and white
some have 2 cords [1 for blue / 1 for white]
some can be dimmed [More $$, and if thats what your looking for i would just suggest going with a diy or a reputable brand like listed below]

Heres some in our forsale section to give you an idea of what im talking about...
http://www.manhattanreefs.com/forum/sale-trade/112715-2-led-120w-units-4-sale.html


I ran one for around a year, passed it along to the new buyer and he ran it over a year. was well worth the money.

If your budget is high, i would point you in the direction of Aqua illuminations, Acan Lighting, Something DIY, Orphek, etc...

 

[marklugo23]

im not set on it, even if t5's would work, i kinda want this to be my show tank and leave my 75gal to mess around with, but in this tank i want only 2 clowns and a goby and snails and crabs and wanted to start with corals. but any type of light thats good for that i really want, i just wanted leds because i knew they would last longer

 

[andylee]

As I said in my post, I have 90 watter. It's probably just about adequate for the lower light-demanding corals (softies, etc). I may have the same tank as you. It's an oceanic cube. I am in the process of looking for a higher wattage light (think about it; total wattage on the marineland is 3 watts; I am thinking of moving up to 150 from 90. You can spend anywhere from ~200 to 800 for LEDs.
I actually think the 90 watter is doing OK for me; I just feel the need to push it a little harder. There are a few units like this for sale on the site now.
Those Marinelands are 0.06 watts each! Don't even consider using them. You will just kill your livestock and have to upgrade later anyway.

 

[marklugo23]

the tank i have is a marineland kit i got at petco for 37$ so i couldnt help myself lol it was marked down from 150$ and it came with versa top and a hood light, i just want something really nice, do you think t5 hood with 10000 ocean lights be fine, because im running the 48" one on my 75?
and what website did you find them on sale?

 

[andylee]

This would probably work well for you:

http://www.manhattanreefs.com/forum/sale-trade/112715-2-led-120w-units-4-sale.html

 

[NewfiDog]

I have a 28 deep tank and the Apollo LED's have great penetration, they have changed since i got them and they have optics now should be even better. They use Bridgelux LED's which should be made here .http://apolloreefled.com/

 

[marklugo23]

i think ima go with 18" 178W Metal Halide Pendant Extendable Series... i found a great price for these

 

[Lenny718]

i think ima go with 18" 178W Metal Halide Pendant Extendable Series... i found a great price for these

If you go the mh route I would recommend 250w for that depth.

 

[andylee]

Consider heat problems in the summer.

 

[Lenny718]

Consider heat problems in the summer.

True but if he doesn't have the coin for led it's a good option, plus his tank is in his basement so if he has ac he should be good.

 

[NewfiDog]

I think in the long run he will spend more with the MH but they still are most likley still the best light for some corals. You dont have to spend a fortune on LED depends on the bells and whistles.