40 Breeder LED lighting?

[Grimreefer89]

im at the point where i've got spend some big money and want to make sure i do it wisely. i want the AI hydra 32 HD ive been told i can grow anything with that light on a 40 breeder? is there a better option though i love the (Assumed) simplicity of AI with the app, the fact that its able to be mounted on the back of the tank (i don't have to hang it from my ceiling) and it being LED. so i open to suggestions the tank is gonna be a mixed reef with both lps and sps.

 

[Nick Steele]

I’d lean towards two 16hds over the hydra 32. Gives more spread/coverage

 

[SDK]

I have two Noopsyche K7's over my 40B. It's enough light and spread to grow anything across the entire tank.

The full double light setup with mounts and controller cost me less than a single HD 32 with mount would have.

They are fantastic lights for the money. The AI light control has a few more bells and whistles, but I saved about $600 vs two Hydras and am putting that towards a full Apex setup....

 

[BullyBee]

I am in the same boat as you, but I do have 3 AI prime lights for fresh. I am pretty sure the hydra can handle a 36” spread. It’s what I plan on using, but for a FOWLR tank

 

[i_declare_bankruptcy]

I have two 16HD's over my 40b and it's more than enough. More would reduce shadowing, maybe if you're going all SPS you'd want to consider something different but for the vast majority of cases I believe it's plenty.

 

[AdamNC]

2 AI Primes or 2 Radion G5 XR-15s

 

[Grimreefer89]

thank you this is the info i was looking for. i really want to get this right the first time. im going to look into all these lights (i enjoy the research lol) especially the Noopsyche they weren't even on my radar. and i never thought about the spread on the hydra not being enough im gonna check on that but im not opposed to having dual lights. again thank yall im still super new to this hobby and the folks on this forum always come through.

 

[The District Reef]

I have two Hydra 26's over my 40B mixed reef, but I still get some shadowing in certain parts of the tank. Planning to add some T-5's into the mix soon for full coverage.

 

[ReefnFG]

When I first started my 40 breeder I was using one Ecotech Radion XR30 with wide angle lenses. I found the edges were too shaded for my liking. So I changed to 2- XR15's with diffusers mounted with their RMS controlled via Reeflink and haven't looked back since. AI is owned and supported by Ecotech so you get the customer support and quality products. For your tank, depending on amount you're looking to spend and what type of corals you are looking to keep, I would suggest 2 primes for softies & LPS. If you're looking to keep SPS I would go with 2 AI Hdyra 32s or 26s.

 

[newbie2014]

When I first started my 40 breeder I was using one Ecotech Radion XR30 with wide angle lenses. I found the edges were too shaded for my liking. So I changed to 2- XR15's with diffusers mounted with their RMS controlled via Reeflink and haven't looked back since. AI is owned and supported by Ecotech so you get the customer support and quality products. For your tank, depending on amount you're looking to spend and what type of corals you are looking to keep, I would suggest 2 primes for softies & LPS. If you're looking to keep SPS I would go with 2 AI Hdyra 32s or 26s.

This. Even BRSTV recommends 2 AI prime/16HD for softies/LPS in a 40B.