5 gallon nano reef tank lighting

slee · Sep 4, 2019

Hi everyone, I’m thinking of getting a cali tort frag at my LFS and was wondering if a 7W LED light would be enough?

Specifically: MingDak LED Aquarium Light, Upgraded Fish Clip Light, Air Bubble Stone Disk Light for Fish Tank

Ron Reefman · Sep 4, 2019

I hate to say it, but IMHO, probably not for the long run.

That fixture has 12 white and 3 blue leds. A good coral led fixture should have AT LEAST as many blue leds as white, more is better. And 15 leds at only 7 watts means they may appear bright to our eyes, but they don't produce much intensity. For a fish only tank they are fine. For a shallow (10 to 12" deep) tank with zoas and easy low light lps, it's OK. But that's about it.

I think the frag you are considering will survive in the short run, but it will not grow and it will probably become unhealthy and may eventually die. Even over your shallow tank, you need more watts than 7. And 3 watt leds would be WAY better than 0.5 watt leds. And more blue leds than white... or at least almost equal numbers.

I hope that helps?

Katrina71 · Sep 4, 2019

I'd go for a Kessil A80 tuna blue.

slee · Sep 4, 2019

Ron Reefman said:
I hate to say it, but IMHO, probably not for the long run.

That fixture has 12 white and 3 blue leds. A good coral led fixture should have AT LEAST as many blue leds as white, more is better. And 15 leds at only 7 watts means they may appear bright to our eyes, but they don't produce much intensity. For a fish only tank they are fine. For a shallow (10 to 12" deep) tank with zoas and easy low light lps, it's OK. But that's about it.

I think the frag you are considering will survive in the short run, but it will not grow and it will probably become unhealthy and may eventually die. Even over your shallow tank, you need more watts than 7. And 3 watt leds would be WAY better than 0.5 watt leds. And more blue leds than white... or at least almost equal numbers.

I hope that helps?