Beginner Lighting Question

[fishman101]

Hi guys,

I plan on starting a 42 gallon (2.5ft x 1.5ft x 1.5ft / 75cm x 45cm x 45cm) reef tank later on this year. This will be my first saltwater/reef tank so I plan on keeping it simple with soft corals. For lighting, I have been considering cheaper options such as the Marsaqua or Viparspectra black box leds. Would these be suitable for my tank? If so, would I be better off with the 165 watt version or the 300 watt version? The 165w is 40cm (16 inches) in length whereas the 300w is 80cm (32 inches) in length.

Thanks for any and all help!

 

[piranhaman00]

Welcome!

sounds like a great tank, those dimensions are great! That extra width will be very nice. The black box LEDs you refer too will work wonderfully for your tank, they are proven to grow any corals. The mars and spectra are the two most popular options so you can’t go wrong with either. Keep am eye on small details, the mars has two power cords which can be cumbersome, I believe the spectra, or at least a new version, just had one and has digital control. Some black box are now WiFi , which can be dimmed and controlled remotely.

My first LED was the mars, it is amazing and many people use them. Now I have leds I can ramp and if you are able, pay a little extra to get one that can ramp, it’s very nice and you can more easily adjust the power.

Speaking of power, definitely go with the 165 watt version. You would be able to fry the most demanding corals with this light so you must be careful, start at min power whites(or off) and 30-40% blues and work up. These lights put off extreme par.

Keep asking questions and good luck!

 

[SeaJay]

I would consider Noopsyche. I’ve recently added some to my T5 hybrid fixture after seeing them in action at two of my LFS. They have tanks thriving under a single k7.

 

[AdamB]

Welcome to R2R! The viper spectra light was one of the lights used on my 1st 90 gallon mixed reef tank . I was really surprised with light performance the low cost of unit .3 year warranty as well
I grew everything with that light . Even acros.
You will only need 1 viper for your tank and I would hang it 10-12 “ above water line .

 

[fishman101]

Welcome!

sounds like a great tank, those dimensions are great! That extra width will be very nice. The black box LEDs you refer too will work wonderfully for your tank, they are proven to grow any corals. The mars and spectra are the two most popular options so you can’t go wrong with either. Keep am eye on small details, the mars has two power cords which can be cumbersome, I believe the spectra, or at least a new version, just had one and has digital control. Some black box are now WiFi , which can be dimmed and controlled remotely.

My first LED was the mars, it is amazing and many people use them. Now I have leds I can ramp and if you are able, pay a little extra to get one that can ramp, it’s very nice and you can more easily adjust the power.

Speaking of power, definitely go with the 165 watt version. You would be able to fry the most demanding corals with this light so you must be careful, start at min power whites(or off) and 30-40% blues and work up. These lights put off extreme par.

Keep asking questions and good luck!

Thanks so much for your reply! Great to know about the difference between the mars and spectra - I'll probably go for the spectra because of the 1 cord and built-in timer. Thanks for the tip on starting on lower power as well!

I would consider Noopsyche. I’ve recently added some to my T5 hybrid fixture after seeing them in action at two of my LFS. They have tanks thriving under a single k7.

Hey thanks for your reply! I should've mentioned I'm from Australia - our budget reef lighting seems to be limited to fewer options than everywhere else :/

 

[fishman101]

Welcome to R2R! The viper spectra light was one of the lights used on my 1st 90 gallon mixed reef tank . I was really surprised with light performance the low cost of unit .3 year warranty as well
I grew everything with that light . Even acros.
You will only need 1 viper for your tank and I would hang it 10-12 “ above water line .

Thanks! That's great news to hear