Best aquarium lights

Brooke24 · Nov 20, 2020

I’m looking for some pretty good lights, but don’t wanna spend 800$ on one lol! The tank I bought used came with a FluvalSmart light, which isn’t good enough for me or the corals going into it, since I want all kinds of coral down the road. I would easily be willing to spend around 450-500$, so does anyone know good lights for a 90 Gallon in that price range? Maybe 2 200$ lights, or 1 large 450-500$ one? Thanks

nereefpat · Nov 20, 2020

Do you want halide, T5, or LED?

Brooke24 · Nov 20, 2020

nereefpat said:
Do you want halide, T5, or LED?

T5 or LED.

nereefpat · Nov 20, 2020

FYI Bulk Reef Supply is 20% on their 48" T5. A 4' six bulb sunpower would be 482$.

Brooke24 · Nov 20, 2020

nereefpat said:
Do you want halide, T5, or LED?

But probably a T5, because I want

nereefpat said:
FYI Bulk Reef Supply is 20% on their 48" T5. A 4' six bulb sunpower would be 482$.

What about one of these, then I obviously purchase the bulbs for it as well?

nereefpat · Nov 20, 2020

A lot of folks go that route, it seems like. Yes, you would need to purchase bulbs, as well as the 2-3 LED fixtures to go in the brackets.

Brooke24 · Nov 20, 2020

nereefpat said:
A lot of folks go that route, it seems like. Yes, you would need to purchase bulbs, as well as the 2-3 LED fixtures to go in the brackets.

Okay! Have any LEDS? Ones that successfully grow coral, for maybe 400?

92Miata · Nov 20, 2020

There are two good paths here IMO for LEDs - you buy a couple of Viparspectras - they're cheap and a lot of people on here love them.

Or you buy some used lighting. You can typically find G3 Radion XR30s around $250-300.

Brooke24 · Nov 20, 2020

92Miata said:
There are two good paths here IMO for LEDs - you buy a couple of Viparspectras - they're cheap and a lot of people on here love them.

Or you buy some used lighting. You can typically find G3 Radion XR30s around $250-300.

Where can you find them for 250-300? Bulk reef has them for 800?

92Miata · Nov 20, 2020

Brooke24 said:
Where can you find them for 250-300? Bulk reef has them for 800?

Used G3 radions, not new G5s.

Brooke24 · Nov 20, 2020

92Miata said:
Used G3 radions, not new G5s.

Oh. Okay! Do you have any experience with the Viparspectras?

MONTANTK · Nov 20, 2020

The AI Hyrda 26 or 52s would also be a good option. You could do a combo with t5s and the 26

Brooke24 · Nov 20, 2020

MONTANTK said:
The AI Hyrda 26 or 52s would also be a good option. You could do a combo with t5s and the 26

I was looking for maybe around 400, so would I need one or two Al Hydras? It’s fine if two, I could try to make it work or save some money. Do you have any experience with viraspectras?

Chris Spaulding · Nov 20, 2020

Can also look at Reefbeeders Photon V2+ and atm they are on sale

Brooke24 · Nov 20, 2020

Chris Spaulding said:
Can also look at Reefbeeders Photon V2+ and atm they are on sale

Yeah, I heard those lights are awesome! I don’t think I could spend 630$ on them though

since I’m only 16 it would take me a little less than a month to buy them

do you have experience with the viraspectras, and if they actually grow coral like hoe it’s reviewed?

nereefpat · Nov 20, 2020

Brooke24 said:
do you have experience with the viraspectras, and if they actually grow coral like hoe it’s reviewed?

This could keep you busy for a while: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/viparspectra-165watt-anyone-using-these.317612/

Gernader · Nov 20, 2020

Brooke24 said:
Yeah, I heard those lights are awesome! I don’t think I could spend 630$ on them though since I’m only 16 it would take me a little less than a month to buy them
do you have experience with the viraspectras, and if they actually grow coral like hoe it’s reviewed?

Hey, I have viparspectras and they are amazing for the price. I mainly have acropora (SPS) corals which are the most demanding corals and the lights are powerful enough to grow them!

jgirardnrg · Nov 20, 2020

Two of these would let you grow anything you want:

Ocean Revive Arctic T247-B Full Spectrum Dimmable LED Aquarium Reef Light

This is drop shipped so please allow 1-7 business days to ship. We ditched our fancy expensive lights for the Ocean Revive Led light. We absolutely love this light at SaltCritters. This light is over ALL of our tanks. The color and growth we get from these lights is amazing and you can't...

www.saltcritters.com

I swapped out for Reef Breeders lights. The 48 is a bit above your budget though. I wanted more control and ramping up and down (6 channels).

Photon V2+ - ReefBreeders.com

www.reefbreeders.com

ReefBeta · Nov 20, 2020

90 gallon is 48" by 18", 24" high, right? Since it's pretty narrow, going for light bar will be more cost efficient.

Orphrek OR3 LED bar is great. Assuming you don't have high light coral like acro yet, you can start with one Reef Day Plus and one Blue Plus. That set you back for less than 400. Maybe have better price on black friday sale. Later down the road when you're ready, just add a couple more.

Another good long shape LED is Maxspect Razor X R5 150W LED. It's a bit over your budget, but not by a lot. You can also add two light bar to the side later if you need more light.

Good lights are not cheap, so think about not to invest all at once, but pick a solution that you can add onto later. If you get couple blackboxes, and a year later need to replace them for something better, the initial investment is all lost.

But either way you will want to build your rock a bit higher, probably up to 18", so that you don't need to buy big enough light to penetrate 24" depth while only covering 18" wide.