Best high-ish range light for Mixed reef?

[duberii]

I'm looking to upgrade my lights to a ~$400 light, but I really have very few ideas beyond that. I'd probably like an LED-based light, since I don't love the idea of having to change bulbs and so on. I have a 40 breeder, so I'd need 2 fixtures, but I feel like 2 kessil A360Xs would be total overkills, since both would probably be turned down to its lowest setting... As for high light creatures I'd like to get some acros and a clam, though I have places i could put them so that they could get enough light regardless of what fixture I have.

The main thing I'm loking for is spectrum- I started with a Current Orbit IC marine light, which I then "upgraded" to a blackbox, which really improved the coloration of a lot of my corals. Now that I have a bigger tank, I have the current light and the blackbox on either side, but I'd like a more homogenous look, since one side is visibly brighter than the other.

I have already een looking at AI Primes and kessils, but beyond that I'm lost (from what I've heard AI Primes actually don't have THAT great a spectrum). Does anybody have a recommendation for a light (or lights used in conjunction) that I could light up my tank with? Thanks in advance!

 

[jx.reef]

With a budget of $400, I’d go with the reef breeder photons. I don’t think the primes or kessils will have enough power for a 40 breeder. I run an xr30 on a 20 gallon at 75% intensity so I don’t think you can go overkill as long as tank parameters match the PAR.

 

[Protodad]

A360we are still available for under your price range. If you are willing and patient you can score two of them with goosenecks for under your budget on the used market.

 

[duberii]

A360we are still available for under your price range. If you are willing and patient you can score two of them with goosenecks for under your budget on the used market.

I have to get them from my LFS unfortunately - long story short I have a ton of store credit and I thought now would be a good time to upgrade my lights.

 

[duberii]

With a budget of $400, I’d go with the reef breeder photons. I don’t think the primes or kessils will have enough power for a 40 breeder. I run an xr30 on a 20 gallon at 75% intensity so I don’t think you can go overkill as long as tank parameters match the PAR.

I haven't heard much about them- are they adjustable? I really want fantastic spectrum- raw output I can get from my blackbox. I also don't know if I made this clear- the budget is per light- overall I'm willing to spend around $900 including mounts. If I could get one light that could cover the whole tank, then $900 would be the budget, but I've never heard of an LED like that.

Edit: It looks like this could light the whole tank for about $400- seems too good to be true!

 

[duberii]

A360we are still available for under your price range. If you are willing and patient you can score two of them with goosenecks for under your budget on the used market.

I'm just afraid that A360WEs would be too much- I'd have them turned down pretty low, and I wouldn't turn them up beyond that before they crap out. At that point I feel like 2 A160s would be better.

 

[Bpb]

A pair of reeffi uno. No question. That would be perfect for a 40b

 

[duberii]

A pair of reeffi uno. No question. That would be perfect for a 40b

Those do sound good- maybe I can work out a deal with my LFS to preorder those- we'll see.

 

[jx.reef]

The reef breeders are basically a better black box but still a black box. Actually with a $900 budget, I’d go with 2x radion xr15s. If you go used, you might be able to snag 3 of the G4’s for the price.

 

[Reverend Turtle]

I would personally go with a Kessil AP9X. One light, under a grand, would still be usable if I decided to upgrade to a bigger tank, no addons needed, etc...

AP9X LED Lighting Panel

Kessil's AP9x has redesigned LED chips and optics along with updated, more versatile software and built-in Wifi connectivity. The AP9X represents the combination of Kessil's best features, in a lighting package perfectly suited to a variety of mixed reef systems. The Kessil AP9X is the...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

 

[Waynerock]

I'm looking to upgrade my lights to a ~$400 light, but I really have very few ideas beyond that. I'd probably like an LED-based light, since I don't love the idea of having to change bulbs and so on. I have a 40 breeder, so I'd need 2 fixtures, but I feel like 2 kessil A360Xs would be total overkills, since both would probably be turned down to its lowest setting... As for high light creatures I'd like to get some acros and a clam, though I have places i could put them so that they could get enough light regardless of what fixture I have.

The main thing I'm loking for is spectrum- I started with a Current Orbit IC marine light, which I then "upgraded" to a blackbox, which really improved the coloration of a lot of my corals. Now that I have a bigger tank, I have the current light and the blackbox on either side, but I'd like a more homogenous look, since one side is visibly brighter than the other.

I have already een looking at AI Primes and kessils, but beyond that I'm lost (from what I've heard AI Primes actually don't have THAT great a spectrum). Does anybody have a recommendation for a light (or lights used in conjunction) that I could light up my tank with? Thanks in advance!

Well as far as primes and spectrum goes I have had 3 over my mixed reef and I don’t get any complaints. I recently added a XHO strip just to make everything a little more bright but everything in here is from the Primes. They work Great!

 

[uhgster1]

Primes on a 40? I have a 65 which is a 40 with 25 inches of height. I have three over it with supplemental t5 that only comes on for about 4 hours a day and sometimes not at all. You can definitely have a mixed reef with primes and it’s controllable.

 

[duberii]

A pair of reeffi uno. No question. That would be perfect for a 40b

These lights look seriously amazing- one thing I'm having trouble with is how they would compare to something like the Kessil AP9X both in terms of spectrum (which I assume is similar, or can be made similar by messing with the spectrum controls) and in terms of lifetime.

 

[duberii]

I would personally go with a Kessil AP9X. One light, under a grand, would still be usable if I decided to upgrade to a bigger tank, no addons needed, etc...

AP9X LED Lighting Panel

Kessil's AP9x has redesigned LED chips and optics along with updated, more versatile software and built-in Wifi connectivity. The AP9X represents the combination of Kessil's best features, in a lighting package perfectly suited to a variety of mixed reef systems. The Kessil AP9X is the...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

I looked at these lights for a minute and have no idea why I brushed it off- it really does look like an amazing light. Only issue I see with it is I'd have to fork up another $100 for the arm... It may be easier to convince my LFS to get though.

 

[duberii]

Well as far as primes and spectrum goes I have had 3 over my mixed reef and I don’t get any complaints. I recently added a XHO strip just to make everything a little more bright but everything in here is from the Primes. They work Great!

Wow- making me eat my words. I want coral coloration like that! Maybe I'm just used to more white light, but those corals are really making me reconsider.

 

[duberii]

Primes on a 40? I have a 65 which is a 40 with 25 inches of height. I have three over it with supplemental t5 that only comes on for about 4 hours a day and sometimes not at all. You can definitely have a mixed reef with primes and it’s controllable.

Do you think I could get away with 2 in a 40 breeder?

 

[Waynerock]

Wow- making me eat my words. I want coral coloration like that! Maybe I'm just used to more white light, but those corals are really making me reconsider.

Think about 2 prime 16’s and you need a little more power think about the XHO strip later. It’s better to have multiple smaller lights you get way better spread. I don’t even have any channel over 90%, keep em way dialed back but because there are multiple light sources they blanket everything and between light bouncing off the glass and overlapping I get pretty high par. Good luck either way. It’s a good and confusing time to be a reefer, so many good options out there.

 

[Bpb]

The reef breeders are basically a better black box but still a black box. Actually with a $900 budget, I’d go with 2x radion xr15s. If you go used, you might be able to snag 3 of the G4’s for the price.

In what way is it still just a black box?

 

[Bpb]

These lights look seriously amazing- one thing I'm having trouble with is how they would compare to something like the Kessil AP9X both in terms of spectrum (which I assume is similar, or can be made similar by messing with the spectrum controls) and in terms of lifetime.

The reef fi has better cooling and wider spectrum. The uno is a single unit. I would compare TWO unos to a single AP9x

 

[Jon's Reef]

2 radion XR15 blue, then if you want some extra shimmer/ pop throw in a used kessil A160 (36x24x24 tank, iphone 8 w/ polyplab lens)