Best light for 3xl red sea 900

[Lolleo]

I am looking to get a red sea 3xl 900. What would be the best lighting for it as I want a mixed reef so sps and lps and soft corals.
Also how many would I need. I've seen in some people's builds they use the XR 15 and use 4 of them but I wanna know if that even suffice and if not what is a better alternative.

 

[jda]

There is no best... just best for you.

Dimensions of the tank will help with suggestions so that people don't have to look it up. Help them help you.

Are you saying that you want LED only? If so, then don't rule out Photon V2 - some of the best reefs that I have seen are with Photon V2. 6 bulb T5 are also great for mixed reefs. So are 150w Halides with great performance and coverage.

You will be getting a million suggestions, so maybe some criterion can help... do you love apps, trendy stuff, want to upgrade often, etc. Anything from used black boxes to custom made Giesemann Spectras can all work, but some will work better than others depending on what you want to accomplish and what fits your personality.

 

[Woodyman]

There is no best... just best for you.

Dimensions of the tank will help with suggestions so that people don't have to look it up. Help them help you.

Are you saying that you want LED only? If so, then don't rule out Photon V2 - some of the best reefs that I have seen are with Photon V2. 6 bulb T5 are also great for mixed reefs. So are 150w Halides with great performance and coverage.

You will be getting a million suggestions, so maybe some criterion can help... do you love apps, trendy stuff, want to upgrade often, etc. Anything from used black boxes to custom made Giesemann Spectras can all work, but some will work better than others depending on what you want to accomplish and what fits your personality.

Well said.

First I'd say decide if you want the light mounted to the tank or hanging from the ceiling/wall.

Then decide if you want halide, T5, or LED.

After that give some tank dimensions and your ideal budget and we can narrow it down for you!

 

[jda]

If you don't know where to start, then I would start with deciding between plug-and-play stuff that just kicks butts, or if you are a tinkerer and an app person.

Even if you are a tinkerer and an app person, it is sometimes a good idea to not buy that stuff if you cannot leave well enough alone since the corals don't like it. Mild tinkering and spectrum shifting can be OK, but you never see anybody say that their corals enjoy them playing with the spectrum all of the time.

 

[Lolleo]

200cm / 79” long, and 65cm / 25.6” high and wide are the dimensions and thank you. I had a question as well is it worth doing a hybrid like t5 and normal led light? Do they make one ? and is it worth it?

 

[Woodyman]

200cm / 79” long, and 65cm / 25.6” high and wide are the dimensions and thank you. I had a question as well is it worth doing a hybrid like t5 and normal led light? Do they make one ? and is it worth it?

Do they make one? - yes there are several

Are they with it? - again that's relative.

If you like the T5 look and want the shimmer of LED then yes worth it. Otherwise maybe not?

 

[Lolleo]

Do they make one? - yes there are several

Are they with it? - again that's relative.

If you like the T5 look and want the shimmer of LED then yes worth it. Otherwise maybe not?

The only lights i have used are the red sea 90 led and a kessil for my smaller tank i used to have so i am unsure on anything that isn't those but I am just not sure what I should be looking for as I plan on spending like 10-15k on the tank in total for equipment and all so money isn't really a problem when it comes to lighting. I just have like i siad never used the other types so I don't really know. I just wanna do it right the first time and not have to turn back and be like oh i should've bought this because this blank isn't performing as well as i'd like.

 

[Woodyman]

The only lights i have used are the red sea 90 led and a kessil for my smaller tank i used to have so i am unsure on anything that isn't those but I am just not sure what I should be looking for as I plan on spending like 10-15k on the tank in total for equipment and all so money isn't really a problem when it comes to lighting. I just have like i siad never used the other types so I don't really know. I just wanna do it right the first time and not have to turn back and be like oh i should've bought this because this blank isn't performing as well as i'd like.

I use the Reef LEDs and I like them. I've never used halides, T5s need replaced every ~9 months. I don't want to hassle with my lights or change bulbs. So I went with LED. Until they die hopefully in 8+ years I don't have plans to really mess with them or anything.

I get good growth and coloration and I'm happy.

Could it be better? Most definitely - but just because I choose one light over another? I doubt it. There are way to many variables and in my opinion the lighting debate like the salt debate is over rated.

Nutrition, flow, light(spectrum + par), and husbandry are what matters.

Sure some lights out out more PAR, but not all corals need more PAR..

Two different lights set to relatively the same spectrum and PAR , will it make a dramatic difference given no other variables change? - I don't know.

If you like the look of T5 for it!! If you like LEDs better go for those!

They will all grow and support corals when used properly!

 

[Lavey29]

Depends on your coral additions but for a big beautiful tank like that maybe a hybrid led T5 set up or photons. You need something sleek and high performance to match your tank choice.

 

[Lolleo]

What are some options for the lighting options like a good hybrid a good led etc just need ideas for a 6.6 foot length tank and 25inches wide

 

[Lavey29]

What are some options for the lighting options like a good hybrid a good led etc just need ideas for a 6.6 foot length tank and 25inches wide

Just depends on your preference but the hybrids I've seen incorporate 2 or 3 leds like radions and T5s in the middle.

 

[Lolleo]

Just depends on your preference but the hybrids I've seen incorporate 2 or 3 leds like radions and T5s in the middle.

When you say radion do you mean the xr 15 or xr 30? Also what hybrid system is good for that length? or would it have to be two different ones?

 

[Lavey29]

When you say radion do you mean the xr 15 or xr 30? Also what hybrid system is good for that length? or would it have to be two different

I can only go off what I see on the net as I have a much smaller red sea tank. Looks like the go with maybe 4 XR15 or 3 XR30 lights but some others go with 2 led lights and T5 lights but may take 2 sets. Depends on your coral needs.

 

[Lavey29]

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://m.facebook.com/red.sea.LTD/videos/red-sea-reefer-3xl-900-a-beast-of-a-system/471982696764267/&ved=2ahUKEwjajsO-5-f2AhU7KEQIHdAlBY0QtwJ6BAgQEAI&usg=AOvVaw0dP35G-0FyYuIhu_4IEt3q

 

[vtecintegra]

If money is not a factor, three Neptune Skys. Otherwise, two, three-foot hybrids. Maybe six XR15s. My philosophy is to blanket the area you are trying to light.

 

[jda]

If this were my tank, with a mixed reef, I would probably get a 6 foot Giesemann Spectra, run 175w Halides in it and use the 4x T5s on each side. Great coverage and lower wattage. This also gives the ability to step up to 250w Halides in the future without having to start all over, if a hard-core SPS tank is desired later on. I would not use the T5s except for dusk to dawn since the MH do not need the help and they would be about the same wattage as running a pair of xr15, or the like. I also like the single-fixture look of the Spectra.

If somebody made me use LED, then I would buy a pair of Photon V2s and maybe get some 6' ReefBrite XHO strips for the front and back.

FWIW - I don't gave a darn about apps, the illusion of control or nearly anything else that a piece of tech has to offer. A LED with knobs on the end is good enough for me.

FWIW - T5s last at least a year with BRS recommending changing them every 24 months. All of the 6 or 9 month BS was fake news by people selling or hyping LEDs. If you typical LED fixture has a life span of 4-5 years, which is reasonable, then you change bulbs once with T5s... which alters the money math quite a bit. Lighting tanks over 6 foot with just T5s is not easy since they only come in 60" lengths, so it is hard to recommend them in this case... would need 2x 36" fixtures and twice the number of bulbs.