Best lighting option for softie/lps only nano

[glb]

I have a 12g nano with two compact flourescent bulbs. 24w. One is 10,000k white and the other is 50% blue actinic and 50% white. I had thought of led's because I don't get the color pop with my lights. But, do I need that much power if I'm never ever going to put sps in the tank? If I added a 12" Stunner strip in royal blue to my existing light, would that give me the flourescence I'm looking for? I currently have zoas, acan lords, Florida ricordea and gsp's. My zoas and gsp's aren't growing much but the acans and ricordea are. Would full LEDs be overkill? I'm interested in everyone's thoughts because I want to make the best choice for the tanks. I would upgrade to Steve's LEDs retrofit if I decide to replace everything.

 

[ReeferBill]

Do NOT get LEDs man. I did that with my nano and burned all the LPS and softies to death. Even with a dimmable LED fixture dimmed down to 20%. Just too intense. The lights you have now are perfect. Get the stunner strip to add the pop and leave it alone. You will be happy with that. Make sure you put the stunner strip under the plastic casing by the lights or it will short out within a month. Good luck.

 

[glb]

Do NOT get LEDs man. I did that with my nano and burned all the LPS and softies to death. Even with a dimmable LED fixture dimmed down to 20%. Just too intense. The lights you have now are perfect. Get the stunner strip to add the pop and leave it alone. You will be happy with that. Make sure you put the stunner strip under the plastic casing by the lights or it will short out within a month. Good luck.

Thank you!!!

 

[glb]

Do NOT get LEDs man. I did that with my nano and burned all the LPS and softies to death. Even with a dimmable LED fixture dimmed down to 20%. Just too intense. The lights you have now are perfect. Get the stunner strip to add the pop and leave it alone. You will be happy with that. Make sure you put the stunner strip under the plastic casing by the lights or it will short out within a month. Good luck.

Do you know how to get the stunner strip under the casing as far as the wiring goes? I know there's room under there but is there an area in the heat sink to run the wire through? I figured that was the case. I may have to get a 6" one instead of 12" one to get it under the hood.

 

[1.0reef]

Do NOT get LEDs man. I did that with my nano and burned all the LPS and softies to death. Even with a dimmable LED fixture dimmed down to 20%. Just too intense. The lights you have now are perfect. Get the stunner strip to add the pop and leave it alone. You will be happy with that. Make sure you put the stunner strip under the plastic casing by the lights or it will short out within a month. Good luck.

I completely disagree, done correctly an led fixture will work far better than PC's. Look into Stevesleds, Rapidled, and LEDgroupbuy, get a dimmable setup and bring it almost all the way down when you first retrofit it, then slowly bring it up. Remember to go easy on PUR monsters like HV's and the overall power of the fixture.

 

[glb]

What is pur and hv?

 

[1.0reef]

PUR = Photosynthetically useful radiation, HV is Hyper Violet that peaks at around 426-428nm or nanometers, which is also a peak for Chlorophyll A, and corals have a lot of that. So they're useful, but you should exhibit some caution lol

 

[glb]

PUR = Photosynthetically useful radiation, HV is Hyper Violet that peaks at around 426-428nm or nanometers, which is also a peak for Chlorophyll A, and corals have a lot of that. So they're useful, but you should exhibit some caution lol

Thanks! Will I need to ask about that when I get them? I'm looking at Steve's LEDs retrofit especially for my tank.

 

[cpsbooks]

Do NOT get LEDs man. I did that with my nano and burned all the LPS and softies to death. Even with a dimmable LED fixture dimmed down to 20%. Just too intense. The lights you have now are perfect. Get the stunner strip to add the pop and leave it alone. You will be happy with that. Make sure you put the stunner strip under the plastic casing by the lights or it will short out within a month. Good luck.

A TON of people use LEDs for softies and lps to great success...what lights did you have and how high were they over the tank?