Budget reef lighting

[Chris’s fish]

hello,
I am in the process of setting up my 125 gallon reef tank, and need some help with lighting. I plan on growing just some soft corals and lps corals, no sps for now. I am having a hard time finding a light lying solution for this tank for under 400. Any suggestions? I would also not like to buy Chinese black boxes, I just want to have a reliable lighting system

 

[FishyDP]

If you like T5s, check out Odyssea T5 Quad Timer on Amazon.. I just purchased 2 of these 36" fixtures for a 6 foot tank. These may not be top of the line but they do have reflectors and a built in timer, and are $120 a piece. They come with bulbs but I have read many reviews that people replace them with ATIs. Should all come out to under 400..I believe they have a 72" option, I got 2x 36" because I have a canopy and have to mount them a bit staggered to fit properly. Have to buy mounting kit separately on Ebay, about $15 per fixture. Again, not top of the line but decent budget solution..

 

[Montiman]

I would go t5 as well many horticulture fixtures are affordable and work well.

 

[kendavjac]

hello,
I am in the process of setting up my 125 gallon reef tank, and need some help with lighting. I plan on growing just some soft corals and lps corals, no sps for now. I am having a hard time finding a light lying solution for this tank for under 400. Any suggestions? I would also not like to buy Chinese black boxes, I just want to have a reliable lighting system

I understand that you don't want Chinese black boxes because of reliability concerns, but I have had mine for 5 years with no issues on my 125g. unfortunately, if you have budget issues, they are one of the best options unless you want to DYI a t5 system.

 

[Chris’s fish]

I understand that you don't want Chinese black boxes because of reliability concerns, but I have had mine for 5 years with no issues on my 125g. unfortunately, if you have budget issues, they are one of the best options unless you want to DYI a t5 system.

What brand do you have? I have seen some positive reviews for a couple of systems, but am nervous about buying something that’s not proven to always work

 

[kendavjac]

I have 2 from reef radiance and another from Mars. My son has another on his fresh water tank, don't know the brand.I'm wouldn't be surprised if they were made in the same plant. to be honest, I can't tell them apart, they are identical except for the sticker.

 

[FishyDP]

I was very close to getting the Viparspectra timer control series from amazon..$119, covers about 24" per unit

 

[eggplantparrot]

wat aboot a couple of these?

https://www.amazon.ca/MicMol-Aquari...ie=UTF8&qid=1548614243&sr=8-2&keywords=MICMOL

i use the mini version on my 14G and its good enough to grow birdsnest and montis. you can dim each channel individually and it comes with a timer that can control each channel and works great.

 

[Chris’s fish]

wat aboot a couple of these?

https://www.amazon.ca/MicMol-Aquari...ie=UTF8&qid=1548614243&sr=8-2&keywords=MICMOL

i use the mini version on my 14G and its good enough to grow birdsnest and montis. you can dim each channel individually and it comes with a timer that can control each channel and works great.

For a 6 foot tank I’ll need quite a few and that will get too expensive. Thanks for the idea though

 

[Chris’s fish]

I was very close to getting the Viparspectra timer control series from amazon..$119, covers about 24" per unit

What did you get instead?

 

[Flippers4pups]

Thats a tough spot to be in. I had a 8 bulb t5 unit over my 125, but got rid of it due to the cost to replace the bulbs every year. Went with 3 165w Mars Aqua units back in 2015 and haven't looked back. Back then three units cost $269 shipped free. Been no reliability issues them all these years.

Cost per year was $200 + to replace the bulbs was getting too expensive.

I would look to Craigslist for a used fixture to save cost. If t5, youll need to buy new bulbs, so you'll need to factor that cost in as well. Good luck!

 

[eggplantparrot]

For a 6 foot tank I’ll need quite a few and that will get too expensive. Thanks for the idea though

if you only want to do softies and LPS then you could probably just use 3 and mount on the highest mounting holes. the 120W version has a big coverage i read.

 

[FishyDP]

What did you get instead?

I ended up getting the Odyssea t5 setup that I mentioned earlier in this thread.. not because because I didn't like the viparspectras, I just wanted to try a T5 set up. If I went LEDs I would have bought the viparspectras.

 

[jda]

Any T5 user should check out the BRS series on T5 longevity... short story, but 2 years is probably fine.

 

[Flippers4pups]

Any T5 user should check out the BRS series on T5 longevity... short story, but 2 years is probably fine.

Jda, I watched that series back then and came to the conclusion they were missing 2 critical components of T5 use that they omitted in their testing.

1. They removed the reflectors. Reflectors retain heat and does effect the lifespan of the bulbs. Cooling is a key component of bulb longevity. Removing the reflectors eschewed the testing.

2. They ran them continuously instead of on and off. The on and off is not only hard on ballast, but the firing up each time is detrimental to the gas inside the tubes. Once again, removing the firing up, on and off eschewed the testing.

Test tubes once burned in and at 12 months and you'll find they loose a lot more than the average 12- 14% that BRS reported.

 

[jda]

I think that you are assuming that you will lose more than that average. No proof or tests, right?

T12 NO and VHO bulbs have been known to last 24 months, or more, with normal, everyday usage. Unless there is something drastically different with T5s (there isn't really), then this might be a better comparable than assuming otherwise. Horto folks will use T12, T8 and T5 bulbs for three years at 12 hours a day.

I think that for all but the most light demanding stuff, 24 months is probably fine. This is what I recommend to people using MH over softies, LPS and the easier SPS as well. If you are focusing on acros and clams, then that is different and probably should focus on 12 months. If you are overdriving stuff, then probably more like 6 or 8 months.

 

[Flippers4pups]

I think that you are assuming that you will lose more than that average. No proof or tests, right?

T12 NO and VHO bulbs have been known to last 24 months, or more, with normal, everyday usage. Unless there is something drastically different with T5s (there isn't really), then this might be a better comparable than assuming otherwise. Horto folks will use T12, T8 and T5 bulbs for three years at 12 hours a day.

I think that for all but the most light demanding stuff, 24 months is probably fine. This is what I recommend to people using MH over softies, LPS and the easier SPS as well. If you are focusing on acros and clams, then that is different and probably should focus on 12 months. If you are overdriving stuff, then probably more like 6 or 8 months.

I think your missing the point on PAR, respectfully. Will they light up 24 months or even 30 months out, most likely they will.

I did test my last set of t5 bulbs as a curiosity from around 60 hrs burn in and at 12 months. Using a lux meter and conversion. At the 12 month mark they did loose 30% PAR. actually 28%. That was, for me, a quarter loss in PAR. 9hrs total time on a day and tested with all on.

Each fixture is different and is cooled differently as well, so results may vary drastically. I do believe that 12 months is a good standard to go by, your results may vary.

 

[jda]

That probably lost most of that in the first few months... then flattened out. This is pretty typical. Assuming a linear degradation on a year has never really been right. I know that this is a different type of bulb, but still mercury based. Fluorescents mostly act the same way. Bottom line is that if you are not switching them out at 3-4 months when they fall off quite a bit, then there is little reason to between 12 and 24 too. Nobody is saying that they don't degrade still, just not as much.
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-04/ac/index.php

I have Apogee 510... I only use Mercury based stuff... after the first three-four months, they flatten out quite a bit in the same fashion as the RK article.

I think that everybody understand the point about lighting up and being useful. After all, MH bulbs can illuminate as long as a LED can... which I find funny that people do know that 50k hours on a MH bulb is stupid over a reef tank, but think that a LED rated for 50k hours does not degrade and can last for all of that time just like they were new.

 

[FishyDP]

My opinion would be to invest in Chinese black box LEDs and supplement with a 2 bulb t5 fixture. Not as many bulbs to replace and will get the benefits of both types of light. Can this be done for $400?..will be tight.

 

[Ethan Zier]

I cant offer any useful suggestions I'm afraid, ive had a few different lights over my 20g and I ended up creating my own DIY led lights that are way better than anything on the market for the price.
If you think you'll want SPS in the future than I think you should bite the bullet now and get the correct lights. Or perhaps just wait until you can purchase them. In the long run youll be ending up spending way more money on two set of lights of you try to get cheep and affordable to get set up, then $$$ for your dream coral youll want in 6 months.