C Vue 40 Lighting

armyguy82 · Oct 10, 2018

Hello everyone. I’m new to the saltwater world but have been a freshwater hobbyist for 15 years. My question is I will be purchasing a cobalt C Vue 40 in a couple of weeks. I’ve been researching but since they are a fairly new tank there isn’t much information out there as of yet. After looking at the tank at my LFS I see the actual display area is equivalent to a 30long somewhat. I’m looking to purchase kessil lighting. I’m mainly looking at kessil because of the shimmer and capability they provide. If you guys know a more cost efficient brand I’m all ears. My question is will two 160 be sufficient or one 360. I planning to start with soft coral and maybe some easier sps if possible. Any recommendation on the lighting would be very helpful.

Dana Riddle · Oct 10, 2018

armyguy82 said:
Hello everyone. I’m new to the saltwater world but have been a freshwater hobbyist for 15 years. My question is I will be purchasing a cobalt C Vue 40 in a couple of weeks. I’ve been researching but since they are a fairly new tank there isn’t much information out there as of yet. After looking at the tank at my LFS I see the actual display area is equivalent to a 30long somewhat. I’m looking to purchase kessil lighting. I’m mainly looking at kessil because of the shimmer and capability they provide. If you guys know a more cost efficient brand I’m all ears. My question is will two 160 be sufficient or one 360. I planning to start with soft coral and maybe some easier sps if possible. Any recommendation on the lighting would be very helpful.

I tend to think two light sources (the 160s) would give better coverage on a 36" tank. This is just a seat-of-the-pants estimation. The 160 uses about 1/2 the wattage of the 360. I'm presently testing a 360 but don't have any real time experience with the 160s, so perhaps someone can chime in here.

armyguy82 · Oct 10, 2018

Dana Riddle said:
I tend to think two light sources (the 160s) would give better coverage on a 36" tank. This is just a seat-of-the-pants estimation. The 160 uses about 1/2 the wattage of the 360. I'm presently testing a 360 but don't have any real time experience with the 160s, so perhaps someone can chime in here.

Thanks for the response. Thats what i was thinking two 160's should be good. I was initially thinking two 360 but i think that would be too much since im looking at mostly soft corals.