Cheapest Coral QT Light

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USMC 4 LIFE

USMC 4 LIFE

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I’m just about done with my last fish QT and will be setting up an invert & coral QT soon after. What I need is a cheap LED light strong enough to maintain corals for 3 months while in QT. Any recommendations?

Light will be used on a standard 10 gallon tank with DIY frag rack. Soft, LPS and SPS corals will be QT’ed. Light does not need to dim or have a timer. Just something very basic and preferably under $75.
 
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USMC 4 LIFE said:
I’m just about done with my last fish QT and will be setting up an invert & coral QT soon after. What I need is a cheap LED light strong enough to maintain corals for 3 months while in QT. Any recommendations?

Light will be used on a standard 10 gallon tank with DIY frag rack. Soft, LPS and SPS corals will be QT’ed. Light does not need to dim or have a timer. Just something very basic and preferably under $75.
Click to expand...
What types of corals are you planning on keeping? Problem is three months is a long time to go with inadequate par. If you're looking for cheap but not alot of functions check out the Chinese black boxes on eBay. 99 bucks but it'll grow anything you put under it and be able to sustain your qt while they wait to go into your display. And if you ever upgrade in the future the light can still be used as it's pretty powerful.
 
The only issue I have with them is the non existent customer service and more importantly the power supply module that can easily lead to a fire. I’ve taken one apart and laughed at how it was build.
 
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USMC 4 LIFE said:
The only issue I have with them is the non existent customer service and more importantly the power supply module that can easily lead to a fire. I’ve taken one apart and laughed at how it was build.
Click to expand...

What specifically about the construction made you laugh? I've opened several black boxes now, none of the internals were particularly funny in a literal or ironic sense. They're basic, cheap lights. They have two AC/DC power supplies, some dimming circuity, fans, and LEDs soldered on to a thin metal board. Some cheapness or simplicity in the materials is to be expected: they produce similar PAR to lights that cost hundreds of dollars more. There's got to be a reason they cost so little by comparison.

If you want to go LED, I think your choice is spend a hundred bucks on a black box, or spend several hundred on something with a name brand. Just keep in mind the warranty period when weighing the pros and cons. Buying name brand for a warranty is all well and good until the warranty runs out. There are a few anecdotes out there of Ecotech or AI replacing a light out of warranty, but legally these companies are not required to do so.

Black boxes definitely grow corals. That's not in question. The build quality may not be perfect and customer service might not be stellar (although both of the black boxes I own claim to offer at least 1 year warranties), but the trade-off is they cost a fraction of what a name brand light costs. If that makes you uncomfortable, that's fine. Everyone has different risk tolerances. Just know that you're going to have to pay for that peace of mind and supposed customer service.
 
Yeah there are quite a bit out there. But they all seem to be made in the same manner. Just not worth the risk. I’ve taken two apart and from an electricians perspective, I laughed at it’s poor assemble.

What if I put the frags high on the frag rack just 2 inches below the surface with this light 5-6 inches above the water.

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Tidal Gardens
A PAR 38 bulb might work. It depends on the optics, LEDs, and the area of coverage you want, as well as the PAR you're expecting. If you're concerned about the build quality of black boxes though, I'd advise you open up a few PAR 38 bulbs and peek under that heatsink before buying. The few PAR 38 bulbs I've disassembled have been a mess. The wiring inside your average black box looks neat and tidy by comparison.
 
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chipmunkofdoom2 said:
What specifically about the construction made you laugh? I've opened several black boxes now, none of the internals were particularly funny in a literal or ironic sense. They're basic, cheap lights. They have two AC/DC power supplies, some dimming circuity, fans, and LEDs soldered on to a thin metal board. Some cheapness or simplicity in the materials is to be expected: they produce similar PAR to lights that cost hundreds of dollars more. There's got to be a reason they cost so little by comparison.

If you want to go LED, I think your choice is spend a hundred bucks on a black box, or spend several hundred on something with a name brand. Just keep in mind the warranty period when weighing the pros and cons. Buying name brand for a warranty is all well and good until the warranty runs out. There are a few anecdotes out there of Ecotech or AI replacing a light out of warranty, but legally these companies are not required to do so.

Black boxes definitely grow corals. That's not in question. The build quality may not be perfect and customer service might not be stellar (although both of the black boxes I own claim to offer at least 1 year warranties), but the trade-off is they cost a fraction of what a name brand light costs. If that makes you uncomfortable, that's fine. Everyone has different risk tolerances. Just know that you're going to have to pay for that peace of mind and supposed customer service.
Click to expand...

I have several Kessils (700, a80s). I’m just trying to avoid that route if I’m only going to use the light for ~4 months tops.
 
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WWC
Just a heads up on that aqua knight. It's cheaper on amazon, still comes from premium aquatics though.
 
This is probably a stupid question. But if I'm only keeping corals in the middle of my 125 gallon tank, do I really need lights to span the entire 72" of the tank's width? Or can I get away with a single, high quality light in the center of the tank that's meant to deliver quality lighting to the corals, flanked by cheap LEDs on the sides that are there mostly for asthetics?
 
Lol would have been better to start your own forum to ask this Seno, but sure its possible. It might look odd if the spectrum was too different and you will probably have a very bright spot in the center compared to the outside but it could work. If I was to do that I would just use a bunch of orphek or3 bars.
Same with the OP for this thread though 1 orphek or3 would do the trick for them
 

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