Considering Lighting Upgrade

kdtorgy · Jan 18, 2023

Hi all,

I have a reef tank (30 months old) with mostly softies and a few LPS and a few SPS. The softies are growing great but the LPS and SPS not so much. Not dying but not growing much. I have stable water parameters:
pH 7.9 to 8.1
Alk: 9.5
Mg: 1450
Ca: 425
Nitrate: 10-15
phosphate: 0.05 to 0.1
salinity: 1.025

I have a Zetlight Maven II for a light source. The tank is 48 inches long, 26 inches deep and 24 inches wide. Light is enclosed in a 50 inch cabinet above the tank. I got a PAR meter and measured areas of the tank with the lights at 100%. Bottom is around 50 PAR, middle around 80 PAR and top around 110 PAR. I think that if I want my LPS/SPS to really take off I need a stronger light source. I'm doing some research and am thinking the MaxSpect Razor X5 200W or 300W would be a good option or a couple of Radion XR15s. Any recommendations. I don't mind spending more money to get a high quality, well tested light(s) that will last years.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions,
Kurt

Bennett_Reefing · Jan 18, 2023

apex skys are amazing!

Snoopy 67 · Jan 18, 2023

Just remember, Sky, Stratton & Phillips are made to mimic the t-5 look.

GARRIGA · Jan 18, 2023

Snoopy 67 said:
Just remember, Sky, Stratton & Phillips are made to mimic the t-5 look.

Blade, too

kdtorgy · Jan 18, 2023

Snoopy 67 said:
Just remember, Sky, Stratton & Phillips are made to mimic the t-5 look.

I've never used a T5. Is this a pro or a con?

kdtorgy · Jan 18, 2023

Bennett_Reefing said:
apex skys are amazing!

I might be able to do this. The Apex controller is under the tank. I could drill a few holes in the side panels and sneak a cable to the upper cabinet for the lights. The tank is 48 inches long. Assuming I would need two lights?

Bennett_Reefing · Jan 18, 2023

kdtorgy said:
I might be able to do this. The Apex controller is under the tank. I could drill a few holes in the side panels and sneak a cable to the upper cabinet for the lights. The tank is 48 inches long. Assuming I would need two lights?

Go Far It!!! Mines 48 long and I have 2

dedragon · Jan 18, 2023

So with the cabinet above the tank (canopy), you can hide lights much better. If you like how the zetlight looks you can just add on led bars like orphek, quanta, or even the new ai blade and it will serve its purpose in increasing par all over the tank and helping with any shading. x2 any of these light bars will give you a really good bump up as far as par and wont cost much to add onto the existing setup.

dedragon · Jan 18, 2023

might as well save some money if you can, so you can spend on more livestock

Snoopy 67 · Jan 18, 2023

It's neither!
Just an explanation of the look of light.

kdtorgy · Jan 18, 2023

Bennett_Reefing said:
Go Far It!!! Mines 48 long and I have 2

What types of corals do you have?

djf91 · Jan 18, 2023

Just for fun, take a look at metal halides.

Huey_Gnr · Jan 18, 2023

My tank dimensions are almost exactly the same... I think you will find varying opinions, but I went with Reef Breeders Photon V2... but I prefer the aesthetics of the shimmer provided coupled with performance. For some, they want less shimmer.

kdtorgy · Jan 18, 2023

dedragon said:
So with the cabinet above the tank (canopy), you can hide lights much better. If you like how the zetlight looks you can just add on led bars like orphek, quanta, or even the new ai blade and it will serve its purpose in increasing par all over the tank and helping with any shading. x2 any of these light bars will give you a really good bump up as far as par and wont cost much to add onto the existing setup.

That's a good option too. Only drawback I see is having two different manufacturers so two different control apps.

kdtorgy · Jan 18, 2023

Huey_Gnr said:
My tank dimensions are almost exactly the same... I think you will find varying opinions, but I went with Reef Breeders Photon V2... but I prefer the aesthetics of the shimmer provided coupled with performance. For some, they want less shimmer.

What kind of corals do you have? Can I see a pic of your tank?

kdtorgy · Jan 18, 2023

djf91 said:
Just for fun, take a look at metal halides.

I don't think I can do that. Lights are enclosed in a cabinet and will probably get too hot!

Huey_Gnr · Jan 18, 2023

kdtorgy said:
What kind of corals do you have? Can I see a pic of your tank?

Absolutely. I have a a few encrusting LPS which have really taken off, I just added a goniopora, a few small zoas and mushrooms on the bottom. I mounted it about 14 inches above water line and am slowing increasing intensity week by week.

dedragon · Jan 18, 2023

kdtorgy said:
That's a good option too. Only drawback I see is having two different manufacturers so two different control apps.

Definitely a drawback, just wanted to throw it out there if you wanted to save a little money.

If you go the route of completely buying new lights, I would strongly recommend going to a couple of lfs to see the lights in person. Any of these high end leds listed will sufficiently light a tank but they all have different mounting heights and different look in the tank and will be up to your personal aesthetics to decide which looks best. Ex, Kessil has amazing shimmer but meh fluorescence, while ecotech has great fluorescence but ok shimmer and is more of a blue color with ab+ spectrum optimized
You cant really see how the light looks off of pictures as out cameras dont do well with leds and the blue light they put out. Also discoball effect (color separation) is very hard to see in pictures and it is just a huge turnoff for me personally so look out for that if it bothers you.

dedragon · Jan 18, 2023

Definitely look at mounting heights in particular as you said you have a canopy and that may effect purchase decision

kdtorgy · Jan 18, 2023

Thanks for all the replies. There are sooooo many options out there and most people seem to have favorites. I’m going to a LFS soon which Carrie’s most major brands. Hopefully I can see some in action.