Enough light for coral?

[grabbermj]

So I am very new to the hobby, I have had my tank for about 5 months. Right now, it's a fish only tank, but I would like to eventually grow various corals, starting with soft coral. My tank is a 65g cube tank (24" x 24" x 24"). I purchased all Current-USA components (3 wave pumps, a return pump, and 2 light fixtures). Here is a link to the 2 lights I have ( both are 24"):

Orbit IC LED Lights for Saltwater Aquariums

Delivering vivid colors and brightness, the Orbit Marine IC with wireless control is designed to make reefing easier and more enjoyable. A powerful blend of dual Actinic blue 445nm/460nm, dual white 6,700K/10,000K, and RGB LEDs produce the perfect blend of light for strong coral growth and...

current-usa.com

Initially, I thought this would be enough light for anything I wanted to do, but now I am not so sure. What are your thoughts?

 

[Spare time]

Their lights are weak when it comes to depth, However they are fine for soft corals at most depths in that tank. But since you have two, you double the strength at each depth level so you should be ok for a mixed reef

 

[Fishingandreefing]

Current USA is weak, a black box will blow that away in a second at a fraction of the cost. If you’re only keeping softies, prob get away with it

 

[grabbermj]

Black box? can you send me a link to the one you are talking about. And thanks for the help!

Current USA is weak, a black box will blow that away in a second at a fraction of the cost. If you’re only keeping softies, prob get away with it

 

[mfinn]

Black box? can you send me a link to the one you are talking about. And thanks for the help!

Black box is a term for generic chinese leds.
A couple brands to look into are Ocean Revive or Reef Breeders.

 

[Spare time]

Black box is a term for generic chinese leds.
A couple brands to look into are Ocean Revive or Reef Breeders.

I second the ocean revive

 

[mfinn]

There is a newish sponsor here with a light that's supposed to be pretty good.
That's. Noopsyche

 

[grabbermj]

There is a newish sponsor here with a light that's supposed to be pretty good.
That's. Noopsyche

Thanks!!

 

[Reefbrite]

Many soft and even stoney corals do not require a ton of light intensity. When it comes to lighting spectral composition is actually more important than lighting intensity. Without the proper spectrum even at higher intensities it can be difficult for corals to thrive and grow. Corals often have the ability to adapt to a wide range of light intensity levels. There are other factors to overall coral health and growth to consider aside from the lighting. You can have the best lighting money can buy but if your water parameter's, proper flow and flow pattern, nutrient availability, major and minor trace elements are not in order you can still experience issue's. On the other hand, I have seen tanks that had what by some would be considered less than ideal lighting but the other things I mentioned were sufficient thriving with soft and stoney corals. There can be many tempting inexpensive options on the market available so be sure to purchase from a reputable vendor so if there is ever an issue you can feel confident the customer support is there should you ever need it. Best of luck with the tank.

 

[grabbermj]

Many soft and even stoney corals do not require a ton of light intensity. When it comes to lighting spectral composition is actually more important than lighting intensity. Without the proper spectrum even at higher intensities it can be difficult for corals to thrive and grow. Corals often have the ability to adapt to a wide range of light intensity levels. There are other factors to overall coral health and growth to consider aside from the lighting. You can have the best lighting money can buy but if your water parameter's, proper flow and flow pattern, nutrient availability, major and minor trace elements are not in order you can still experience issue's. On the other hand, I have seen tanks that had what by some would be considered less than ideal lighting but the other things I mentioned were sufficient thriving with soft and stoney corals. There can be many tempting inexpensive options on the market available so be sure to purchase from a reputable vendor so if there is ever an issue you can feel confident the customer support is there should you ever need it. Best of luck with the tank.

Thank you for the advice!!

 

[Spare time]

Many soft and even stoney corals do not require a ton of light intensity. When it comes to lighting spectral composition is actually more important than lighting intensity. Without the proper spectrum even at higher intensities it can be difficult for corals to thrive and grow. Corals often have the ability to adapt to a wide range of light intensity levels. There are other factors to overall coral health and growth to consider aside from the lighting. You can have the best lighting money can buy but if your water parameter's, proper flow and flow pattern, nutrient availability, major and minor trace elements are not in order you can still experience issue's. On the other hand, I have seen tanks that had what by some would be considered less than ideal lighting but the other things I mentioned were sufficient thriving with soft and stoney corals. There can be many tempting inexpensive options on the market available so be sure to purchase from a reputable vendor so if there is ever an issue you can feel confident the customer support is there should you ever need it. Best of luck with the tank.

While currents do have the proper spectrum, they simply have problems at depth. If you go to their website and look at specs you can see what I mean by that. However, I think a double set without the arm mount should be ok in his case since his is at the maximum height currents IC led works at.

 

[Reefbrite]

While currents do have the proper spectrum, they simply have problems at depth. If you go to their website and look at specs you can see what I mean by that. However, I think a double set without the arm mount should be ok in his case since his is at the maximum height currents IC led works at.

Agreed. I was actually going to mention if intensity was a concern down the road, rather than scrapping his current lighting setting up and buying all new fixtures, if there is enough room, he may want to consider adding a third fixture. Then he should be perfectly fine and can continue to take advantage of his Loop set up.

 

[grabbermj]

Agreed. I was actually going to mention if intensity was a concern down the road, rather than scrapping his current lighting setting up and buying all new fixtures, if there is enough room, he may want to consider adding a third fixture. Then he should be perfectly fine and can continue to take advantage of his Loop set up.

I think that is exactly what I am going to do. My plan is to start with a few soft corals at about 10 - 12" of water. And then after several months to a year buy a third fixture and try a few LPS, and go from there. Thank you all for the help, much appreciated!!