Frag Tank lighting

[Kampo]

so I"m building out my first big reef system. next stage is adding a frag tank in my fishroom. it will be tied into my main system and is a 33long tank. (48x12x12) plan on building a light for it. the use of this tank will be for me to learn more about coral propgation, and to grow out colonies before I add them to the display, and possibly really get into coral propgation down the road.

for a simple frag light i'm looking at a few diyish options:

straight LED, and heavy in the 395-500 spectrum with just a bit of white. this was wear I was looking to go, but then was thinking if I want to get into sps and what not a more diffuse light might be advantagous

hybrid. 2x48in t5ho one on either side of a reduced sized LED array

4xt5 try to get a decent deal on a ati 4x48 light and just call it a day.

just go f it and get 2 cheap black boxes and maybe tweak the spectrum a bit. (boring option though but prolly most economical)

for growth speed/color what is the best bang for buck these days?

 

[Coralreefer1]

Really should not skimp on lighting! You could go cheap like I did on one of my nano tanks thinking I could get the same output as I did previously with my AI Prime( bang for my buck)!
NOPE! Not close...AI Prime is awesome...
Remember that optimum lighting brings out the best in your livestock! Obviously their are other contributing factors, but were not talking heaters or wave makers that can be more forgiving if you skimp on those, IMO.

 

[Dsnakes]

I think the black boxes are becoming more popular due to price range and usability.

I personally have only used Current USA and Kessils(150/AP700s). I currently have 2 Kessil AP700s in a 60” Aquatic Life T5 fixture and love it!

 

[Kampo]

Really should not skimp on lighting! You could go cheap like I did on one of my nano tanks thinking I could get the same output as I did previously with my AI Prime( bang for my buck)!
NOPE! Not close...AI Prime is awesome...
Remember that optimum lighting brings out the best in your livestock! Obviously their are other contributing factors, but were not talking heaters or wave makers that can be more forgiving if you skimp on those, IMO.

I'm talking GOOD diy, its not skimping by anymeans. check out the diy threads I have going in the DIY subgroup. this will be my 4th DIY led for reef, and over a dozen i've made for aquariums in the past. its kinda a hobby of mine tinkering. that said there is a lot of science with corals still doing better under t5ho for growth, so its something I want to try. thinking 2 t5HO lights on either side of 4 "pucs" that are about on par with a kessile a160/ai prime would be pretty good if not overkill.

 

[trevormass7]

I'm talking GOOD diy, its not skimping by anymeans. check out the diy threads I have going in the DIY subgroup. this will be my 4th DIY led for reef, and over a dozen i've made for aquariums in the past. its kinda a hobby of mine tinkering. that said there is a lot of science with corals still doing better under t5ho for growth, so its something I want to try. thinking 2 t5HO lights on either side of 4 "pucs" that are about on par with a kessile a160/ai prime would be pretty good if not overkill.

Do you ever sell any diy LEDs? I'd be interested

 

[Lingwendil]

Hybrid T5HO/LED may be a good option, and personally I would do whites and blues mixed on the T5s, and royal blue on the LEDs, either the Citizen Royal blue from RapidLED or multiple Luxeon k16s on large-ish heatsinks.