Good light for beginner corals

[Huskyman]

Hey guys I’m new here. I have a 20 gallon long IM Fusion 23” wide 13” deep. What is a good light that not expensive that will work ? Thank you

 

[maroonclown65]

Beginner as in like soft corals and some lps? I'd say an kessil a80 tuna blue but also ai prime 16hd's will offer more power and you'll be able to keep better corals later on

Ai prime normal price is 250 but I've seen plenty of used ones in good condition on ebay between 150 and 175

Kessil a80 tuna blue is like 150 brand new with its mounting arm and used can be less

 

[Huskyman]

Beginner as in like soft corals and some lps? I'd say an kessil a80 tuna blue but also ai prime 16hd's will offer more power and you'll be able to keep better corals later on

Ai prime normal price is 250 but I've seen plenty of used ones in good condition on ebay between 150 and 175

Kessil a80 tuna blue is like 150 brand new with its mounting arm and used can be less

1 ai prime be good ? Or 1 kessil ?

 

[Doctorgori]

Kessils have a more robust build and I can confirm they last a very long time..
AI’s are a great value but I dunno if they have fixed the lens melting thing or not … power bricks ain’t the most reliable either

 

[JustMarks]

Hey guys I’m new here. I have a 20 gallon long IM Fusion 23” wide 13” deep. What is a good light that not expensive that will work ? Thank you

Ai Prime should do

 

[Freenow54]

Hey guys I’m new here. I have a 20 gallon long IM Fusion 23” wide 13” deep. What is a good light that not expensive that will work ? Thank you

A1 Prime, Maxspect razor its given me over 10 years service, and would be perfect for you

 

[esquare]

There are going to be many correct answers to your question. One way to look at it is, do you want something scalable like the AI Prime and Kessil previously mentioned or would you prefer something that is less scalable but addresses the issue for your particular tank now like the Maxspect razor.

I'm probably not explaining myself well. The Prime or Kessil solution will allow you to go with 1 of either now and add additional later if you feel the need for better coverage or higher PAR (like if you decide to keep SPS later). I'm not as familiar with the Maxspect Razor but that form factor normally lends itself to more even spread, I believe, but makes it difficult to add additional lighting later or move it to a larger tank at a future date.

Lighting is a charged topic and success can be had with many approaches. One thing I would recommend from personal experience is whichever route you decide to take for the light, borrow, rent or buy a par meter to fully map out the possible coral placement locations in your tank at different light intensities so you can have a better idea of what settings/placement is best for your corals. Here is an example of how I did it or, you could search for or request examples of other people's maps using your light on similar tanks.

Best of luck and Happy Reefing!

 

[phillyb614]

I highly recommend this one. Inexpensive, grows corsls nicely, programmable.

 

[Huskyman]

There are going to be many correct answers to your question. One way to look at it is, do you want something scalable like the AI Prime and Kessil previously mentioned or would you prefer something that is less scalable but addresses the issue for your particular tank now like the Maxspect razor.

I'm probably not explaining myself well. The Prime or Kessil solution will allow you to go with 1 of either now and add additional later if you feel the need for better coverage or higher PAR (like if you decide to keep SPS later). I'm not as familiar with the Maxspect Razor but that form factor normally lends itself to more even spread, I believe, but makes it difficult to add additional lighting later or move it to a larger tank at a future date.

Lighting is a charged topic and success can be had with many approaches. One thing I would recommend from personal experience is whichever route you decide to take for the light, borrow, rent or buy a par meter to fully map out the possible coral placement locations in your tank at different light intensities so you can have a better idea of what settings/placement is best for your corals. Here is an example of how I did it or, you could search for or request examples of other people's maps using your light on similar tanks.

Best of luck and Happy Reefing!

Just want something good to grow softies and lps. Been looking at the current USA ic loop pro duos too. Just want something not to expensive but also decent I been looking at the popbloom too. Also looking at the noopsyche k7 minis. Just want something app controlled. I looked at redsea reef light too. I know most lights I looked at are 40 - 100 watts.

 

[doubleshot00]

Nicrew lights in amazon work great.

 

[Uncle99]

Hey guys I’m new here. I have a 20 gallon long IM Fusion 23” wide 13” deep. What is a good light that not expensive that will work ? Thank you

Visparspectra 165w turned down to 30% or Nicrew 2 puck 100 watt running 50%.

Use both, grow everything.

 

[esquare]

Just want something good to grow softies and lps. Been looking at the current USA ic loop pro duos too. Just want something not to expensive but also decent I been looking at the popbloom too. Also looking at the noopsyche k7 minis. Just want something app controlled. I looked at redsea reef light too. I know most lights I looked at are 40 - 100 watts.

Softies and LPS, in general, are not going to have high lighting requirements and you will probably be good at 100 or less par. This opens up a variety of lighting choices for you and all those mentioned above will probably work.

The main factors to me will be spread (how well the light covers the desired area while maintaining a relatively even par distribution) and spectrum. BRS has done many lighting experiments and you can probably find most of those listed above in their Investigates series or elsewhere on their sight like on the product page like the Maxspect. Pay attention to the spectrums the light can put out as LPS tend to like a bluer spectrum to bring out their colors.