LatinoHeat
Active Member
I'm starting to build a standard 40 gal breeder & was wondering what lighting should I use. I want to be able to grow a mixed tank. What lighting combo fixture should I use? Or go with straight leds or only t5's.
Hello new here & need advice
- Thread starter LatinoHeat
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LatinoHeat
Active Member
Do you just use 1?
LEDs are going to provide the best color from your corals in general. Best Brands are Radion, Ai, Red sea, Orphek, and Kessil imo. Radion will be best choice for SPS, they put out the best par output, are a higher quality build and have dense matrix LED bulbs which gives the best light output. Only cons are they are one of the most expensive and are a little more difficult to control unless you get the Gen 5s which can be connected via Mobius (app). Ai is similar to Radion in that you can control each color intensity individually and it is able to keep SPS easily. Ai is slightly lower quality than Radion but also significantly cheaper and imo easier to control and work with their app. Red sea lights are good if you are new as there are a few settings on it and that's it, its not as controllable as AI or Radion. They are about the same as Ai. Ai uses a diffusor plate in their led build, Radion uses dense matrix leds, Red sea is like a combo of both designs. Kessil is a great light for showing off coral but it doesn't seem to grow it as well as other brands. Kessil is not really cheaper than AI or red sea, doesn't have an app to control it easily, and doesn't have a vast array of color diodes. Kessils are also not the best option for SPS. Kessils do have a shimmer effect that is unlike any other light on the market, so corals do look great under them however. Orphek is like most off brand Chinese black box leds but, imo the highest quality of its class. Black box leds or LED Strip lights in general will keep most easier stuff alive and looking good but, will burn coral if its too close to the light. Hope this helps.
MelReefer
Active Member
Yes
Bo.
Impatient as always
You will get so many different suggestions from everyone. Decide on features first, integrated timer or moonlight, ramping, app control just to name a few. Cost in relation to features as well, lights can go fro $100 to almost 10x that just for a 40b
RCS82
Well-Known Member
I would skip the Radions, Kessils, Hydras, Orpheks and go straight to a Reefi Duo Extreme. For the price, light output and features, I don't think it can be beat. 1 would be good over a 40 breeder and if you get the SPS bug down the road you can just add 1 more. T5s and metal halides are the tried and true options that will not let you down, are simple plug and play, and flat out grow and color coral.
vetteguy53081
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For the money and availability used- I would recommend Ai prime or Ai hydra 26
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LatinoHeat
Active Member
I've been researching into hybrid & LEDs but I wanted to see what people have had success with. Keep the advice coming. 
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LatinoHeat
Active Member
Is this that condenser I saw? Where it blends all the colors into just one.
Bpb
2500 Club Member
A dense matrix is where all the diodes are on a single chip which is all under a single silicone or glass bead to protect them and disperse the light. So there is minimal separation of colors since the diodes are all mounted so closely together. As opposed to a traditional panel or puck style where each color is mounted onto its one base under its own silicone bead
