Levinson
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Hi, I'm currently in the process of building a new one sump + 2 shallow tanks setup (Link to my build thread) and I'm back with more questions.
2 shallow tanks (350*450*900mm) sharing one sump (also a shallow 350*450*900mm). Roughly about 14*18*36 in inches for each tank.
The water volume of each tank works out to be about 120 liters (31.6 gallons).
The tanks are intended for shrimps and other inverts (no corals) so they don't need any strong, fancy, or reef lights. Any cheap LEDs would do as long as it is bright enough for 'me' to see most areas of the tank.
But I thought I might as well consider paying a little extra to get some cheap reef light since I'm spending money on it. You know, just in case.
I've already had some vague plans for which lights to get but today I found some secondhand deals on 2 x Maxpect Ethereal (130w) + ICV6 control unit that's pretty dang cheap. Cheaper than what I had prepared to spend on the lights. Just in case you are wondering, I'm in Korea so I doubt most of you'll be able to buy them.
Now the lights are many many times more powerful than what I need or had plans for but it is quite tempting. My concerns are....
1. Can one of them cover the 90cm long (35inch), 35cm deep (14inch) shallow tank? (without ramping the intensity up like crazy high). By cover, I mean bright enough for my eyes to see most areas of the tank in the dark (not for the coral growth or PAR rating). I can try to make a custom mount to raise it higher if I need to.
2. Would I need to use significantly more power to light up the tank in comparison to having 2 smaller lights per tank due to having just one point of illumination? (If the answer for 1 is yes, again, this is for my human eyes)
Initially, I was thinking of the likes of 20~40w light per tank so 130w is way too high. It's mainly for my eyes so I don't want to be wasting too much on electricity (until I need to). If anything, I want to lower the power usage to the minimum.
Well, the lights might or might not have been sold by now but any input is much appreciated. Cheers.
2 shallow tanks (350*450*900mm) sharing one sump (also a shallow 350*450*900mm). Roughly about 14*18*36 in inches for each tank.
The water volume of each tank works out to be about 120 liters (31.6 gallons).
The tanks are intended for shrimps and other inverts (no corals) so they don't need any strong, fancy, or reef lights. Any cheap LEDs would do as long as it is bright enough for 'me' to see most areas of the tank.
But I thought I might as well consider paying a little extra to get some cheap reef light since I'm spending money on it. You know, just in case.
I've already had some vague plans for which lights to get but today I found some secondhand deals on 2 x Maxpect Ethereal (130w) + ICV6 control unit that's pretty dang cheap. Cheaper than what I had prepared to spend on the lights. Just in case you are wondering, I'm in Korea so I doubt most of you'll be able to buy them.
Now the lights are many many times more powerful than what I need or had plans for but it is quite tempting. My concerns are....
1. Can one of them cover the 90cm long (35inch), 35cm deep (14inch) shallow tank? (without ramping the intensity up like crazy high). By cover, I mean bright enough for my eyes to see most areas of the tank in the dark (not for the coral growth or PAR rating). I can try to make a custom mount to raise it higher if I need to.
2. Would I need to use significantly more power to light up the tank in comparison to having 2 smaller lights per tank due to having just one point of illumination? (If the answer for 1 is yes, again, this is for my human eyes)
Initially, I was thinking of the likes of 20~40w light per tank so 130w is way too high. It's mainly for my eyes so I don't want to be wasting too much on electricity (until I need to). If anything, I want to lower the power usage to the minimum.
Well, the lights might or might not have been sold by now but any input is much appreciated. Cheers.
