How many watts?

[Ro Bow]

Hi i will have a 20 gallon reef tank with fish and some corals. I was thinking some zoanthids, montiporas, a hammer, and a xenia. how many watts of led light would i need?

 

[Jekyl]

Wattage isn't all there is to it. What kind of budget do you have for lighting? Any thoughts on if you'll try sps or not?

 

[Ro Bow]

i might try sps, and im looking for a light under $100

 

[Jekyl]

Not going to find a sps light for under a 100. Best bet would be a viparspectra 165w

 

[kenchilada]

i might try sps, and im looking for a light under $100

Maybe keep an eye out for a used older model LED. Or go T5 and grow whatever you want.

 

[Ro Bow]

is this light ok for sps

 

[Jekyl]

is this light ok for sps

No it won't be. Probably not good for other coral either. Lighting is always one of the expensive additions for reefing. But also one of the most important.

 

[Mike from TN]

is this light ok for sps

Believe it or not, yes it will grow SPS. Slowly, but it will.

No it won't be. Probably not good for other coral either. Lighting is always one of the expensive additions for reefing. But also one of the most important.

I have a NiCrew 30 watt over my 13.5 Evo and SPS are growing. LPS are exploding under that light.

 

[Ro Bow]

oh wow! Thats a beatiful tank!

 

[12pack]

great pic

 

[Jekyl]

Believe it or not, yes it will grow SPS. Slowly, but it will.

I have a NiCrew 30 watt over my 13.5 Evo and SPS are growing. LPS are exploding under that light.

Sorry if I was wrong. According to the manufacturer the light puts out 120 par in the open air. The 30 watt only about 60par. Once you factor in the reduction from the water it just doesn't seem near enough.

 

[Jekyl]

 

[Mike from TN]

oh wow! Thats a beatiful tank!

Thank You for the kind words!

great pic

Thank You!

Sorry if I was wrong. According to the manufacturer the light puts out 120 par in the open air. The 30 watt only about 60par. Once you factor in the reduction from the water it just doesn't seem near enough.

I can’t say it hasn’t been a challenge with such a heavy bio load in such a small tank. I took a chance with the 30watt because, at the time, it was the only one of NiCrews black boxes that could be controlled with their 2 channel programmer. My plan was a budget build with a pair of Clowns and a large Frogspawn as a centerpiece And that‘s it. Well, we all know how that goes, LOL!
I do have ALL of the SPS’s at the very top so I’m sure that helps.
All in all, for that sized tank, I’m pretty impressed with that light. Once NiCrew comes out with a 2 channel controller for their higher wattage boxes, I’ll probably go bigger. Couldn’t beat the price though at the time.