Im looking at the "current USA orbit marine"

[Datnerd14]

im wanting to do a mixed reef of lps and soft corals

Will that led fixture do the job

What present should I run it at to keep the corals in good shape

Is it apex compatible

And thing I should know about this light or brand before I buy

 

[LetItReef]

Had a standard 29g with this light for 2 yrs and did well.
Can't remember exactly the %-blues 90 & white at 50.
I don't have Apex.
Works best on a shallow tank imo. Standard 29g is only 18" height.

 

[mcarroll]

+1

Consider the IC for moderately deep tanks and the Pro for deeper tanks.

(The Current USA sizing guidlines posted on their website are pretty accurate, and generally represent good baseline configurations.....adding more strips than recommended is fine and may be desirable for certain installations.)

 

[Datnerd14]

How is it with lps

 

[Andrewalex11]

I would only use this light strictly for softies. It will keep LPS alive no problem at all but I can assure you that about 3 months in you'll get frustrated at seeing little to possibly no growth at all.

 

[Datnerd14]

Ok what would you recommend that would work for both

 

[Datnerd14]

I would like an led but my limit for price is $200 for the light

 

[Reefrookie220]

Mars aqua led black boxes, can be made apex compatible

 

[Husker]

I would keep in mind the depth of your tank. I ran a current light over a mr. aqua 12 gallon long and I had pretty high levels of light in the bottom of the tank. Plus, the light is easily controllable and has some nice features. However, that tank is like 8" deep.

 

[smokin'reefer]

I have the ic loop lights on my reefer 350 Fowler tank. I do have a hammer and a torch in the tank doing well. I put a par meter in it and am getting acceptable numbers.

This is with just one strip. They recommend adding the accessory light for reef tanks or basically doubling up.

 

[Andrewalex11]

I would like an led but my limit for price is $200 for the light

If you're willing to take some time to really dig on ebay and the forums you could definitely land an older version quality name brand lighting system. You get what you pay for this is true; but every time one of these companies change a button or add 1 LED and label it with the next version the new system is $1000+ and the old ones that worked just fine are half if not less in value.

 

[mcarroll]

@Datnerd14 what are the dimensions of the tank you're lighting?

 

[Datnerd14]

Not sure I want it to be around 70 gallons

 

[mcarroll]

As a rule of thumb:

The plain Orbit Marine is good for shallow tanks – it'll light about 12" of water really well.
The Orbit IC is good for tanks up to 18".
The Orbit Pro is good for tanks up to 24".

Using multiple strips is often desireable and that does change the numbers. For example, three or four plain Orbit Marine's would be great on a deeper tank up to 18".

It's going to be hard to pick lights without picking the aquarium size first.

 

[Bunnee911]

I run the plain one on my softy tank. 33g Flat Back.
I love the low profile. The tank is really thin and tall.

 

[GoVols]

I would like an led but my limit for price is $200 for the light

Not sure I want it to be around 70 gallons

... ...

 

[kodi3100]

I have a 60 gal corner tank with the orbit ic loop and it's 22 tall one strip lights the tank well but I feel light at the bottom is lackluster I have some zeo frags that are stretching pretty hard to get more light and growth has been sub par the features are cool on it tho

 

[happyhourhero]

I'd run a SB Reef light.

 

[WhiskeyCoffee]

I had one on my 29g tank for about a year and saw little to know growth at all with my LPS and softies. Really the only thing that grew was my GSP and zoas but the growth was EXTREMELY slow.

 

[mcarroll]

I have a 60 gal corner tank with the orbit ic loop and it's 22 tall one strip lights the tank well but I feel light at the bottom is lackluster I have some zeo frags that are stretching pretty hard to get more light and growth has been sub par the features are cool on it tho

Makes sense at 22".

Either a second IC strip (preferred) or upgrading to a Pro (or adding a Pro) would be recommended IMO.

You may have seen this before, but if not....
http://current-usa.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Orbit-Marine-PRO-PAR.pdf