Led fixture recommendations

NakiFantaki · Nov 22, 2016

mtamorrow said:
I use a maxspect razor over my IM 30L........awesome light, great price, will grow anything.

I will do that! just a quick look and they seem to be similar to the prime with better cover for my tank. Thanks for the suggestion!
Does anyone have any yays or nays about the nanobox?

Joshua Hurst · Nov 22, 2016

Dude get a Kessil A-160!!! I've been through 3 different lights. One and Led and the other a 4 bulb t5 system and neither of them even closely amounted up to the Kessil. It can be hooked up with a controller and comes with a dimmer. Lil pricey, but your lights should be the most expensive in my eyes

NakiFantaki · Nov 22, 2016

I do like the kessils... But that 160 seems to have right around the same spread as the Prime no? And having to buy the controller on top of the light kinda erks me.

TMC1313 · Nov 22, 2016

I do hope some more people chime in about the nanobox. I think you will be hard pressed to find any negative reviews.

His & Hers. 240 Reef · Nov 22, 2016

Sbreeflights.com

NakiFantaki · Nov 22, 2016

TMC1313 said:
I do hope some more people chime in about the nanobox. I think you will be hard pressed to find any negative reviews.

Me too! I like the wifi app... much like the prime...

justingraham · Nov 22, 2016

Hydra 26hd the 52 would bake ur tank

NakiFantaki · Nov 22, 2016

justingraham said:
Hydra 26hd the 52 would bake ur tank

Whew... I guess this tank is just a weird size.. the 24" length is killing me... because it's only 12" deep and 15" wide and 2 of those inches are in the back of the tank where nothing will be anyways... That's why I was looking at the Prime HD originally..because it seemed like the perfect light for the depth and width of the tank..
But realize now that I will probably lose 4-5 inches on the side of the tank... which might be okay if I plan things well enough and put lower light corals on the outskirts..

Another thing I have to keep in mind that this tank is in my bedroom and my partner and I have different sleep schedules sometimes.. so the thought of having to get 2 primes for this small tank might be overkill and my wife might kill me if it is so bright that she can't sleep lol.

NakiFantaki · Nov 22, 2016

His & Hers. 240 Reef said:
Sbreeflights.com

Thanks for the link. I would need the Sbox extreme version correct? If I want ramping and wifi...

nervousmonkey · Nov 22, 2016

I would personally not even go pure LED. For growth, not just survival, you need really good spectral intensity, not just intensity. I'd go T5, and ATI 24 dimmable. It's above your budget, but save up for a couple of months, be patient, and get something that will make your tank happy and healthy. Or even a halide/LED combo from @Reefbrite . They make an awesome fixture that will make your corals grow like crazy.

His & Hers. 240 Reef · Nov 22, 2016

NakiFantaki said:
Thanks for the link. I would need the Sbox extreme version correct? If I want ramping and wifi...

Correct. But You could definitely get away with one 16" light if you just lift it a foot or so above the water and you'd be fine.

mta_morrow · Nov 22, 2016

NakiFantaki said:
Whew... I guess this tank is just a weird size.. the 24" length is killing me... because it's only 12" deep and 15" wide and 2 of those inches are in the back of the tank where nothing will be anyways... That's why I was looking at the Prime HD originally..because it seemed like the perfect light for the depth and width of the tank..
But realize now that I will probably lose 4-5 inches on the side of the tank... which might be okay if I plan things well enough and put lower light corals on the outskirts..

Another thing I have to keep in mind that this tank is in my bedroom and my partner and I have different sleep schedules sometimes.. so the thought of having to get 2 primes for this small tank might be overkill and my wife might kill me if it is so bright that she can't sleep lol.

Maxspect has a razor that is 24". Use it on my IM 30L and get full coverage

Brew12 · Nov 22, 2016

His & Hers. 240 Reef said:
Correct. But You could definitely get away with one 16" light if you just lift it a foot or so above the water and you'd be fine.

SBreeflights don't look the sleekest but they are a decent lower end LED. It will give plenty of light for your tank and has a very good spectrum for it's price range. It takes a little work, but it can be modded later if you ever want to control it with an Apex.
Another nice thing is that it has a true separate moonlight channel. It isn't just the blues run at 10% like some units.
It's a Chinese black box light that SBreeflights specs out which LED's they want where for. That is why the price is so low.

NakiFantaki · Nov 22, 2016

While I agree with not ONLY running LEDs, at this point in the game that's all I'm willing to put in the bedroom. Later down the line if I fall in love with the hobby and I get a 2nd larger tank in the living room I will get an LED/T5 mix but for this little 20 gallon I'm not willing to go all out and way over budget. I'm not looking to get exploding fast growth anyways - just something that makes the tank pop and will sustain my LPS and soft corals.
I don't plan on ever running an apex with this tank either, as I am trying to stick to the very basics and learn reef keeping from the ground up basically. I have the perfect spot in my living room for a larger tank and when the time comes I will be willing to go the whole 9 yards with it.. But I have to make sure it is something i truly enjoy first.
I really appreciate all the comments and suggestions:

nervousmonkey · Nov 22, 2016

oh, didn't pay attention to the fact it was a 20 gallon. ATI would be too much for that tank anyway. And you will definitely fall in love with reefing.

IronVulture · Nov 22, 2016

The ai prime should be plenty of light more than strong enough for what you need and supper easy to program from your phone. I would even go as far as saying you could save a few bucks and get the non hd version.

NakiFantaki · Nov 22, 2016

Thanks Iron. That's what I was thinking. I would get the HD version because it is the latest though. My plan is to put lower light corals like zoathids and such on the outskirts and put the corals that need more light in the middle. I figure at a 12" depth I can put pretty much anything on the bottom of the tank and be fine. I can probably put a lower light sps in the top of the tank closest to the light and be okay right?

TylerS · Nov 22, 2016

I'm really against any single point source / puck led lights. The ethereal is a much better light with several different led clusters at different locations to reduce shading issues.

IronVulture · Nov 22, 2016

NakiFantaki said:
Thanks Iron. That's what I was thinking. I would get the HD version because it is the latest though. My plan is to put lower light corals like zoathids and such on the outskirts and put the corals that need more light in the middle. I figure at a 12" depth I can put pretty much anything on the bottom of the tank and be fine. I can probably put a lower light sps in the top of the tank closest to the light and be okay right?

You won't even have to run it at full power imo that's why I said you could save the money. No since in being able to crank the blues past 100 if you never even turn it up that high anyway.

mcarroll · Nov 24, 2016

NakiFantaki said:
I am new to this hobby and currently have my first tank cycling. It's the IM Nuvo fusion 20gal and I have the newest Skkye lights that came with the tank. I believe each fixture is 18 watts and I have 2 fixtures. I know i will need a lighting upgrade soon so I'm trying to get some recommendations.

It's OK if you just want to switch, but thought I'd throw it out there that there's nothing wrong with using the lights you ahve to grow coral.

Sorry for linking out, but: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2478180&highlight=skkye+led

The numbers are really fine. And I'm a big fan of using what you have.

But if replacement is on the agenda regardless....read on!

NakiFantaki said:
I would really like the option for moonlights at night.

Most lights have an option to keep some lights on at a low percentage, but almost none have dedicated moonlights.

If you are concerned about having some lights on to view the system while you are home, you're better off adjusting their daytime to correspond with your observation time than putting extra resources into moonlighting.

IMO.