Led light recommendation

[10gnanoreef]

Hello everyone I have been banging my head against the wall trying to figure out what light to go with I have a 10g cube the is going to be primarily softy’s with a few lps mixed in my dilemma is I don’t want to spend $200 to $300 or more on a light at this time but I also would like a quality light I know you get what you pay for does anyone have any suggestions as to what would be a decent light that will not break the bank I keep coming back to the AI prime but I feel like that might be a little much for such a small tank any suggestions would be appreciated

 

[P-Dub]

Go with the best light you can afford and can be migrated to the larger tank you will eventually be getting!

 

[Cwentz758]

Look for a used AI prime or Red Sea Led 50 on here

 

[Azedenkae]

Hello everyone I have been banging my head against the wall trying to figure out what light to go with I have a 10g cube the is going to be primarily softy’s with a few lps mixed in my dilemma is I don’t want to spend $200 to $300 or more on a light at this time but I also would like a quality light I know you get what you pay for does anyone have any suggestions as to what would be a decent light that will not break the bank I keep coming back to the AI prime but I feel like that might be a little much for such a small tank any suggestions would be appreciated

I have an AI Prime over a 2.65 gallon tank and... turns out it is not too much. So an AI Prime over 10 gallon would be fine.

With that said, it is out of your budget range.

Though question is then, what is your budget? That'd help with recommendations.

 

[seant2h]

After going with an AI prime hd on a fluval 13.5 I’m happy with it, especially the app functions, so I’d try to get a used one of them If I were in your shoes. You can find them for 150 with a mount if you wait around for a deal.

 

[10gnanoreef]

Go with the best light you can afford and can be migrated to the larger tank you will eventually be getting!

That’s true I have been eyeing my 60g that I have in the shop

 

[10gnanoreef]

I have an AI Prime over a 2.65 gallon tank and... turns out it is not too much. So an AI Prime over 10 gallon would be fine.

With that said, it is out of your budget range.

Though question is then, what is your budget? That'd help with recommendations.

I don’t really have a budget to stick to I would like to keep it as responsible as possible every road is leading back to the AI prime so I’m thinking that might be the way to go

 

[dhnguyen]

Why waste your money buying new? Look for a used one. Chances are you're gonna want to change the light again at some point either because you're upgrading the tank or just want something different. There are numerous options for lighting a 10g. A lot of the top end lights will have a lot of extra features and gimmicks (thunderstorm, lightning effects, fade, etc...) Decide what you want from the light (wifi, bluetooth, or manual control/dimmability. Programmability, etc...) and then go from there.

Hell you could even DIY a LED for a 10g for $50 in parts.

 

[ZoWhat]

For only $20, I suggest you buy this

....and duct tape it to a paint stirring stick over your tank

 

[Azedenkae]

Why waste your money buying new? Look for a used one. Chances are you're gonna want to change the light again at some point either because you're upgrading the tank or just want something different. There are numerous options for lighting a 10g. A lot of the top end lights will have a lot of extra features and gimmicks (thunderstorm, lightning effects, fade, etc...) Decide what you want from the light (wifi, bluetooth, or manual control/dimmability. Programmability, etc...) and then go from there.

Hell you could even DIY a LED for a 10g for $50 in parts.

You don't know how well kept a used light is, and if the previous owner turned everything on to max intensity lifetime of LEDs might be reduced, plus buying new includes warranty and so on.

It is a trade-off that some are comfortable with, some aren't. I was gonna but a second-hand Prime, but then thought about how long I might keep the light and considering the investment over time, figure it is best to buy new. Others may not have the same considerations of course and be super cool with buying used. But yeah if you wonder why anyone would buy new, well yeah answer above.

 

[Timfish]

Here's an 3 year old

11 gallon with a cheap "180 watt" Chinese black box (don't ever believe advertised wattage, look for actual fixture voltage and amperage rating). It's hung about 2' above the tank.

 

[10gnanoreef]

For only $20, I suggest you buy this

....and duct tape it to a paint stirring stick over your tank

That is definitely an option to keep in mind

 

[10gnanoreef]

Here's an 3 year old

11 gallon with a cheap "180 watt" Chinese black box (don't ever believe advertised wattage, look for actual fixture voltage and amperage rating). It's hung about 2' above the tank.

Is that one off Amazon? And how long have you been using it? I have looked at a few on there but they all have very mixed reviews.

 

[Timfish]

This system was setup over 3 years ago. I have many different LED fixtures in my maintenance business and a common problem is browning of polycarbonate lenses from UV and short wavelength blue light which will shift the spectrum the corals are getting to the yellow and red end of the spectrum. Only fixture I've seen that doesn't have this problem are Kessils which use glass lenses.

Of the cheap black box fixtures off Amazon none I've seen or used actually run at the advertised wattage. Some like the MArs Aqua can provide very high PAR, one I tried couldn't put out a fourth the light the MArs Aqua could. The ones that use wifi I've tried and were programable worked great initiall but sooner or later the programming would fail or drift and I will not get those again. The only time I've had any of them not have serious browning of the lensesafter 3-4 years is when they've been run at low percentages, roughly 25%.

Only black box fixture I would consider would be the Mars Aqua, there may be others that work as well but I'm not going to spend time figuring out which one anymore. (I prefer to do DIY so I can customize the fixture to the setup like in this system) Even with the problems of lense browning so quickly there's still an argument for buying black box fixtures as the savings lets an aquarist get both fixtures and PAR meter and replacements or backups in many situations.