LED lighting questions

kassidybl · May 4, 2016

I picked up some MarsAqua 9LED lights....and quite frankly, they stink. I hate the colors they give...and the growth sucks. The only good thing they've done in my 10g is help starve off the GHA that had overtaken the tank during it's trial with T5 bulbs.

I'm currently looking at these and just want to make sure that they'll do what I need....and to figure out what wattage and PAR bulb I need.

Tank 1 is a 10g NPS tank (will eventually become a 20g...but not in the close future) that has some zoas, mushroom, a toadstool leather, and some macro algae.

Tank 2 is a fluval spec V (5.5g) that is going to have some rock flower anemones, LPS, zoas, and softies....depending on how I get it decorated, it's still starting up and just got new coral in it, but it's what I have planned.

Any ideas would be wonderful. (I have sbreeflights on my main 55g...so would love similar colors)

Thanks!!!

pickupman66 · May 4, 2016

I am not sure that will do the trick. What wattage is each LED? if they are 1 or 2 watts then they are useless. you might get by with just those corals listed but IMO, these arent the greatest around.

kassidybl · May 4, 2016

They look to be 3 watts per LED.

mcarroll · May 4, 2016

If you want to be cheap, you've still got to do it right. Cheap and easy is rarely going to be right. You've been shopping for cheap and easy.

DIY is the best way to be cheap.

Gu10 bulbs (like a small, three-emitter version of what you just linked) in a fixture like the one I'm running are the easiest way to DIY.
Check out this thread for a complete how-to as well as a ton of (good and bad) examples: http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/267432-gu10-led-build-thread-chinese-ebay-lights/

For a 10 gallon it would be super cheap and easy - assembly is no harder than operating a twist-tie.

Your tank (which I think is 20" long, right?) would require about 9 bulbs and sockets to mount them....a basic set would cost less than $40. No more than $60 if you got some custom bulbs made. (Definitely not a requirement.) You just need something to screw the sockets into...could be an old T5 fixture, a piece of wood or PVC.....anything, really. Check out that thread for ideas!

Did I say $60 or less? Yes I did.

My only question is about Tank 1.....it's full of photosynthetic corals, but I think by "NPS" you meant non-photosynthetic. If non-photosynthetic is really what you meant, take my advice and don't put a reef light over that tank if you want decent chances of success with your NPS corals. As you've seen, algae will be your nemesis. Start off with, at most, a plain fish tank light.....no light would be OK too.

$0.02 - take it for what it's worth!

kassidybl · May 4, 2016

Tank 1 has zoas, pallys, recovering sun coral (black and yellow), 1 toadstool leather and tube nems. It's eventually going to get longer (20L) so I can add in some dendros and some other non-photosynthetics. So while a reef light might not be the best, my suns are quite happy with some light, and it's needed for my other soft corals.

But thanks for the idea for that light

I might look at doing that for both of the tanks!

mcarroll · May 4, 2016

It's not that it can't work just fine, it's just that I would wait to mix NPS with PS until you're already successful with NPS. Then you can mix NPS frags into your "regular" displays at will. NPS are quite difficult IMO...not that I know everyone or even close, but I don't know anyone with long-term NPS success...never even met anyone. Still just $0.02 though.