LED Options for 6ft 125 Tank

[mynameisnick4]

I've been looking at LED lighting options for my 6ft 125 tank to pull the trigger on sometime by the end of the year. I'm looking to be on the cheaper end but still stick to name brand, so no black boxes (had one on a nano reef awhile back and wasn't a huge fan.) I'm planning on a mixed reef with mainly LPS/softies with some SPS towards the top of the tank.

The first (and much cheaper) option I have been looking at is a single ReefBreeders Photon 50-V2+. I know this doesn't span the entire tank but I am wondering if I can get away with this if I don't put anything light demanding on the very outer edges. The one potential issue with this one is how much light will be blocked by the two plastic braces on this tank.

The second more expensive option is 3 AI Hydra 32s. This seems like it would fit better with one fixture over each of the "sections" of the tank. From the research I've been doing it seems people recommend more light than this on similar sized tanks but I am wondering if this would be OK for my plan of a mixed reef with it being more on the LPS/softy.

Would either of these solutions work? Anything else around this price range that I may have missed?

 

[xxkenny90xx]

I have a RB v2+ 50 on my 60" tank and it lights the whole tank very nicely (hung 10" above the water). I do worry that a 6' tank would be pushing it though. You'll probably have to raise it even higher.

Basically it comes down to budget. The v2+ will work and is an awesome light but you'll probably have some dim areas. The ai light are probably your better option for full coverage but I would assume they're a bit pricier?

 

[xxkenny90xx]

How about the Reefbreeders and if your not happy you could add a light bar or some T5s down the road?

 

[mynameisnick4]

I have a RB v2+ 50 on my 60" tank and it lights the whole tank very nicely (hung 10" above the water). I do worry that a 6' tank would be pushing it though. You'll probably have to raise it even higher.

Basically it comes down to budget. The v2+ will work and is an awesome light but you'll probably have some dim areas. The ai light are probably your better option for full coverage but I would assume they're a bit pricier?

Yeah they are a fair bit pricier, right now the v2+ is $715 which comes with mounting hardware and the AIs would be $1,100 before having to buy their very over priced mounting kits. I was hoping to get lucky with maybe some black friday or holiday season deals with those, not sure if they ever offer sales on them though.

How about the Reefbreeders and if your not happy you could add a light bar or some T5s down the road?

I thought about that option but the only options I could see for supplementing light is something like a reef brite strip. With those I don't see a straight forward/elegant way to add these to the v2+.

At first I was leaning towards straight T5s but decided to stay away from them all together because I don't want to have to deal with bulbs or the large fixtures required for them.

 

[xxkenny90xx]

Well like I said, I get great end to end coverage on my tank which is a foot longer than the light. If you go 12" above the water I bet you'll be very close to full light coverage

 

[mynameisnick4]

Well like I said, I get great end to end coverage on my tank which is a foot longer than the light. If you go 12" above the water I bet you'll be very close to full light coverage

What levels are you running that light at, ie at 100% or using a ramping schedule throughout the day?

 

[xxkenny90xx]

Ramping. The highest any of my channels get during the day is 60%

 

[shakygator]

I haven't tried them yet, but the noopsyche k7 are supposed to get great coverage and pack a punch. I picked up a pair to light my lowboy, which is not setup yet. They are worth a consideration at 150/ea. You could probably get away with 3, and 4 would likely cover it nicely. That would put you under 700 once you factor in the controller.