Light for Growing Corals

[Europa]

I have a fish only tank, but would like to start growing corals. Could someone recommend a good brand (+specs) of light that I should buy? (I'm sorry if this question is somewhere else -- if so, please point me to the answer.)

 

[Tahoe61]

What is your budget for lighting, and what type of corals would you like to, keep?

 

[Europa]

I was hoping to spend around $ 200 for the light, but could go a little over that if necessary. My tank is a 60 gallon, 36x24". Still didn't think about the type of corals, but I would probably start with some easy to maintain.

 

[Tuan’s Reef]

Got some Ai Primes , affordable and will grow anything . Resells easily when you want to get something more.

Otherwise those Chinese boxes works well for the price but offers very little if any customization

 

[Reefer40b]

Vipraspectras depending on the corals you may only need one.. Hang high for good spread about $100

 

[Malifry97]

Vipraspectras depending on the corals you may only need one.. Hang high for good spread about $100

+1 to viparspectra or Mars aqua

 

[Dana Riddle]

Go with any of the Chinese black boxes or Noopsyche . You'll need two of either, unless you want to keep the corals bunched up. I generally don't recommend spending a lot of money on lighting when getting started with corals. A coral tank is a bit more work that a fish-only tank, so try to stay on a budget until you find if a reef is right for you. Make sure you've got good flow in the tank - just as, if not more, important than lighting.

 

[45ZoaGarden]

I recommend two hydra 26’s. They are a little over your budget but they are an excellent light that provide great growth and colors. Two ai primes won’t be enough for a 36x24, it will shadow and not have enough power to get down to the sand bed. Black boxes are risky. They are made with the cheapest materials possible and have fire issues. Sure they grow coral but fire isn’t good ;Hilarious. Search around! check Craigslist, offer up, Facebook marketplace, and here! There’s quite a few 26hd’s for sale out there for under $250. I know it seems like a lot of money, and it is. But lights are essentially the most important part of a reef tank. The best advice I can give you is buy once, cry once.

 

[Cwentz758]

Rea Sea REEFLED 50s are 200$ per fixture they advertise good for 20x20 growing so I put 2 on my 36” tank and it looks great

 

[artieg1]

AI Hydras work great for me. But agree that if you want to keep under $200, many people appear to have good luck with black box LEDs.

 

[Dana Riddle]

I hear reports of black boxes catching fire. Has anyone here personally experienced this? The Chinese government has a vested interest in product QC, and has adopted standards similar to other countries' for companies building electronic (and other) devices. Canada has CSA, the US Underwriter's Laboratories... My point is that lack of UL listing isn't necessarily a bad thing.

 

[Pntbll687]

You can get a generic T5 fixture off ebay and swap out the bulbs for ati bulbs. This would give you an easy setup, and proven spectrum for growing coral.

 

[cvrle1]

I hear reports of black boxes catching fire. Has anyone here personally experienced this? The Chinese government has a vested interest in product QC, and has adopted standards similar to other countries' for companies building electronic (and other) devices. Canada has CSA, the US Underwriter's Laboratories... My point is that lack of UL listing isn't necessarily a bad thing.

From what I could find before, those catching on fire stories were from friend of a friend, who has this cousin and her bf had this fixture that caught on fire and burned the house down type of stories.

 

[45ZoaGarden]

For what it’s worth, the owner of my lfs has had a few units smoking. He uses radions now

 

[Dana Riddle]

For what it’s worth, the owner of my lfs has had a few units smoking. He uses radions now

Thanks. Do you know if it was a problem with salt getting into the units, cooling fan failure resulting in overheating, other?

 

[45ZoaGarden]

Thanks. Do you know if it was a problem with salt getting into the units, cooling fan failure resulting in overheating, other?

We don’t know for sure. The lights were 28 Inches above the frag tanks so unlikely. The store also gets pretty good airflow and runs big dehumidifiers so no condensation. There was also no rust/ salt creep on the lights. It was definitely an electrical fire in its early stages.

 

[Europa]

Thanks! I was looking at VIPARSPECTRA 300W LED at Amazon but how do you hang the light? does it need to be hung from the ceiling?

 

[Dana Riddle]

Thanks! I was looking at VIPARSPECTRA 300W LED at Amazon but how do you hang the light? does it need to be hung from the ceiling?

Not necessarily. I put egg crate on the top of one of my tanks and simply rested the unit upon that.

 

[Europa]

Not necessarily. I put egg crate on the top of one of my tanks and simply rested the unit upon that.

Could you share a picture of how that looks like?

 

[cvrle1]

Could you share a picture of how that looks like?

As Dana mentioned, you dont have to hang them. Here is a thread for you with some ideas on DIY mount options though

Tank Mount for 165W or 300W Chinese LED Fixtures - Reef Central Online Community

Tank Mount for 165W or 300W Chinese LED Fixtures Lighting, Filtration & Other Equipment

www.reefcentral.com