Lighting for 300 Deep Dimensions

[WVReefJunkie]

Will be upgrading my 220 to a 300 deep dimensions. I currently have three radion Gen2s on my current mixed reef. The 300 will be mostly sps dominant and was looking at the Reefbrite LEDs with T5. What do you all think about Reefbrites on a 36 inch wide tank?

 

[RJKain-777]

I’d use your radions, front to back. Then add 2 orphek OR bars, and some t5.

 

[jda]

Do you want to keep SPS front to back? You only really need to light where you keep the rocks and corals, so if it is mostly near the back (or center), then you can not light the front or back as much. With a large tank, you gotta be smart.

If you are going to use the whole footprint, then lighting this will be no joke. This is on a different level than even a 24" tank and dudes who never lit a tank like this will mean well, but what they do on theirs will not scale to what you are doing. I would probably use a pair of 60" 6 bulb ATI and then put some XHO or Orphek strips on them on each side - so 2 6 bulbs and then 4x strips. It might take 8-10 xr30s or hydra52s to light a tank like this with the same coverage... you really need a pair for each foot, or so, to cover the whole 36" depth... and these will still cast shadows and might need T5s later on down the line.

 

[ca1ore]

Do you want to keep SPS front to back? You only really need to light where you keep the rocks and corals, so if it is mostly near the back (or center), then you can not light the front or back as much. With a large tank, you gotta be smart.

Precisely what I did with my 36” front to back tank! I light it as if it were only 24” and even so I can still grow LPS in the front. Also, DD is 3” shorter than the 220, so that helps as well