Lighting for 75g

dieselgoose · May 2, 2022

After a 5 year break. I’m back in the hobby and I’m looking for recommendations for lighting (preferably led) for my 75gal. Any suggestions are appreciated.

SilvermistInc · May 2, 2022

A 300w Viparspectra is a great budget option

nereefpat · May 2, 2022

There haven't been that many changes in the last 5 years. If you are going with LED, that is the most popular way to light a tank.

Is this a reef? Soft corals, LPS, SPS, all the above?

What fixture depends on the features you want and your budget. 2 Viparspectra would cost about 300 bucks and work well, but has 2 channels and doesn't have ramping. You could spend close to 2 grand for Radions with all the bells and whistles.

BVF · May 2, 2022

I have a pair of AI 32 Hydras over my 75g mixed reef. Welcome back.

dedragon · May 2, 2022

all up to budget and personal aesthetics. Do you want more shimmer like the kessil or do you want to run the blue ab+ schedule like ecotech?

dieselgoose · May 2, 2022

nereefpat said:
There haven't been that many changes in the last 5 years. If you are going with LED, that is the most popular way to light a tank.

Is this a reef? Soft corals, LPS, SPS, all the above?

What fixture depends on the features you want and your budget. 2 Viparspectra would cost about 300 bucks and work well, but has 2 channels and doesn't have ramping. You could spend close to 2 grand for Radions with all the bells and whistles.

Eventually, all the above. I am going to take it slow and im only 2 days into the cycle so I won’t even need a light for a few months. Im trying to stay in mid range for now but preferably something that can ramp up and down.

Zach B · May 2, 2022

@noopsyche makes some great lights for a good price. If you catch them on sale they are a really good deal. Best of luck

dieselgoose · May 2, 2022

dedragon said:
all up to budget and personal aesthetics. Do you want more shimmer like the kessil or do you want to run the blue ab+ schedule like ecotech?

Budget some where around 1k and maybe more of the ab.

LeftyReefer · May 2, 2022

for budget lights, its hard to beat the Smat Farm G5 or the Noopsyche K7 V3.

I replaced my 300w Viparspectra with a pair of Smat Farms, and am very happy with the upgrade.

dedragon · May 2, 2022

That is more than enough to light that tank and with your budget i wouldnt go the route of cheaper leds like the viparspectra or smatfarms due to cheaper components and customer service (I recommend them all the time for low budget builds).
You could go with ecotech radions if you like the mobius app and blue look. They are on sale i think to their original price right now (price increase during pandemic). Reefi unos are good alternatives to the radion if you like the look of the box and mounting options. Aqua illumination also works well and can save a bit of money but IMO arent as nice as the radion led.

nereefpat · May 2, 2022

dieselgoose said:
Eventually, all the above. I am going to take it slow and im only 2 days into the cycle so I won’t even need a light for a few months. Im trying to stay in mid range for now but preferably something that can ramp up and down.

dieselgoose said:
Budget some where around 1k and maybe more of the ab.

A good middle of the road that has several channels, a controller, and ramps up and down would be a Reefbreeders V2. They have a 48" model for about 750. There is a Pro version that I think does more stuff with your phone for about 900.

AI has stuff on sale for 15% off (which is about what the normal price was a couple months ago). So you could get 2 Hydras or 4 Primes in the 800 dollar range.

Radions are also on sale, and the XR15s would be just under budget for a pair, but you may have to add a bar or a T5 pair to fully cover a 4' area with 2 of those.

To round out the most popular 3, Kessil is the other choice.

I also would look into the Noopsyche K7s. They have 7 channels and ramp. You could do 2 of those and a controller for about 400. Or you could go crazy and get 2 for each side and still be under budget and get really good coverage, or add light bars and still be way under budget.

dieselgoose · May 2, 2022

Thank you to everyone for the advice. I’m liking the radions as of now but I have some time so ima do a little research but will prolly go with 2 of the radion xr15 g5 pros. Thanks again.

dedragon · May 2, 2022

nereefpat said:
A good middle of the road that has several channels, a controller, and ramps up and down would be a Reefbreeders V2. They have a 48" model for about 750. There is a Pro version that I think does more stuff with your phone for about 900.

I couldnt get over the fact that these were bought by reefbreeders from like aliexpress or something. They do add warranty and their own app i think which is nice

This product is no longer available.

www.alibaba.com

nereefpat · May 2, 2022

dedragon said:
I couldnt get over the fact that these were bought by reefbreeders from like aliexpress or something. They do add warranty and their own app i think which is nice

This product is no longer available.

This product is no longer available.

www.alibaba.com

It's the same company, if I remember correctly. But I can't find evergrow for sale anymore. I'll admit I don't understand alibaba.