Lighting for reef tank

[sparksmichael84]

Hello everyone! I have a 55g light I have purchased, it is led and I was wondering if it has the capability of growing coral off the specs I have below.

 

[blaxsun]

I don't think it has enough K for corals, no.

 

[Jedi1199]

Without any other information, it looks like a standard strip led light. I used them for a short time when I first started on my 55g,

The short answer is Yes.

The "reality" answer is... maybe...

MY opinion, probably not, and here are my own reasons why.

The lights do not have the intensity to punch through 20+ inches of water to reach the sand. They may work to keep the hardiest corals alive, but if you are like most of us, you will quickly tire of a tank filled with beautiful and brilliantly colored fish and a handful of drab brown corals.

I DO run a strip led over my 180g tank that is just perfect for a fish only tank. The light is bright enough to make the fish pop, but low enough to avoid algae and dinos. Win win on that scenario.

If you ask for my advice, I would say, avoid the strips, save your money and get what you need. Going cheap on these things only forestalls the inevitable. You will eventually buy the more expensive stuff anyway. Better to buy once and be done, than buy cheap and replace later.

 

[MaxTremors]

Hello everyone! I have a 55g light I have purchased, it is led and I was wondering if it has the capability of growing coral off the specs I have below.

Would need more info (wattage). But as explained, probably not. It also doesn’t have any sub-450nm light, which isn’t great for corals. These are most likely quarter watt (or less) LEDs that just won’t provide the intensity or PAR needed to grow corals. You might be able to keep some low light soft corals, but even that is iffy.

 

[sparksmichael84]

Without any other information, it looks like a standard strip led light. I used them for a short time when I first started on my 55g,

The short answer is Yes.

The "reality" answer is... maybe...

MY opinion, probably not, and here are my own reasons why.

The lights do not have the intensity to punch through 20+ inches of water to reach the sand. They may work to keep the hardiest corals alive, but if you are like most of us, you will quickly tire of a tank filled with beautiful and brilliantly colored fish and a handful of drab brown corals.

I DO run a strip led over my 180g tank that is just perfect for a fish only tank. The light is bright enough to make the fish pop, but low enough to avoid algae and dinos. Win win on that scenario.

If you ask for my advice, I would say, avoid the strips, save your money and get what you need. Going cheap on these things only forestalls the inevitable. You will eventually buy the more expensive stuff anyway. Better to buy once and be done, than buy cheap and replace later.

Thank you, I’ll probably do fowlr until the tank has matured then switch over to better lighting

 

[Jedi1199]

Thank you, I’ll probably do fowlr until the tank has matured then switch over to better lighting

Is there a budget issue that would prevent you going for the better lighting option now?

I fully realize that high quality lights put a high quality squeeze on the bank account. However, if you do plan to add corals at some point, you are almost guaranteed to replace the strip light.

If you can afford the better lights, I would say you are better off long term to either get them from the start, or wait a bit till you can afford them. The fish don't require lights at all. For a FOWLR tank, the lights are for us, not them.

If you must have a light on your tank, while you wait until you can get the higher end stuff, why not just go with a standard big box store hood light? They are cheaper than the LED strips, and will still show off your fish.

 

[sparksmichael84]

Is there a budget issue that would prevent you going for the better lighting option now?

I fully realize that high quality lights put a high quality squeeze on the bank account. However, if you do plan to add corals at some point, you are almost guaranteed to replace the strip light.

If you can afford the better lights, I would say you are better off long term to either get them from the start, or wait a bit till you can afford them. The fish don't require lights at all. For a FOWLR tank, the lights are for us, not them.

If you must have a light on your tank, while you wait until you can get the higher end stuff, why not just go with a standard big box store hood light? They are cheaper than the LED strips, and will still show off your fish.

The issue is I’ve already been using the light for a week now or else I would just buy better lights right now

 

[Jedi1199]

The issue is I’ve already been using the light for a week now or else I would just buy better lights right now

Is it possible to return the light to the vendor? If you can pop for better now, my advise is do it. If you can get a refund, or exchange value on what you already have, even better. The last thing I would want for you is to wait it out and eat the cost of what ultimately will be an item you will not use for very long.