Lighting for very tall tank

[illumnae]

Does anyone have recommendation for lights for an extremely tall tank, about 40-48 inches of water height? I just need to be able to see the fish in a fowlr setup, no need to keep any corals alive.

 

[tank of gems]

I wpukd do t5s

 

[illumnae]

Would t5s be able to penetrate so deep? I was hoping for an led fixture as I enjoy the shimmer

 

[oreo54]

LED would be preferred since you can more easily control the beam angle..

LED Lighting Beam Angle Calculator

A simple calculator that determines spot size by a light's beam angle

store.marinebeam.com

Think of each diode and then think of adding "spots" to a panel.

What height?
What area?

Need more specifics.
Simple physics.

Orphek and Kessil make "deep water" lights.

You can fairly easily take a "black box" led and re-lens it..

At 60" and 30 degree angle you can throw a light spot 32" in diameter w/ most of the light in that area.

A360X Narrow ReflectorThe A360X Narrow Reflector strengthens the center light intensity of the A360X by up to three times – perfect for deep tanks. The Narrow Reflector features an easy to attach magnetic design.Beam Angle: 55°Mounting Height: 8”-12” (20-25 cm) above water surface

Height off the water line will depend on tank width..
AT 18" (light face to water) you get an 18" "spot" approx.
Majority of the light will now be entrained by reflection/refraction off the glass..
All depends on how much light and what you want out of it.

Example only .. no "recommendation" really.

About anything will work for viewing light only..

 

[WIReefer]

T5 no doubt, obsessed with mine

 

[oreo54]

BTW.. I was assuming at the beginning high hanging height and deep tank but re: the kessil well numbers speak for themselves..

Any black box "as is" should work fine for low cost.

 

[illumnae]

Thank you very much for the recommendations! I have considered t5 and mh before but would prefer led for the controllability and shimmer.

My tank will be 84" x 36" x 40-48" (still deciding on the height as the jump from 40 to 48 inches requires thicker glass and hence a large cost increase). I'm located in Singapore so I also have less options available to me.

I was also strongly considering the Kessil A360x or even the A160we, but I'm not very good in math and physics to be able to calculate the details, and I didn't know if the light itself would be able to penetrate such a tall water column to be able to see a nice shimmer at the bottom.

 

[tehmadreefer]

If no corals then go mars aqua. Why buy expensive lights if you don’t use em???

 

[blasterman]

I wpukd do t5s

There's always somebody thinking T5's solve everything without ever reading somebody's post. Deep tank....no acropora to deal with shadowing issues so why even suggest T5s?

Get a basic black box like a Mars Aqua, etc. Lensing by default is already pretty tight so depth isn't an issue. Second vote is kessil.

 

[oreo54]

My tank will be 84" x 36" x 40-48" (still deciding on the height as the jump from 40 to 48 inches requires thicker glass and hence a large cost increase). I'm located in Singapore so I also have less options available to me.

I need a favor.. That size tank requires very thick glass.
Rough calculations show @ 46" depth..28.6mm side (1.12" approx)
and 42.4 mm bottom (1.67" approx)

25.8mm (1") sides and 34.4mm (1.35") bottom @ 40" depth

That's for a free standing tank..no braces.

What thickness are you going to use?

I was also strongly considering the Kessil A360x or even the A160we, but I'm not very good in math and physics to be able to calculate the details, and I didn't know if the light itself would be able to penetrate such a tall water column to be able to see a nice shimmer at the bottom.

Your overall height is assumed to be about 56" (assuming 12" of the top)
Think of it this way.
I can shine a very bright spot 6 feet away w/ a sub 1 watt led flashlight w/ the proper lensing..

Thing is it won't cover a very large area..

Bad thing is your tank area is in proportion to normal huge..so density must be considered..
Most shimmer starts at the surface and you need to project it down to the sand bed.

Well a lot of info not really geared to what you are asking but I'll make a minor suggestion w/ an "off brand"light that might just work well though the beam angle is bit to wide for a perfect fit..

Need 8 units..2 rows of 4 (or 3)
6 units cover 6 45x71 "areas" 8 allows lots of overlap
6 is $883US.
8 is $1178US
https://www.ebay.com/itm/DSunY-Led-...sid=p2385738.m4383.l4275.c10&var=542149111783

Weird thing is one needs to "shop around" for the best pricing..

PopBloom Marine Led Aquarium Light Full Spectrum For Reef Coral Saltwater Tank | eBay

Turing 30 Reef : High Penetration & High PAR. For 24’’ Marine Reef Tank. For 36’’ Marine Reef Tank. For 48’’ Marine Reef Tank. For 60’’ Marine Reef Tank. For 72’’ Marine Reef Tank. "24hrs Auto Running": In the morning, the light will turn on.

www.ebay.com

6 for $697US.

Just an FYI more than a recommendation...and to give you something more (full control) than the simple Vipaspectre type lights.

Hmm they switched to 120 degree reflectors so you would need to hang them fairly low..

 

[illumnae]

I will be having euro bracing all around and 2 cross braces both above and below so the tank maker will be using 15mm glass for 40" and 19mm glass for 48"

You won't recommended the Kessil A360x anymore? I kind of have more faith in the more well known brands than black box off Ebay

 

[oreo54]

I will be having euro bracing all around and 2 cross braces both above and below so the tank maker will be using 15mm glass for 40" and 19mm glass for 48"

well don't exactly picture the bracing and I would assume not a floating bottom but that sounds awful thin for 500 gal and that height.
BUT not my err specialty so will assume they know what they are doing..and/or it's tempered glass.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1677926

You won't recommended the Kessil A360x anymore? I kind of have more faith in the more well known brands than black box off Ebay

It was an alternate..and remember I initially assumed you were also hanging them high. My lack of reading comprehension
Good thing about Kessil is you can contact them for recommendations and trust them..

About the biggest difference is that the popbloom (Dsuny) were panels and the Kessil more of a spot.
Their look will be different and.. your choice.

You have Orpheks as well

Amazonas 320 Aquarium LED Lighting • Orphek

Orphek Amazonas 320 LED Light Fixtures are developed specifically for public aquariums and other venues displaying reef or freshwater aquariums.

orphek.com

 

[illumnae]

Thanks! The tank maker is confident and warrants his tanks for 10 years - 2 different tank makers provided the same glass thickness for these dimensions locally. For braceless I was asked to consider 2x 12mm laminated for the sides and 2x 15mm laminated for the bottom.

I will be hanging the lights high, preferably 18" or higher above water level so that maintenance will be easy. I need lots of clearance to maintain such a tall tank. Someone also suggested Maxspect commercial lights to me, but those are more expensive than the Kessils. Any idea about pricing for the Orphek?