Lighting recommendations for IM Lagoon 25

[Mark Waltermire]

Hello fellow reefers,

I am going to be setting up a lagoon 25 AIO in my college dorm room slowly, waiting to put livestock in at the beginning of January, after the new semester starts. The tank that I am getting is used from someone who is breaking down their tank and I'm going to pick up the lot of stuff that he was using for the tank. It is going to come with a Kessil A360WE. I also have an ATI 24" 6 bulb, sun power dimmable sitting at home not being used. Would you all suggest it be a better idea to use the ATI fixture and then only run 4 bulbs probably 12 inches off the water surface versus using the kessil? That way I can run 1 bulb to slowly wake up everybody, and then the other 3 in addition for the full daytime lighting. I know that in a 12" deep tank only 4 of the bulbs will be necessary, and even then I will most likely be running them at 80%, as that will still be providing me with enough par for the SPS that will be in the tank.

 

[Crabs McJones]

I would go the kessil personally. Great light that can absolutely grow coral (even sps) it will generate less heat and cheaper to maintain as you dont have to replace bulbs yearly. On top of that the shimmer, color blending and ease of use are unmatched by any other led brand in my opinion And kessils customer service is outstanding. Any issues and they get you taken care of quickly and fairly.

 

[Mark Waltermire]

I would go the kessil personally. Great light that can absolutely grow coral (even sps) it will generate less heat and cheaper to maintain as you dont have to replace bulbs yearly. On top of that the shimmer, color blending and ease of use are unmatched by any other led brand in my opinion And kessils customer service is outstanding. Any issues and they get you taken care of quickly and fairly.

I was asking this without attempting to factor in the cost difference between T5 and LED or the annual bulb replacement cost being factored in either. Both of the light fixtures have a tendency to perform so I am not concerned about customer service. T5 spectrum blending is also going to be the same level or better than LED.

I am asking purely based on growth/coloration between the 2 light sources.

 

[Crabs McJones]

I was asking this without attempting to factor in the cost difference between T5 and LED or the annual bulb replacement cost being factored in either. Both of the light fixtures have a tendency to perform so I am not concerned about customer service. T5 spectrum blending is also going to be the same level or better than LED.

I am asking purely based on growth/coloration between the 2 light sources.

Then go t5

 

[dutch27]

I ran a 4-bulb ATI over a 40B and it was plenty, so I think 4-bulbs over a IM 25 will be more than enough for whatever coral you want. IMO, T-5's have better color, and I never had heat issues in the tank with my ATI. I kept it around 12" off the water. I think both options would work out, it just comes down to if you prefer the look of LED or T5.

 

[Mark Waltermire]

I ran a 4-bulb ATI over a 40B and it was plenty, so I think 4-bulbs over a IM 25 will be more than enough for whatever coral you want. IMO, T-5's have better color, and I never had heat issues in the tank with my ATI. I kept it around 12" off the water. I think both options would work out, it just comes down to if you prefer the look of LED or T5.

I don’t necessarily have a preference to the look, but I already have 3 a360’s on my 72 so I can take the kessil that’s coming on this 25 lagoon and put it on my 72. I wish I would’ve done a build thread for that tank because it’s been through so much that I would even like to go back and see everything that I’ve done to it.

I think I’ve decided to go with the ATI fixture over the tank. I’m still debating about whether I should mount it to the ceiling or not.