Lighting Setups for 30” Wide Tanks

[uninformed]

If you have a tank that is 30” front to back, what is your lightning configuration? I am planning out a new 48” x 30” x 24” high tank that will be an SPS-heavy mixed reef. I have watched more than my share of BRS’s recent lighting videos on spread and spectrum, but their focus on only 24“ x 24” areas leaves me with more questions for my wide tank.

I’m considering different options, like three or four Radion G5s mounted long-ways, a Kessil hybrid (T5 or Reefbrite XHO), or even a pair of Orphek panels. They’ll all be enclosed in a canopy, so I have flexibility in mounting.

What kind of setup do you have on your 30” wide tanks? Pics of your aquascape and lighting setups would be helpful. Thanks!

 

[spschiebel]

Following.

I'm also looking at a 30" wide setup. 60"x30" w/ no canopy, mixed reef. I'm considering an Aquatic Life DX18 T5 Hybrid with 3x Kessil A360x, but not sure if the front to back spread will be enough for the 30" width. Could go with a legacy T5 hybrid and get the 24" end plates. Now I have also thrown 2x Kessil AP9X into consideration. Whatever my choice it has to look good as well as provide enough light.

 

[Big E]

For SPS as a general rule if you use a T5 setup as reference. 6bulbs will work for a 24" wide tank. It really is only covering 18-20". If you wanted the corals to grow spread out more, some people opt for 8 bulb.

For 30" wide tank 8 bulb= covering 24"

None of those hybrid fixtures will cover the width you desire........they're fine for 24" width tank.

Hope this makes sense, most people don't cover nowhere near enough and they end up having to raise the light which creates more spread but at the expense of corals growing slower and less vivid colors due to par loss.

Simply, the wider the tank the wider the point source has to be.

 

[Hydrored]

you can do a T5 hybrid with 24” end plates instead of the 18” with XR30’s mounted perpendicular

 

[R.Weller]

We have 72" x 36" x 24" & run 4 Ocean Revives installed perpendicular. We left the back & front 4" open to improve flow, allow for fish viewing & the space is not used for corals, so each light is covering 18" x 28". You will probably want to leave a little space to encourage flow, so I would use 26" width in your calculation instead of 30". The middle of our tank has a large glass brace & we keep corals low-light there.

 

[nkkm]

I have the exact same dimensions and run an ATI 36" 8 bulb hybrid power module.

Here is the scape

 

[uninformed]

I have the exact same dimensions and run an ATI 36" 8 bulb hybrid power module.

Here is the scape

Awesome...thanks!

 

[vetteguy53081]

Hybrids or Orphek which lights a large area. My tank is 48" deep and I have 5 Atlantiks and 5 Orphek bars which leaves No dead spots of light

 

[Chibils]

Ryan at BRStv just posted up a video on Friday weighing the options on how to light his 360. I believe it's 36" wide. He ended up with multiple Reefbrite XHO strips along the outside, then a row of Kessil A360x on either side, then more Reefbrite in the middle. Basically mimicking T5/MH look entirely with LEDs and an even spread.

If it were me... This seems to be my solution to everyone, but... I'd do 3 MH pendants in Lumenbright reflectors. The Minis are 16", but if you can find the full size Lumenbright III, I think they're 20". They are some of the highest efficiency reflectors ever made, and throw light down and out like nobody's business. Depending on the mounting height, you could probably cover a 30" tank with minimum PAR loss on the corners. Or you could add T5s or Reefbrites on either end.

 

[rwreef]

I ran a 24" T5 4 bulb fixture over my 20 long. For a more square tank I assume 6 or 8 bulbs would work.

 

[uninformed]

Ryan at BRStv just posted up a video on Friday weighing the options on how to light his 360. I believe it's 36" wide. He ended up with multiple Reefbrite XHO strips along the outside, then a row of Kessil A360x on either side, then more Reefbrite in the middle. Basically mimicking T5/MH look entirely with LEDs and an even spread.

If it were me... This seems to be my solution to everyone, but... I'd do 3 MH pendants in Lumenbright reflectors. The Minis are 16", but if you can find the full size Lumenbright III, I think they're 20". They are some of the highest efficiency reflectors ever made, and throw light down and out like nobody's business. Depending on the mounting height, you could probably cover a 30" tank with minimum PAR loss on the corners. Or you could add T5s or Reefbrites on either end.

Thanks. That’s part of what was driving my thoughts on this. His tank is 47” wide (per that video), so maybe the best option will be a handful of Kessils or Radions sandwiched by four ReefBrite strips, two on each side. Given eurobracing, are the 36“ strips sufficient or should I go with the 48”?

 

[Chibils]

Thanks for the correction, I couldn't remember exactly how wide the tank was. I guess if I'd thought about it, that seems like a lot of light for a 36" wide tank. He did speak very positively of the spread on the new generation of Radions with diffusers, and the PAR graph backed that up. The Reefbrites had impressively even PAR distribution as well. I think the choice between Kessil and Radion comes down to the tradeoffs you're willing to make. Shimmer, reliable spectrum, with hotspots down the center? Kessil. Even lighting throughout, without any real shimmer? Radion.

 

[Andrejcas]

Most often, the illumination in the aquarium is located on top. The most common option is in the lid. Both long and conventional lamps can be installed here. Reflectors are installed near the lamps to achieve uniform illumination, redirecting, and scattering light.

 

[mtraylor]

If you went with the orphek you would need a couple or3's for the sides

 

[nereefpat]

Hopefully, OP has it figured out by now. It's been a couple years.

 

[mtraylor]

Lol. Never looked at date of original post.

 

[Andrejcas]

It is especially important if one long lamp is used. If it is fixed to the lid, most of the bottom remains in the shade, which is not always good. I have tried many types of lighting, but most of all, I liked the high-quality ribbon of colored LEDs. Their light is soft enough and, at the same time, can illuminate the entire aquarium.

 

[rezaktp]

We used a hybrid fixture and replaced the 16” ends with 24” ones. Then placed 3 XR30’s perpendicular to the front of the tank….good coverage on the whole tank