Lighting suggestion for 10' mixed reef

[Hemmdog]

Everyone has their personal preferences. Personally I would do 10-12 A360x with supplemental T-5.

Yep! 360X has amazing coverage. I love mine so much more than my 360we’s.

 

[dantimdad]

So about $6-7K in lighting!?

;Hilarious

 

[Hemmdog]

So about $6-7K in lighting!?

;Hilarious

Yes lol

 

[Lukas75]

So about $6-7K in lighting!?

;Hilarious

It's a 10 x 5 tank. I'm assuming, maybe wrongly, that if they has the cash to drop on that size of a tank then 6-7k wouldn't be too bad. For me... second mortgage...maybe?

 

[Humongous]

Well 6-7k is more than I spent for the tank and stand so yeah it's a lot of money. Like I said, I know big tanks are expensive but the key is managing where your funds go. If it were a much smaller tank it would be an easier pill to swallow.

 

[Humongous]

Hi, will you need a chiller for your system when using the M/H lights and T 5’s, as both those lights run hot especially in a canopy. A big chiller will cost in the neighborhood of $8000 or so.

I'm just getting ready to plumb in a heat exchanger that will cool the tank with tap water, really cheap alternative to a chiller. So far in the past I've been able to let the tank creep up to 81 degrees and just use fans across the sumps. It does get really hot here in the summer, most days are 90+ but it's very dry so evaporative cooling works well.

 

[Lukas75]

Well 6-7k is more than I spent for the tank and stand so yeah it's a lot of money. Like I said, I know big tanks are expensive but the key is managing where your funds go. If it were a much smaller tank it would be an easier pill to swallow.

I'm surprised that the tank and stand was that cheap! I would have expected it to have been in 10k plus range. Every time I dream of a tank that big I always run into the issue of how to light it and the cost of the power to light it everything else isn't that bad.

 

[Humongous]

@Lukas75

I bought the tank and stand used. It has a few scratches that are barely noticeable but like everything in this hobby depreciation is a killer to the seller and a reward to the buyer. I would have never been able to afford it otherwise. I did check with a custom builder close to where I live and he quoted $13k for the same tank so I felt good about the purchase.

 

[KingJason]

I have 6 Radion's on my 10'. They look great and work great. I do enjoy tinkering and always trying new things so I plan to add in some T5 supplements in the future.