Lighting Suggestions for 50" X 36" SPS Dominant Tank

[gofor100]

Hey Everyone,

I think I've narrowed down my lighting scheme intended to light a 50"L X 36"W X 27"T SPS Dominant Tank to one of the following (although, if anyone has other suggestions, please post and the reason why).

Option 1: Use the 48" Aquatic Life T-5/LED Hybrid with 3 Kessil A360X LEDs. I like this option as I like the idea of getting the "best of both worlds" as far as light spread from the T-5's and the power/adjustability with the LEDs. The drawback is I plan to suspend this from the ceiling and I'm not sure how aesthetically pleasing the unit will look.

Option 2: Use FOUR XR15w G4 Pro EcoTech Radions with the Diffusers. I like this option as it would allow me to space out the units in order to get the best coverage (although, I'm not planning to keep corals on the outer edges of the tank).

Option 3: Use TWO Atlantik Compact V4 LED fixtures. I like the look and features of the fixtures and the spread seems comparable to what I would be looking for.

Option 4: Anything that I'm missing here?

As I've said, I plan to set this up as a SPS Dominant tank with some LPS spread throughout. Looking for the best mixture of aesthetically appealing fixture (unless I decide to build a suspended canopy), color pop from the corals/fish, and sufficient coverage for such a large footprint.

Thanks in advance for your help!!!

Chad

 

[gofor100]

Open to feedback on the above options too. Personal experiences, etc...

 

[Kodski]

I don't have any personal experience with these lights to share, but I can chime in with what I think would be a way to guarantee success with hopefully a non brand biased view. I was in my LFS the other day trying to decide on lights for my new tank (30x30 cube). Due to the size I was thinking either a Kessil A360X or Radion XR15 Pro with 4 T5's supplementing. I'm going for just a mixed reef so I don't need two of either light. When I was looking at the LFS' tanks I noticed a large difference between the two lights.

The Xr15's looked very washed out as far as the shadows and color of the fish were concerned. If anything was slightly shadowed, it was almost pitch black. The fish had no noticeable coloration, and it was a shame because they had some really beautiful fish in the tank that would have amazing colors under any other lighting. I will note, the colors on the coral looked good and I don't think its a bad light at all. I'm just comparing the two lights over two different tanks that were side by side. The other thing that bugged me was how much light was glaring from the fixture itself. It was blinding to look anywhere near the top of the water column. That immediately put me off the Radions. Of course take this all with a grain of salt because I have no idea what settings the radions were at so maybe you could get some more coloration out of the fish with adjusting the settings, but I'd then begin to worry about providing the right spectrum for the corals themselves.

Now the kessil A360x, the tank popped big time. Every coral glowed bright. Shadowing under the corals were not nearly as great in contrast, meaning not nearly as dark as there were under the radions. Don't get me wrong though, with a SPS dominate tank, I personally feel that you'd need to have some kind of supplemental lighting to keep shadowing to a minimum. The shimmer was nice, not too much, but just enough to add to the overall appeal of the tank. The fish were not as brightly colored as under a white light but you could still see their coloration without having to wait until they swam under the "right" lighting. My favorite part about the Kessil, which due to the wide lens I thought would be worse than the radion, the glare from the light was almost non-existent. The kessil has a little lip all around the lens itself to keep the light from blinding you as you look at the tank from a lower angle or up close.

My lFS also had two more tanks with the T5's hybrids, one with A360x's and the other with Radion XR15's. Again paired with the T5's I personally thought that the Kessils just looked better. One thing to note, these two tanks were frag tanks, so I can't comment on shading with these combos. Over a few more tanks my LFS had some AP700's as well. I started to compare the A360x to the AP700's. The AP700's looked good, just hair better to my eye than the Radions again. But there was a noticeable difference in coral pop compared to the A360X. I didn't think having a bit of control-ability in the Red/Green/UV spectrums would make a difference with corals, but I was definetly wrong.

From my stand point, I think both lights will need supplemental lighting to create that "blanket" of light that is so recommended for SPS. Personally I would choose the A360X over the Radion any day of the week and pair it with T5's. I think the overall color and shimmer it would produce would be the best look you can get, subjectively of course. My other note about lighting is something the owner of my LFS said to me. "humans are programmed to destroy everything." He was referring to the adjust-ability of the Radion's when he said that to me. I don't like the idea of trying to find the perfect spectrum or constantly messing with it. When you're trying to keep everything consistent in the aquarium why should I be messing with the lighting spectrum trying to find something that works. I think that offers up more harm than good. So again, the Kessils being a set the A360X to the colors that look good to my eye's, and then adjust the intensity and lighting schedule to my coral's needs and forget about it just seems like a better option. I'm less likely to messing something up or kill my corals.

After that trip I have decided to run 4-24w T5HO paired with a single Kessil A360x over my tank. If I find that I need more light I can always add a second A360X.

 

[BigKid4788]

I would recommend 3 Orpheks. I had 2 over my 48x36x22 and decided I needed a third. If it were LPS I would say 2. Since your going SPS, 3 will give you great coverage/minimal shadowing

 

[cvrle1]

If you are looking at hybrid, check out noopsyche hybrid unit (P1802) It is much nicer than AL unit and can be mounted on a tank with legs. It is more expensive, but I would do that one instead. If you get 3 of the noopsyche K7 Pro II units, then cost would be cheaper than your option 1. Hell, even if you get 4 units it would still be cheaper and you would get really good light fixture with most of the bells and whistles that Kessil's have.

48” Noopsyche T5 Hybrid

The Noopsyche hybrid is a first among it's kind. With elegance and style, the P1082 incorporates functions where other hybrids fall short. The robust exterior offers a firm foundation for mounting not only the K7 Pro2 led, but it will accommodate many of the most popular led lights on the market...

noopsycheusa.store

Noopsyche K7 PRO II LED Light (light only) Choose Color Option

Noopsyche K7 PRO II LED Light A stylish light system for your marine aquarium. Power: 95 watts Dimension: 7.09" x 4.72" x 1.5" (180 x 120 x 38mm) LEDs 6x Osram Cool White 6x Osram Blue 6x Osram Royal Blue 2x Semi LED 410nm 2x Semi LED 420nm 2x Osram Red 2x Osram Green Beam angle 90...

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[LadyTang2]

Hey Everyone,

I think I've narrowed down my lighting scheme intended to light a 50"L X 36"W X 27"T SPS Dominant Tank to one of the following (although, if anyone has other suggestions, please post and the reason why).

Option 1: Use the 48" Aquatic Life T-5/LED Hybrid with 3 Kessil A360X LEDs. I like this option as I like the idea of getting the "best of both worlds" as far as light spread from the T-5's and the power/adjustability with the LEDs. The drawback is I plan to suspend this from the ceiling and I'm not sure how aesthetically pleasing the unit will look.

Option 2: Use FOUR XR15w G4 Pro EcoTech Radions with the Diffusers. I like this option as it would allow me to space out the units in order to get the best coverage (although, I'm not planning to keep corals on the outer edges of the tank).

Option 3: Use TWO Atlantik Compact V4 LED fixtures. I like the look and features of the fixtures and the spread seems comparable to what I would be looking for.

Option 4: Anything that I'm missing here?

As I've said, I plan to set this up as a SPS Dominant tank with some LPS spread throughout. Looking for the best mixture of aesthetically appealing fixture (unless I decide to build a suspended canopy), color pop from the corals/fish, and sufficient coverage for such a large footprint.

Thanks in advance for your help!!!

Chad

I'd go for option one (T5s and LEDs). I feel the kessil is a good choice to pair with T5s as they are known to produce a good shimmer. Since the T5s will provide no shimmer but provide a nice blanket of light, having that particular LED will get you some shimmer.

Do your research but don't overthink it, you can grow coral with all of the options.

 

[jda]

None of those look like enough for me. Double the manufacturer's recommendations if you want to cover all that 50x36 area - if you are only going to keep your acros in the back 24", then that is different.

Also, acropora are different than other SPS. If acropora dominant, then 4x T5s and 4x xr30s might be needed for that tank. If montis and birdsnest and stuff then half of that that might be OK. Shadows are real and will come before you know it if you are any good at this. This still might have too many shadows.

Consider 3x 36" ReefBreeders mounted front-to-back. Good coverage and will not kill your wallet.

Follow the advice and opinions of people who have SUCCESSFULLY lit a 36" deep tank with acropora - too many of the recommendations around here are from people quoting the manufacturer's pamphlet or think that what they do for their smaller tank will scale. Lighting that tank with 4 xr15s is mot going to work and you will not likely find that anybody that has actually done it would recommend for a SPS tank.

Pay attention. There are differences in all types and kinds of lights and to do not all do the same thing... You will get different results with panel-type LEDs vs point-source vs those with T5s added. While true that they "all grow coral" they results are usually different - not better or worse, just different.

 

[gofor100]

I don't have any personal experience with these lights to share, but I can chime in with what I think would be a way to guarantee success with hopefully a non brand biased view. I was in my LFS the other day trying to decide on lights for my new tank (30x30 cube). Due to the size I was thinking either a Kessil A360X or Radion XR15 Pro with 4 T5's supplementing. I'm going for just a mixed reef so I don't need two of either light. When I was looking at the LFS' tanks I noticed a large difference between the two lights.

The Xr15's looked very washed out as far as the shadows and color of the fish were concerned. If anything was slightly shadowed, it was almost pitch black. The fish had no noticeable coloration, and it was a shame because they had some really beautiful fish in the tank that would have amazing colors under any other lighting. I will note, the colors on the coral looked good and I don't think its a bad light at all. I'm just comparing the two lights over two different tanks that were side by side. The other thing that bugged me was how much light was glaring from the fixture itself. It was blinding to look anywhere near the top of the water column. That immediately put me off the Radions. Of course take this all with a grain of salt because I have no idea what settings the radions were at so maybe you could get some more coloration out of the fish with adjusting the settings, but I'd then begin to worry about providing the right spectrum for the corals themselves.

Now the kessil A360x, the tank popped big time. Every coral glowed bright. Shadowing under the corals were not nearly as great in contrast, meaning not nearly as dark as there were under the radions. Don't get me wrong though, with a SPS dominate tank, I personally feel that you'd need to have some kind of supplemental lighting to keep shadowing to a minimum. The shimmer was nice, not too much, but just enough to add to the overall appeal of the tank. The fish were not as brightly colored as under a white light but you could still see their coloration without having to wait until they swam under the "right" lighting. My favorite part about the Kessil, which due to the wide lens I thought would be worse than the radion, the glare from the light was almost non-existent. The kessil has a little lip all around the lens itself to keep the light from blinding you as you look at the tank from a lower angle or up close.

My lFS also had two more tanks with the T5's hybrids, one with A360x's and the other with Radion XR15's. Again paired with the T5's I personally thought that the Kessils just looked better. One thing to note, these two tanks were frag tanks, so I can't comment on shading with these combos. Over a few more tanks my LFS had some AP700's as well. I started to compare the A360x to the AP700's. The AP700's looked good, just hair better to my eye than the Radions again. But there was a noticeable difference in coral pop compared to the A360X. I didn't think having a bit of control-ability in the Red/Green/UV spectrums would make a difference with corals, but I was definetly wrong.

From my stand point, I think both lights will need supplemental lighting to create that "blanket" of light that is so recommended for SPS. Personally I would choose the A360X over the Radion any day of the week and pair it with T5's. I think the overall color and shimmer it would produce would be the best look you can get, subjectively of course. My other note about lighting is something the owner of my LFS said to me. "humans are programmed to destroy everything." He was referring to the adjust-ability of the Radion's when he said that to me. I don't like the idea of trying to find the perfect spectrum or constantly messing with it. When you're trying to keep everything consistent in the aquarium why should I be messing with the lighting spectrum trying to find something that works. I think that offers up more harm than good. So again, the Kessils being a set the A360X to the colors that look good to my eye's, and then adjust the intensity and lighting schedule to my coral's needs and forget about it just seems like a better option. I'm less likely to messing something up or kill my corals.

After that trip I have decided to run 4-24w T5HO paired with a single Kessil A360x over my tank. If I find that I need more light I can always add a second A360X.

Thanks a ton for your thoughtful and insightful feedback on this. I too was thinking that the best option would be to incorporate T-5 Lighting paired with LEDs. Trying to find a solution that will look good hanging over a tank without a canopy.

 

[gofor100]

I'd go for option one (T5s and LEDs). I feel the kessil is a good choice to pair with T5s as they are known to produce a good shimmer. Since the T5s will provide no shimmer but provide a nice blanket of light, having that particular LED will get you some shimmer.

Do your research but don't overthink it, you can grow coral with all of the options.

Thanks! Yeah, I think I'm leaning toward the LED/T5 combo. Hoping that by the time I purchase that they will have a nicer looking AL fixture, but the Giesemann hybrid fixture might be another option.

 

[gofor100]

None of those look like enough for me. Double the manufacturer's recommendations if you want to cover all that 50x36 area - if you are only going to keep your acros in the back 24", then that is different.

Also, acropora are different than other SPS. If acropora dominant, then 4x T5s and 4x xr30s might be needed for that tank. If montis and birdsnest and stuff then half of that that might be OK. Shadows are real and will come before you know it if you are any good at this. This still might have too many shadows.

Consider 3x 36" ReefBreeders mounted front-to-back. Good coverage and will not kill your wallet.

Follow the advice and opinions of people who have SUCCESSFULLY lit a 36" deep tank with acropora - too many of the recommendations around here are from people quoting the manufacturer's pamphlet or think that what they do for their smaller tank will scale. Lighting that tank with 4 xr15s is mot going to work and you will not likely find that anybody that has actually done it would recommend for a SPS tank.

Pay attention. There are differences in all types and kinds of lights and to do not all do the same thing... You will get different results with panel-type LEDs vs point-source vs those with T5s added. While true that they "all grow coral" they results are usually different - not better or worse, just different.

Thanks for your input on this! I think this is kind of why I'm leaning towards doing an LED/T5 Hybrid (Option#1 but maybe with a nicer looking T-5 hybrid fixture), will likely get better coverage across the width of the tank. Although, having said that, I do plan to have minimalist aquascape that may address concerns over lighting the entire footprint of the tank.

 

[gofor100]

So as you guys may have read in my replies, it seems like I'm leaning towards an LED/T-5 hybrid... do you have recommendations on a hybrid fixture other than the Aquatic Life that would look nice without a canopy?

Giesemann's fixture seems to look cleaner, but wanted to get your thoughts.

Thanks!

Chad

 

[cvrle1]

So as you guys may have read in my replies, it seems like I'm leaning towards an LED/T-5 hybrid... do you have recommendations on a hybrid fixture other than the Aquatic Life that would look nice without a canopy?

Giesemann's fixture seems to look cleaner, but wanted to get your thoughts.

Thanks!

Chad

See my original response above for idea
it works with AI, Kessil and so on LED fixtures

 

[Dlealrious]

3 orphek

 

[motortrendz]

I'm planning a 60x 32 footprint sps tank and my plan was to go with 5 xr30 pros mounted front to back. and I was considering using 2 t5s across front and rear of the tank to eliminate shadows...

 

[Abhishek]

Well I have a 50 x 36 x 20 inch high acropora only tank and it’s lit by 2x6 ATI 54 watts sunpower .

If using leds , I would guess around 8 xr15 pros or 6 xr15 pros with 2 T5 supplements

 

[Reefer40b]

None of those look like enough for me. Double the manufacturer's recommendations if you want to cover all that 50x36 area - if you are only going to keep your acros in the back 24", then that is different.

Also, acropora are different than other SPS. If acropora dominant, then 4x T5s and 4x xr30s might be needed for that tank. If montis and birdsnest and stuff then half of that that might be OK. Shadows are real and will come before you know it if you are any good at this. This still might have too many shadows.

Consider 3x 36" ReefBreeders mounted front-to-back. Good coverage and will not kill your wallet.

Follow the advice and opinions of people who have SUCCESSFULLY lit a 36" deep tank with acropora - too many of the recommendations around here are from people quoting the manufacturer's pamphlet or think that what they do for their smaller tank will scale. Lighting that tank with 4 xr15s is mot going to work and you will not likely find that anybody that has actually done it would recommend for a SPS tank.

Pay attention. There are differences in all types and kinds of lights and to do not all do the same thing... You will get different results with panel-type LEDs vs point-source vs those with T5s added. While true that they "all grow coral" they results are usually different - not better or worse, just different.

100% agree with this. Small correction though, RB V2 lights come in 32" not 36" so you could do 3 of those or 2 48in with lumen bars on each side. being full on acro tank this will blanket the tank nicely! If your keeping not so high light sps then no need for lumen bars and you could just do the 2x 48in

 

[JP Reef]

You could save so much money if you did a MH/LED combo. Let the MH do the heavy lifting and then use the LED to give you the color you want when the MH is off. A 400W MH with the right reflector will just about cover your entire tank. 2 250W will certainly do it. Add a couple LED to give you the ramp up/down. The number of LED fixtures needed are ridiculous. The 36" wide tank is going to be a problem with whatever you do aesthetically. Nothing spreads like MH.