lighting

[ngarcia11892]

so im posting for my girlfriend she just got a 135 gallon 6'x18"x2' tank that shes gunna turn into a mixed reef eventually. but the stock lighting isnt very good and we wondered what are some cost efficient led options we could do? im sure shes gunna need two fixtures so thats a factor. we are even open to diy as long as its not too complicated. thanks!

 

[GR808]

I would set a budget if I were you and then see were you would stand as far as LED lighting. IMO the best bang for your buck is DIY. It's not that hard and there are many helpful reefers here that can guide you through the build. You won't regret it.
Look through the LED section here and read up on LED lighting.. It is a wealth of information.

 

[ngarcia11892]

thats what iv been doing i just dont know what im looking for when it comes to leds

 

[GR808]

If u should decide to go DIY, Bill from ReefLEDLights is the way to go. He can answer any question u may have.
Your most common setup would consist of royal blue LEDs and cool white LEDs. The amount of each would depend on the color temp your trying to achieve. If you get dimmable drivers you can adjust your blues and whites to different mixtures suited for u. Dimmable can also get u a sunrise/sunset effect. With a controller to that is. With your dimensions, Bill can figure out how many heatsinks you will need and how many LEDs for each heatsink. By the way, LEDs create a lot of heat from that little diode but the heatsink is made to dissapate that heat.
What else were u wondering?