Lighting

[Asearles]

Hey guys currently have the fluval marine over my 90 gallon reef tank and it is not performing the way I expected having to bring everything mid tank or higher to get any to open what are some light options that are reasonably priced?

 

[Sharkbait19]

I just got the Lucare reef light for my 40B I’m setting up. Haven’t tested it with corals yet but everything I’ve read and just looking at how it lights up the tank it seems like a really good budget light - just not as customizable as the fluval.

 

[ReefGeezer]

You generally get what you pay for when it comes to lighting. I have a ATI Sunpower T5 Fixture over my 90. They are kind of pricey but you could buy a used one for a "reasonable" price. That's how I got mine. There is a bulb replacement cost to consider, but you can't beat it for for high and well distributed PAR. I have the 8 bulb 48" version. It is overkill. The 6 bulb version would work great for your 90.

 

[dedragon]

Lucare reef light

this light isnt powerful enough for a tank deeper than like 10-12inches. What is your budget though as that helps a lot, Orphek Or3 bars are pretty well priced with the ability to add more in the future or mix and match with other led bars like reefbrite. Smatfarms is getting pretty good reviews as well and i think costs 130-150 now

 

[Asearles]

this light isnt powerful enough for a tank deeper than like 10-12inches. What is your budget though as that helps a lot, Orphek Or3 bars are pretty well priced with the ability to add more in the future or mix and match with other led bars like reefbrite. Smatfarms is getting pretty good reviews as well and i think costs 130-150 now

Looking around 3 to 5 hundred range the corals are fox,trachy,maze brain, zoa, toad stool, birds nest, and one big fat anemone lol oh and gsp, and blue symposium which I cannot get to open

 

[dedragon]

for that I would say 2-3 orphek or3 bars, I would go one reef day plus, one sky blue, and one blue plus. The sky blue really makes great pop and adds a lot of par while the blue plus adds a good amount of UV and the reef day balances out the colors. Smat farms is also a good option as well for a pretty low budget and does have a smaller profile and mounting included, but this comes with the drawback of being not as high quality (i think chinese designed and produced) and more shadowing (not really and issue with those lps corals)

 

[dedragon]

OR3 Reef Aquarium LED Bar •Orphek

Orphek OR3 Reef Aquarium LED Bar, OR3 60 / 90 / 120 / 150 for Coral Pop Fluorescent Color Growth and Illumination – 5Watt Dual Chip LEDs

orphek.com

Noopsyche is also like the same quality as the smatfarms and is also an option, noopsyche always has sales that make it cost i think $150-$160 (i dont think mounting is included anymore), Orphek goes for 15-20% off during every holiday sale

 

[dedragon]

Broken Tank | CoralVue

CoralVue is one of North America's largest distributors of marine and freshwater aquaria products and represents a wide range of industry-leading brands including Reef Octopus, Abyzz, Fauna Marin, IceCap, and more. CoralVue also manufactures the HYDROS Control, which is the fastest-growing...

www.coralvue.com

is the tank 48" or 36"? I do also love t5, i personally use a illumagic vitamini (expensive and not really worth it, i like the orphek more from seeing it in person) with this matrix ii fixture

 

[Grimmj]

I love my Reefi Unos, but I know they are currently out of stock. New generation is coming out but my understanding is its a few months out.

 

[Asearles]

Broken Tank | CoralVue

CoralVue is one of North America's largest distributors of marine and freshwater aquaria products and represents a wide range of industry-leading brands including Reef Octopus, Abyzz, Fauna Marin, IceCap, and more. CoralVue also manufactures the HYDROS Control, which is the fastest-growing...

www.coralvue.com

is the tank 48" or 36"? I do also love t5, i personally use a illumagic vitamini (expensive and not really worth it, i like the orphek more from seeing it in person) with this matrix ii fixture

48 inch

 

[dedragon]

A third option you could look into is a combination of 2 noopsyche or 2 smatfarms and either one orphek sky blue or reefbrite lumenbar v2. Gets the pop and added par from the led bar light and controllable spectrum via the other light fixture.
You could get away with 2 noopsyche or 2 smatfarms for a while by themselves but you may find yourself wanting more par and brighter fluorescence from corals that the led bar will give you

 

[Asearles]

A third option you could look into is a combination of 2 noopsyche or 2 smatfarms and either one orphek sky blue or reefbrite lumenbar v2. Gets the pop and added par from the led bar light and controllable spectrum via the other light fixture.
You could get away with 2 noopsyche or 2 smatfarms for a while by themselves but you may find yourself wanting more par and brighter fluorescence from corals that the led bar will give you

What do you think about 2 smatfarms on each side with the fluval in the middle ?

 

[dedragon]

i would ditch the fluval altogether, its not a great light and wont add much par. Most people use it for shallow softie tanks, you could try it before hand with the smatfarms (try the mostly bluish setting for the fluval) but i would have it in front of the smatfarms with the smatfarms over the middle sections (between bracing and side)

 

[Asearles]

i would ditch the fluval altogether, its not a great light and wont add much par. Most people use it for shallow softie tanks, you could try it before hand with the smatfarms (try the mostly bluish setting for the fluval) but i would have it in front of the smatfarms with the smatfarms over the middle sections (between bracing and side)

Just ordered them I'll post an update when they come in I appreciate the help

 

[Nick Steele]

Aww I’d say check out quantareef lights but looks like you just bought some.

 

[dedragon]

Aww I’d say check out quantareef lights but looks like you just bought some.

havent heard of these, you have a link?

 

[Nick Steele]

LED Light Bars for Coral Reef Aquariums | Quanta Lights

Quanta lights offers premium LED lighting solutions for aquariums. Our LED light bars are designed for coral reef aquariums and can also be used on saltwater and freshwater aquariums. Quanta lights offer value, innovation, and incredible spectrums that are simple to use and built to last.

www.quantareef.com

That’s the website he also has an Instagram that goes into a lot of detail on them.
Mahina_corals

I will say they are new lights but they look promising and he definitely did his research.

 

[dedragon]

I think the OP wanted more tested lights but the quanta pro do look promising as another led bar light, but idk how different they are from orphek or reefbrite

 

[Dakota_reef]

48 inch

That's a good light. I just bought a Spectra, but Giesemann is awesome.

 

[Falc!]

You will be more than happy with the smat farms. Ive ran many diff types of lights including high leds and on my newer tank i am using the smat farms and living them.