Lighting

haigyfish · Oct 10, 2022

Hey y’all just curious about potential reef light options and which is most liked? I have a 30 gallon tank so I was planning to get 60-90w led lights for coral? Right now I am fish only
Using room light and room LEDs. Looking to prepare for coral eventually

thomas_neil · Oct 10, 2022

haigyfish said:
Hey y’all just curious about potential reef light options and which is most liked? I have a 30 gallon tank so I was planning to get 60-90w led lights for coral? Right now I am fish only
Using room light and room LEDs. Looking to prepare for coral eventually

Do you have the dimensions of the tank? And what kind of coral are you planning on? Softies would probably be best if it's your first time, and some lps are pretty forgiving. I'd say look into the AI Prime line up or the AI hydras. You could also look at the neptune sky lights or kessils. Lighting is really about par and your budget. Softies and LPS need less par so you can go a little cheaper on the lights, it's not until you get into sps that you need to start getting the more expensive lights and using multiple lights to create hot spots of par in the tank.

Mr. Mojo Rising · Oct 10, 2022

What kind of light is that for 60-90 watts?

I have a 32 gallon, I have a 150 watts metal hallide on my tank, so 60 watts sounds like very little to me.

I have a AI16 Prime on my 15 gallon set at 75% for soft corals, so I think AI16 would be insufficient on a 30 gallon.

Reef lighting is really a huge topic with countless articles written about it, its also, by far, the one most expensive gadget you will buy for your tank, it will last years, so its important to take your time and do the proper research and pick the right unit for you.