Need lighting help please....

Crabs McJones · May 8, 2019

With t5's three should work

jda · May 9, 2019

I am late to the party, but if those 4x T5s are 60", then those with a trio of XR15s will work for most corals and most mixed reef tanks.

If they are shorter than 60", then just get enough T5s so that you have 4x over the whole top and then put your XR15s on there.

TARHEEL78 · May 9, 2019

@jda They are 60" but you misread. I don't have the xr15s. I was looking for advice on what LEDs would work with the T5s. I think I've settled on 3 Hydra 26 hd, which should work according to crabs. I think they are similar in output to the xr15s???

jda · May 9, 2019

They are nearly the same light made to fake compete against each other since AI and EcoTech are the same company. They are substitutes for each other, IMO.

TARHEEL78 · May 9, 2019

Gotcha

William Norman · May 11, 2019

One this consider is do you need to supplement the T5s right away ? What do you plan to have in the tank ? Could you start with just one LED ?

TARHEEL78 · May 12, 2019

I could probably start with just 1, I plan to add livestock slowly over time.

William Norman · May 12, 2019

Tarheel,

What corals do you want to start with ?

TARHEEL78 · May 13, 2019

I don't really have a list of corals I plan to start with yet. It will be mixed though.

William Norman · May 13, 2019

TARHEEL78 said:
I don't really have a list of corals I plan to start with yet. It will be mixed though.

If that is the case, you don't have to rush out and add to the T5s. As it is a new tank, I assume you will be starting out with softies which will not require more than the T5s. As you add more corals or have the budget you can add the LED lights. The fish don't require any special lighting. Another brand to consider is SBReeflights. They are a US company but are made in China, so cheaper. The advantage is 'quality' and UL listed over pure Chinese Lights. Some people have concerns over the China Brands, but many people have great success with them. I have Chinese Lights over my FOWLR and mix of SBReeflights Basics and T5s on my reef with 1 Hydra 52 in the middle. I use Wifi plugs for timers. Much cheaper than buying lights with timers and I am able to control them with my Google Assistant using just my voice or the app.

TARHEEL78 · May 13, 2019

I've looked at SB lights and at the price point they have their wifi equipped lights I don't see any reason to go with them over Hydras. I haven't really checked out the basics so I'll take a look at them and look around for some wifi plugs.