Reef lighting

[DomiD]

Hey R2R community I was hoping to get some help with what lighting to get for my new 3ft tank

I've currently got a cheap set that I brought on Amazon just to get by on (see pic)

I'm on a tight budget and looking around there are so much to choose from ranging from £30 to hundreds of pounds I plan to grow hardy soft corals for the 1st year or 2 to really get to grips with the hobby then maybe uprgade tank again and look for more expensive gear I'm looking for led and something that will do the job for soft corals

Currently have some clove polyps xenia and zoas which are a bit retracted after going in the new tank and a Duncan which seems to love the cheap light and is flourishing

Thanks in advance for taking the time to read

 

[dantimdad]

Honestly, if ain't broke, don't fix it.

If you really want stronger light and save money, go with a black box LED setup. Cheap, powerful, and adjustable. No, it won't have lightning storms and such but, you are on a budget.

 

[Aardvark1134]

You could always add 1 or 2 more of what you have and then when you want harder corals do the kessil/radion route.

 

[Ruben's Reef]

!!! Welcome to R2R @DomiD !!! If you are under a budget, you can get a Viparspectra 165w and will work great on that tank.

 

[DomiD]

Thanks for all the recommendation can I ask what is probably a dumb question if I get a second light which is also 8000k will it then 16000k

also looking at the viarspector my tank is 91 cm in length so will that be ok as the max coverage is 76cm I assume the edges will just be darker ? again thank you so much for all your responses

 

[Ruben's Reef]

This is a picture of the Viparspectra on my 40g (36 inch long) and about 5 inch on each corner has low light but I use this area for some low light corals.

 

[Aardvark1134]

8000K is spectrum or color temp. 2 of them just makes twice as much of it. It doesn't change the spectrum or color of the light

 

[Dripdroppin]

That looks like a fairly seep tank. You could always add a second for more blanket coverage

 

[DomiD]

Thanks again for all your input I will have to give it some thought maybe just get a cheap second light then save for something decent maybe just put the corals slightly higher in the tank for now? And see how that goes never really thought choosing a light would be so hard

 

[DomiD]

Thanks again for all your input I will have to give it some thought maybe just get a cheap second light then save for something decent maybe just put the corals slightly higher in the tank for now? And see how that goes never really thought choosing a light would be so hard

Or get viparspectra hmm?

 

[DomiD]

Ordered the viparspectra arrives tomorrow will let you know my thought when it arrives

 

[DomiD]

This is a picture of the Viparspectra on my 40g (36 inch long) and about 5 inch on each corner has low light but I use this area for some low light corals.

Hey thanks again got the viparspectra set up now and wow what a difference I have it turn right down tho as it is very powerful