Researching lighting for the first time, need help

[ZzyzxRiver]

I know so little about tank lighting that I don't even know what exactly to ask. My current tank is a Biocube 16, which has lights included in the lid. I'm planning to upgrade to something bigger, but don't have ANY idea what kind of lights I might need. I was looking at the waterbox AIO 50.3 and it suggests two "AI Prime 16HD Reef", which is $600. That seems like a lot- I'm not planning on having any SPS in this tank, so do I need lights that fancy? I'm not trying to get the cheapest thing that I'll regret later, but I also know I don't need the hottest fanciest gear. Can I get some advice on how I should go about finding lights? Is there a "lighting for dummies" thread in here? The stickied threads are above my knowledge level.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Can I get some advice on how I should go about finding lights?

As simply as possible, the important things are spectrum/wavelengths, PAR, if you like the look of the light, and any features the light may have - if you're not looking at aquarium specific lights, then the IP rating is important too.

An explanation (I can simplify it later if you'd like, but I'm out of time today):

A quick rundown on lights:

-Lumens are a measurement of how bright light looks to us, not how useful it is to photosynthetic organisms (like plants, corals, algae, etc.). Some lights look very bright to us, but are useless for photosynthetic organisms.

-Kelvin is what color we perceive the light as being (not what colors are actually produced).

-Watts are how much electricity the lights use (some people use this as a measurement of the strength of the light, but it’s not always a good indicator of that; to measure the strength of the light, you want to look at PAR - the higher the number, the stronger the light). [Edit: the higher the PAR, the stronger light is for photosynthetic organisms; as a note, the higher wattage, the higher the cost to run the light.]

-The “nm” numbers describe the wavelengths of the light produced by the light; in other words, it tells you what kind of light is being produced. This is important, as photosynthetic organisms prefer certain kinds of light. As mentioned, light that produces wavelengths that excite Chlorophyll A are generally going to be the a really solid choice (the excitement peaks are ~440nm [blue] and ~660nm [red]); full spectrum (including those red and blue peaks with some yellow and green mixed in) are the best for photosynthesis, but - as mentioned - may not be the most cost effective.

TLDR; you want a light with high PAR values that produces ~440 and ~660nm light (either “blurple” or full spectrum”).

-PPFD is Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density

-µmol/m2/s is the measurement of how many micromoles of light are hitting a square meter in a second (it's the standard measurement used for PPFD)

-PAR is Photosynthetically Active Radiation; technically speaking, this isn't a measurement of the light's strength, it's a range of light wavelengths (400-700nm)

-PAR is measured in µmol/m2/s; the number just excludes light with wavelengths outside of the PAR spectrum (so it doesn't count light wavelengths outside of the 400-700nm range)

So, the PPFD number only needs adjusted for PAR if the instrument is measuring both light in the PAR range and light outside of the PAR range. With a PAR meter like the OP has, it should only read light within the PAR range, so it shouldn't need the number adjusted at all.

The color as our eyes see it (called Color Temperature and presented in Kelvin) isn't actually important except for aesthetics (so if we like how it looks or not). "White" light is actually a mixture of at least three different colors of light (a bluish light, a greenish/yellowish light, and a reddish light; these can mixed in different wavelengths and quantities to achieve the same "white" look).

What photosynthetic organisms - like corals and plants - care about are the spectrum/wavelengths of the light (so what specific kinds of light are produced by a fixture) and Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density (PPFD; generally, people refer to PPFD as PAR, or Photosynthetically Active Radiation; this is basically a measure of how much light photosynthetic organisms can "feed on" a fixture is producing).



To simplify the above; corals care about what kind of light (the wavelengths) they get and the strength of the light (the PAR values) they get.

So, to see if a light will work, you want to look at the Spectral Power Distribution Chart/Graph (shows basically how much of each color/wavelength of light is produced by the fixture) and the PPFD Chart (basically a map of the PAR output of the fixture).

"White" light with a lot of blue and a little red with some amount of green/yellow will grow corals fine as long as it's strong enough (i.e. as long as it has enough PAR). Just blue light will also grow corals fine as long as it produces enough PAR too.



As a note, Watts are not a measure of PAR, and some lights with high wattage won't work well - again, PPFD/PAR is thing to look for.

Also, one more thing to consider is the IP rating of a light if it's going to be exposed to water, especially saltwater, even if just through hanging over an open/partially open tank (evaporation is a thing to keep in mind). A higher IP rating is better; standard reef lighting options have good enough IP for the job, but some other lights (such as for plants or other kinds of pets) may not.

My general recommendation is to get a good, full-spectrum light that leans heavy on the blue side; what PAR you want depends on the corals you want to keep, but the general recommendations with LED's seems to range from ~50-450 PAR depending on the coral (some special specimens like certain clams or anemones may need higher).

Also, just as a note, while looking at wattage may (or may not) work for the big name companies in the hobby, it's not always a good way to gauge the strength (PAR) of an LED fixture - so I always suggest looking at the PPFD and Spectral charts:

I'd google it and search on the forum here for suggestions specific to the species you have - there are general suggestions out there for various categories of corals (LPS, SPS, softies, etc.), but there are always exceptions, so researching the individual coral is the best way to go (this should typically be done for placement purposes anyway).

 

[Vincemal27]

I have a brand new XR15 I can do for 425, should be great on a tank that size

 

[Spare time]

Noopsyche and Quanta are the best budget options.

 

[ZzyzxRiver]

OK, now that I've watched a dozen videos and read everything @ISpeakForTheSeas wrote, I have enough info to write my question properly:

The AI Blade Coral Grow looks really neat to me, I especially love the aesthetic of having it rest directly on the tank (This is going in my living room. The tank needs to look more like art than like equipment, if that makes sense). However, there is nothing in the red spectrum. I keep macroalgae in my display tank--would they be able to thrive without it? The room itself is full of natural light but I doubt that's enough.

So, I looked at the spectrum range of the AI Blade Freshwater and I see that it's much more evenly spread and includes the red end. Since I'm not going to need the full power of these lights (I'm not growing SPS), would it matter if that model doesn't have as many blue diodes? Can I just run those at higher intensity or am I missing something? I don't want to lose out on the cool pop of actinic lighting at night.

Failing an AI Blade solution, are there any lights that fit that minimalist form factor but include reds?

 

[Sumbub]

OK, now that I've watched a dozen videos and read everything @ISpeakForTheSeas wrote, I have enough info to write my question properly:

The AI Blade Coral Grow looks really neat to me, I especially love the aesthetic of having it rest directly on the tank (This is going in my living room. The tank needs to look more like art than like equipment, if that makes sense). However, there is nothing in the red spectrum. I keep macroalgae in my display tank--would they be able to thrive without it? The room itself is full of natural light but I doubt that's enough.

So, I looked at the spectrum range of the AI Blade Freshwater and I see that it's much more evenly spread and includes the red end. Since I'm not going to need the full power of these lights (I'm not growing SPS), would it matter if that model doesn't have as many blue diodes? Can I just run those at higher intensity or am I missing something? I don't want to lose out on the cool pop of actinic lighting at night.

Failing an AI Blade solution, are there any lights that fit that minimalist form factor but include reds?

Freshwater light lacks specific wavelengths that some corals can not thrive. That's why it was specific to freshwater and not marine. I can't say if the AI Blade coral grow will grow macroalgae but I believe it could to a certain extent.

 

[VintageReefer]

The photon 32 would do great on that tank and provide full coverage

It’s a $760 light but here is a used one for $500. The seller is accepting offers also, might even take $450. It will do way better than two prime 16’s and can do significantly more par than most lights. I have a photon 48 on my 75g tank, I don’t need to run it more than 45% power. It will last 10 years at this rate. Running lower than full power increases the life span of leds. FYI I have a prime 16hd over a small 15g tank and need to run it at 85% so I imagine you’d have to run 2 primes near full power on that Waterbox

ReefBreeders Photon 32-V2 Pro | eBay

With Wi-Fi connectivity, you can adjust your settings from anywhere globally, as long as you have internet access. The Photon V2 Pro boasts high-grade 5 watt Cree XT-Es, and 3 watt Cree, Semi, and Osram diodes, across six color channels.

www.ebay.com

 

[Dbichler]

Save money and get 3 quanta bars and your good for anything.

 

[oreo54]

I know so little about tank lighting that I don't even know what exactly to ask. My current tank is a Biocube 16, which has lights included in the lid. I'm planning to upgrade to something bigger, but don't have ANY idea what kind of lights I might need. I was looking at the waterbox AIO 50.3 and it suggests two "AI Prime 16HD Reef", which is $600. That seems like a lot- I'm not planning on having any SPS in this tank, so do I need lights that fancy? I'm not trying to get the cheapest thing that I'll regret later, but I also know I don't need the hottest fanciest gear. Can I get some advice on how I should go about finding lights? Is there a "lighting for dummies" thread in here? The stickied threads are above my knowledge level.

You sort of need to decide on a tank first.. Or as a "set"..
Length can determine what "series" of lights fit.
Deep/shallow
Square/Rectangular..

Anyways you mentioned one:

AIO 50.3​

Sale price$900.00​

​

• Dimensions (LxWxH): 900 x 500 x 450mm (35.4" x 19.7" x 17.7")​

So a $900 glass box is ok but $600 for your reef "power supply" is too much?
Sorry bit of Sunday sarcasm.

You can get 2 100W Nicrews for $400 with the controller.

395nm: Unlocks additional fluorescence in fish and corals.

400-450nm: Rebalancing the cluster with more blue and deep blue increases fluorescence, color rendition, and provides a new level of tunability in the blue spectrum between crisp and actinic.

665nm: Appropriate use of long wavelength diodes provide light output useful for coral photosynthesis as well as visual color balancing.

And yes red photons are needed to see red.
In your case its best to look for lights with supplemental red leds or at least warm white ones.

Your work of art "need" is going to cost you though.
Like GHL Mitras's or ATI Stratons.
2 Mitras 7204's plus mounts is around $1500
Art is in the eye of the beholder..you could go metal halide or Quanta lights Atlas steam punk-ish, to use the term a bit loosely...

 

[ZzyzxRiver]

So a $900 glass box is ok but $600 for your reef "power supply" is too much?
Sorry bit of Sunday sarcasm.

My first reaction was “hey f you man” but once it settled in, I realized that I am totally thinking about it wrong. Lights are literally the source of life for all my corals, I need to spend the money. Thanks for the straight talk.

Thankfully I feel less confused about what to look for now, so I’m gonna have to keep doing research and just take the plunge once I decide—buy once, cry once, as they say.

 

[BristleWormHater]

"Hey guys what kind of light do I need"

I think the photons @VintageReefer suggested would be best, I've been looking at maybe getting those. I also think noopsyche is a good option, I wish I bought a k7pro instead of my AI prime.
I wouldn't try to limit yourself, just get a light or lights that are capable of growing any corals I didn't want to grow sps when I bought my AI prime, now I really want to but it's to weak so I'll have to switch lights or buy a second prime.