sb 32" timer reef light vs current orbit marine pro

[ReefQueen]

Wonder if you're leaving the fixture on your tank or if you're hanging your light somehow this time?

Hanging. It's been in place for a few weeks in anticipation

 

[waynemonts]

Hanging. It's been in place for a few weeks in anticipation

I really want to see the new sb light on there so I can compare the two. Great looking tank.

 

[ReefQueen]

Also I that pic I do have a supplemental blue led bar in addition to the light. Even with the blues at 100% and the whites at 65% it's just not to my liking color wise. But everyone is different

 

[ReefQueen]

I really want to see the new sb light on there so I can compare the two. Great looking tank.

Thanks. I'll have them on soon I hope. I need to get my reef keeper mounted next on my to do list lol. And I realized after I posted that pic how long I've been waiting to hang them because there is a lot more stuff in there now lol.

 

[mcarroll]

Thanks that's good to know. My first choice was the sb 32 pro

If you go that route, then you have the hot-spot in the middle that's too bright for many corals.

Not an uncommon phenomenon back in the metal halide days.

It means you'll have to stack your rock "stadium fashion" - up high on the ends with nothing but open field under the hot spot.

It's nothing that can't be pulled off, but a 36" x 12" tank like yours (and mine) is not particularly suited to that....at least IMO.

I certainly have no skin on any light you buy or don't buy, and seeing these first hand would eliminate a lot of your questions. Usually that's not possibe...wasn't for me.

But to me this light on this tank is limiting. No, not "bad" and as I said, it's workable. But limiting. Unless you were replacing a halide installation that had a similar lighting scheme - it might be just the ticket!

By contrast, there is not going to be a hot spot or dim ends on a fixture like the Marine Pro. There is a gradient from front to back, but you have a large, useful light field the whole length of the tank. Somewhat like T5 lighting. There are other vendors of lights like this....and DIY builds like the gu10 build I did.

I'm hawking theory and knowledge, not lights. (Or trying.)

$0.02

P.S. Get a [HASHTAG]#lux[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#meter[/HASHTAG] and a [HASHTAG]#killawatt[/HASHTAG] and while you're at it get a handheld [HASHTAG]#spectrometer[/HASHTAG]. That's about $50 total worth of equipment that'll take LOTS of guesswork out of your reefing experience.

 

[waynemonts]

If you go that route, then you have the hot-spot in the middle that's too bright for many corals.

Not an uncommon phenomenon back in the metal halide days.

It means you'll have to stack your rock "stadium fashion" - up high on the ends with nothing but open field under the hot spot.

It's nothing that can't be pulled off, but a 36" x 12" tank like yours (and mine) is not particularly suited to that....at least IMO.

I certainly have no skin on any light you buy or don't buy, and seeing these first hand would eliminate a lot of your questions. Usually that's not possibe...wasn't for me.

But to me this light on this tank is limiting. No, not "bad" and as I said, it's workable. But limiting. Unless you were replacing a halide installation that had a similar lighting scheme - it might be just the ticket!

By contrast, there is not going to be a hot spot or dim ends on a fixture like the Marine Pro. There is a gradient from front to back, but you have a large, useful light field the whole length of the tank. Somewhat like T5 lighting. There are other vendors of lights like this....and DIY builds like the gu10 build I did.

I'm hawking theory and knowledge, not lights. (Or trying.)

$0.02

P.S. Get a [HASHTAG]#lux[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#meter[/HASHTAG] and a [HASHTAG]#killawatt[/HASHTAG] and while you're at it get a handheld [HASHTAG]#spectrometer[/HASHTAG]. That's about $50 total worth of equipment that'll take LOTS of guesswork out of your reefing experience.

My tank is over 12" deep its 16 deep 12 wide. I can see what you mean with the hot spot. I just don't know what to do.

 

[waynemonts]

If you go that route, then you have the hot-spot in the middle that's too bright for many corals.

Not an uncommon phenomenon back in the metal halide days.

It means you'll have to stack your rock "stadium fashion" - up high on the ends with nothing but open field under the hot spot.

It's nothing that can't be pulled off, but a 36" x 12" tank like yours (and mine) is not particularly suited to that....at least IMO.

I certainly have no skin on any light you buy or don't buy, and seeing these first hand would eliminate a lot of your questions. Usually that's not possibe...wasn't for me.

But to me this light on this tank is limiting. No, not "bad" and as I said, it's workable. But limiting. Unless you were replacing a halide installation that had a similar lighting scheme - it might be just the ticket!

By contrast, there is not going to be a hot spot or dim ends on a fixture like the Marine Pro. There is a gradient from front to back, but you have a large, useful light field the whole length of the tank. Somewhat like T5 lighting. There are other vendors of lights like this....and DIY builds like the gu10 build I did.

I'm hawking theory and knowledge, not lights. (Or trying.)

$0.02

P.S. Get a [HASHTAG]#lux[/HASHTAG] [HASHTAG]#meter[/HASHTAG] and a [HASHTAG]#killawatt[/HASHTAG] and while you're at it get a handheld [HASHTAG]#spectrometer[/HASHTAG]. That's about $50 total worth of equipment that'll take LOTS of guesswork out of your reefing experience.

My tank is over 12" deep its 16 deep 12 wide. I can see what you mean with the hot spot. I just don't know what to do.

 

[ReefQueen]

Maybe try digging online and see if you can find your tank size with each light on it for comparison? @SB Reef Lights, wanna chime in?

 

[mcarroll]

Sorry! I was referring to the footprint of the tank. It just doesn't leave tons of options for rock placement.

It's not an impossible scenario and "good" or "bad" is relative.

A lot should depend on your use case: What corals and fish do you want to keep? Try to imagine them grown out - for ideas, find tank pics that show them in that state. Does one style of light work better for what you then have in mind?

I would definitely try searching for all the tank pics you can find for all the lights you want to consider. On the forum and elsewhere.

If your budget isn't too limited, trying one fixture (or both) and selling it if you don't like it is always an option too.

Have you considered DIY?

 

[jesse.garcia.319]

4 months in with the orbit (non pro)
IMO good light for softies

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

yea Gsp and bta are not low light either. med par IMO.

Both are really good choices. Its a flexability and upgrade thing and looks as well really. W the SB it sicks up tall but you get more intensity to gradually go up with to grow higher light corals if you want.

The orbit would be fine too, and lays low if its not in the way and I had my 13 year had figure out the controller for me finally..:mad:

not sure on the spread on the SB. should be fine, Id like one the 36in, for my 55g standard. I/we need to google more pics of one actually on a tank. Youll be able to see in an FTS the dark edges or hotspot if there are any. cameras dont do that kind of contrast well so its pretty obvious.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

4 months in with the orbit (non pro)
IMO good light for softies

I have the same fixture(but with t5) the highest coral is easily probably at 300+ par.........for nerds I measured 20,000 lux at at constant of around 60-65 ..... 22k/60 as an est.

 

[mcarroll]

4 months in with the orbit (non pro)
IMO good light for softies

That looks a lot more purple (judging from the wall) than I'd expect the dual-blue/dual-white "orbit marine" to look. Is that just the photo or true to life? Just trying to get a feel for how this light looks in real life.

Nice selection of corals, BTW!!

 

[jesse.garcia.319]

That's pretty much it.
Point and shoot from my iPhone
On manual mode 90%blue/40%white
Here's a few more

 

[mcarroll]

Here's a thread with some pics of the Pro in action:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/orbit-marine-pro-in-stock.199049/

Looks like a good option to me - especially for a narrow tank.

 

[waynemonts]

4 months in with the orbit (non pro)
IMO good light for softies

Wow very nice

 

[Duke4Life]

Here's a pic with the pro ramped all the way:

 

[waynemonts]

I can't say thanks enough for all the info. Here is a list of the few corals I plan on keeping. Of course not all of them just an idea.

Green star potyp
Waving hands
Brown green button polyps
Green button polyps
White pipe organ
Red people eater palys
Blue low light mushroom
Candy Cain or hurricane zoos
Cotton candy mushroom
Green hairy mushroom
Black hole sun zoanthids

The fish I have now are.

One clown
One yellow tail damsel
One orchid dottyback
One banggai cardinal

I really don't plan on adding any more fish. If I do add any it would be a green mandarin dragonet, but I'm afraid my don't back won't like him.
I can't seem to get a picture of my tank to load. Maybe latter I can. I really appreciate all the help.

 

[waynemonts]

What size is your tano?

 

[waynemonts]

4 months in with the orbit (non pro)
IMO good light for softies

What size is your tank?