1st ever tank - choosing lighting

[cap9059]

I and starting my 1st ever tank and am shopping for lighting. The tank is 150 Gallon 60 x 24 x 24. Need advice on if this would work.

A combination of the following:
Viparspectra 165W and Kessil 160WEs

No idea if this is doable, bad idea etc. Tempted to start with Viparspectra due to cost vs quality. They seem to be ok choice from what I've read. Any advice or opinion is greatly appreciated

 

[HB AL]

The Kessils are a great idea, simple use and work fantastic.

 

[cap9059]

My thoughts are the kessils may help provide the shimmer and supplement the Vipars in some way. Being new to the hobby, I need advice from someone other than those who sell products.

 

[cap9059]

Initial thoughts are try 3 V-spectra 165's and 2 kessil 160WE tuna blues in between. My brother in law recommends 3 AI 26 Hydras and just be done with it. He has the reef breeder photon V2 which he likes but he's always wanting upgrades. Originally, was going to get 3 kessil 360WE's but not sure if that would be enough coverage. It's fun to read all the different lightning opinions but it sure doesnt make it easy for a newbie to choose!!!

 

[Gareth elliott]

Lighting really depends on what you want to grow and what your budget is. At 5’ leds are going to be cost between ~$500(blackboxes)-~$2000(ecotechs)

If only looking at polyps and lps another option is current orbit ic lights.

If looking for lower cost sps capable lighting. Look at t5’s or a hybrid of t5’s and leds.

I use aqua illumination leds, i went this route because i didnt need a a controller to run all of their features. Spent $500 on used lights for a 36” tank.

Bulk reef supply does a lot of testing on lights. So can use their data instead of your own par meter to setup. Just search through youtube :)

 

[cracker]

I'm one year with an ATI T5 fixture. I like this light. It's reasonably priced & simple to operate. However needs new bulbs yearly or less. There are a" lot" of choices out there .
sounds like your leaning toward leds. I have black boxes & they work just fine. These are reasonably priced,but don't have a very good spread. Might need another one for good coverage.
Just in my experience.

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

I have a Viparspectra and it's a great light. I've opened it up, and the wiring is a lot cleaner than some of the other black boxes I've played around with. The Vipar Spectras also have heatsinks on the back of the LED PCB, which I haven't seen in any other black box (with the exception of SB Reef Lights, but they're much higher quality than a standard black box). In a 150G, the challenge is going to be coverage.

I've never used a Kessil on my own tanks, but we have a few at the National Aquarium. The work just fine and they're good quality lights. Personally though, if it were me, I would go all Viparspectra. They grow corals just fine, they have decent spread and are very affordable. I'm a bit more budget-oriented than most reefers though, so that influences my choices in aquarium equipment.

 

[cap9059]

Lighting really depends on what you want to grow and what your budget is. At 5’ leds are going to be cost between ~$500(blackboxes)-~$2000(ecotechs)

If only looking at polyps and lps another option is current orbit ic lights.

If looking for lower cost sps capable lighting. Look at t5’s or a hybrid of t5’s and leds.

I use aqua illumination leds, i went this route because i didnt need a a controller to run all of their features. Spent $500 on used lights for a 36” tank.

Bulk reef supply does a lot of testing on lights. So can use their data instead of your own par meter to setup. Just search through youtube :)

Thanks for the reply. I have watched alot of the BRS videos and they are awesome. I should have specified I am hoping to grow a sort of mixed reef at this point. I probably should have started with a much smaller tank but I was basically given this tank and stand so that made decision for me. LED's seem to be the easiest to program. I may be wrong on that but that's my understanding ATM.

 

[cap9059]

I have a Viparspectra and it's a great light. I've opened it up, and the wiring is a lot cleaner than some of the other black boxes I've played around with. The Vipar Spectras also have heatsinks on the back of the LED PCB, which I haven't seen in any other black box (with the exception of SB Reef Lights, but they're much higher quality than a standard black box). In a 150G, the challenge is going to be coverage.

I've never used a Kessil on my own tanks, but we have a few at the National Aquarium. The work just fine and they're good quality lights. Personally though, if it were me, I would go all Viparspectra. They grow corals just fine, they have decent spread and are very affordable. I'm a bit more budget-oriented than most reefers though, so that influences my choices in aquarium equipment.

Thanks for the reply! The seemingly good quality of the Viparspectra makes it an enticing budget friendly option from what I've read. Would you have any recommendations for how many I might need to get adequate coverage for a 60x24x24?

 

[HB AL]

My thoughts are the kessils may help provide the shimmer and supplement the Vipars in some way. Being new to the hobby, I need advice from someone other than those who sell products.

Im not in the aquarium business, the Kessils provide more than shimmer, heres a 1st hand experience of Kessils on my tank, and these are only 160's, pic is from a few days ago. People make all kinds of claims about this light and that light but a pic does not lie. Good luck on what you choose and dont let $ influence your decision on lights, probably the most important factor for a reef tank. Luckily nowadays you have lots of good choices.

 

[SDboatguy]

With lighting , as well as just about every other thing in this hobby, you will get everybody's personal favorite... LEDs are nice 'lots of control- dimming and how the tank looks (color wise ,depending on the brand), will grow most coral but CAN have issues down the road with shading/ shadows . MH gives off a lot of heat and uses $$ energy , looks great and will grow ANYTHING, bulbs are expensive and replacement annually +/-. T5s outstanding coverage , some control as far as the "color" of your tank , will grow anything but bulbs need replacing every 12-18 months . With a tank your size , personally I'd look at a T5 ATI 8 x80 or 8x54 , or maybe an Aquatic Life hybrid T5 and LED( Kessils , Hydras or Radions) Depends on what you plan on growing in the system and budget. I've heard great things about the Reefbreeder Photon V2 as well... If you go with Hydras only - you will need to go with 3 x 52s or more that 3 26s

 

[cap9059]

Im not in the aquarium business, the Kessils provide more than shimmer, heres a 1st hand experience of Kessils on my tank, and these are only 160's, pic is from a few days ago. People make all kinds of claims about this light and that light but a pic does not lie. Good luck on what you choose and dont let $ influence your decision on lights, probably the most important factor for a reef tank. Luckily nowadays you have lots of good choices.

Wow. Thanks for sharing. What are dimensions

Im not in the aquarium business, the Kessils provide more than shimmer, heres a 1st hand experience of Kessils on my tank, and these are only 160's, pic is from a few days ago. People make all kinds of claims about this light and that light but a pic does not lie. Good luck on what you choose and dont let $ influence your decision on lights, probably the most important factor for a reef tank. Luckily nowadays you have lots of good choices.

Awesome tank. Whats dimensions?

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

People make all kinds of claims about this light and that light but a pic does not lie.

Just to play devil's advocate, pictures can very easily (and often do) lie. It's very easy to modify photographs to make things appear to be different from reality. This is a common compliant with coral frags, as certain vendors choose to photograph corals under blue light to highlight colors and pop. I am in no way accusing you of doctoring the photos of your tank. You've been a member a long time here, and your posts have never indicated that you would do such a thing. I just think it's a bit unwise to trust something because you see it in a picture, or to trust that images are always true-to-life representations of the subject being depicted.

 

[chipmunkofdoom2]

Thanks for the reply! The seemingly good quality of the Viparspectra makes it an enticing budget friendly option from what I've read. Would you have any recommendations for how many I might need to get adequate coverage for a 60x24x24?

I have mine over a 20g long, which is 30" long. The coverage on the sides is a little sparse on the side, but in your tank, you're going to be using more than 1 fixture, so that would likely not be an issue.

If this were my tank, I would start with three and see how the coverage looks. If there are areas where the coverage was not good, I would simply buy another and rearrange the lights.

 

[Bpb]

First tank? I’d do a 6 bulb 48” horticultural fixture from eBay or amazon and put ati bulbs in it. Worry about mastering water chemistry and bacteria. Get quality flow and water before spending an arm and a leg on LEDs

 

[Sarah24!]

Hello,

I have had my tank set up now for almost 7 months and it’s going amazing. My tank size is a 240, so it’s 72 long 24 wide and 34 tall. After testing several lights at the aquarium I was volunteering at, I chose the current USA orbit marine pros, (not the ic loop ones). They have been simply amazing and I didn’t have to spend a fortune on them either. My lights are 72 inch long by 3 by 2. These have 60 degree angled lens, so you have to space them correctly, either by finding the sin/cos of the angle or by using the formula of FWHM (see the photo below) which is based on the degree of lens 60, 90, 120 etc.

I also agree with @chipmunkofdoom2 its easy very easy to photo shop a picture, especially if the Kardashian’s can figure it out. But, with that said, @HB AL has a very good point, a pic is worth a 1,000 words which is also why I have add some of my tank with it running the Current orbit marine pros.

Regardless of what people say and or think, most important this is your reef and you have to make the decision. All the lights now are actually pretty good, but it comes down to what you personally want, and of course what you can actually afford. There has been some very sound advice from several people such as the two mentioned already and also @cracker if he has not made you laugh while eating cereal yet. But I’m certain you will get tons of amazing advice, from all of the lovely people here.

Here are some of my tank running the current marine pros on my tank that’s about 7 months old. The other pic is how to figure your tank light spread as well.

 

[Michael Llabona]

I would say there is no point in running a hybrid of LEDs. The colors won't mix well between the diff fixtures. Just go all kessil or go t5/kessil hybrid. The t5 with offer full front to back coverage.

 

[HB AL]

Wow. Thanks for sharing. What are dimensions

Awesome tank. Whats dimensions?

It's a 92g cad lights, been running this tank for 2.5

 

[OriginalUserName]

If you know that you for sure will want to grow higher light corals maybe consider starting with the Aquatic Life T5/LED hybrid fixture. BRS made a great point in that you can start with just the T5s and then down the road add Kessils, Radions etc. There is a decent chance I'll wind up with that light or something similar when I upgrade (just running a Kessil A360 right now on my cube)

 

[HB AL]

Just to play devil's advocate, pictures can very easily (and often do) lie. It's very easy to modify photographs to make things appear to be different from reality. This is a common compliant with coral frags, as certain vendors choose to photograph corals under blue light to highlight colors and pop. I am in no way accusing you of doctoring the photos of your tank. You've been a member a long time here, and your posts have never indicated that you would do such a thing. I just think it's a bit unwise to trust something because you see it in a picture, or to trust that images are always true-to-life representations of the subject being depicted.

The pics I posted where taken with my camera phone, I don't have a fancy camera, and have no reason to modify any pictures. I do understand how vendors manipulate photos to sell corals. I've bought all my corals as small frags, 99% from a couple lfs I've been going to for over 30 years. A while back I participated in a live sale here from a big vendor and was really disappointed in the frags I got as they where not even close to the live sale pictures so that's the day I realized how good a picture can be manipulated. Those pictures I took and posted actually don't look as great as the tank does in person.