*** 30 WINNERS!! Orphek’s New Lights for the New Year Giveaway!! Win an OR4 iCon LED Light Bar!! ***

[Mrs.Sponge]

It would be amazing to have supplemental lighting that would take my tank to the next level. I have always been forced to constrain my spending on this fantastic hobby and as such I have been unable to use ultra high level lights. After many years and several tanks, I am now in the middle of putting together what will be for me, a dream tank. It is a 550 gallon peninsula. Tank is up and cycling. And I am down to last few items. Of course I have lights. And they will be great. But to have a chance at taking the tank to the next level gives me goose bumps. So I keep my fingers crossed and hope Orphek will consider our build worthy of their amazing lights.

 

[pjr]

I have three of these lights and they are awesome! But I'd like one more please!!!

I love these lights for ease of use..... been using them (and upgrading) since the OR1 series and they're great for growing SPS!

I have a 135g 6 foot wide tank that's been running for over 20 years. It's been all LED since 2009. The tank is heavily dominated by large SPS colonies.

I have an Osix and 3 OR4 bars, but a 4th bar would let me get more color blends to promote SPS growth.

P.S. Already subscribed to the newsletter.

 

[LadyMac]

@Projects with Sam You’re my tag today

 

[MindlessToxin]

DAILY QUESTION: What’s one reefing goal you achieved last year that you’re proud of?

There's a lot I'm proud of last year. It was a year of firsts for me. I had just starting reefing in Dec 2023. If I had to choose one thing it would probably be when I finally(as far as i know) eradicated Ich from my DT. It was a long battle. I tried all kinds of things, from hypo, feeding heavy with vitamin infused food, Polyp Lab Medic, diatom filter. I finally, after losing 5 fish(RIP), set up a QT with Copper Power and went fallow in the DT. No signs of Ich for 6 months now!!!!

 

[pjr]

DAILY QUESTION: DAILY QUESTION: How do you currently decide the placement of your corals based on lighting needs?

PAR Meter! I experiment with angles for the OR4 bars to best suit my specific corals and their PAR needs.

 

[kyreefville]

DAILY QUESTION: What’s one reefing goal you achieved last year that you’re proud of?

I turned on the tank that sat full of water and rock for over a decade. Of course I did a big water change and got a new light so no judging!

Post in thread 'My rebuild 54 gallon corner'
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/my-rebuild-54-gallon-corner.1068917/post-13284268

 

[pjr]

DAILY QUESTION: What’s the most vibrant coral you’ve ever seen, and what kind of lighting was it under?

Probably my favorite pic.... started as a 3/4" single stick...... super slow grower for about 3 years.... then boom! Grown under LED bars.... 20K Lokani:

 

[pjr]

DAILY QUESTION: What do you think is the most underrated benefit of high-quality reef lighting?

It's got to be build quality! Lighting that you can trust when you're on vacation to keep working, not pose a fire risk, and continue to produce consistent PAR levels as they age.

 

[CenlaReefer]

DAILY QUESTION: How do you currently decide the placement of your corals based on lighting needs?

I know a PAR meter would be the best option, yet I have never had opportunity to use one before. I go by coloration and growth. For LPS coral, I look for good polyp extension at night when the lights are off.

 

[pjr]

DAILY QUESTION: Do you currently use supplemental lighting, and if so, what’s your setup?

I'm using 3 of the 60" OR4 bars over a 6 foot wide tank: a Reef Day Plus , a Sky Blue, and a Blue Plus, all controlled with an Osix controller. The Osix really freed up a lot of space with my Apex, and my tank wiring is a lot cleaner! It's also provided a lot of blending of color features which i really like.

 

[pjr]

DAILY QUESTION: What’s your top priority: coral growth, color, or ease of use when it comes to lighting?

Tough choice! I think a good system must do all three, else I'd be looking at the next available product. (p.s. Orphek bars do all three!).

 

[CenlaReefer]

DAILY QUESTION: If you could improve one thing about your current lighting setup, what would it be?

It would be to replace my no-name LED bar with one with a high-end Orphek LED fixture.

 

[Projects with Sam]

thanks @LadyMac ! You're my tag too!

 

[pjr]

DAILY QUESTION: What’s one new coral or fish you’d like to add to your reef tank this year?

I'd like to try a Walt Disney again. I ad one from Big R (RIP) but it was lost in a tank crisis.

 

[pjr]

DAILY QUESTION:How important is dimming control for your reef tank lighting setup?

Well, I haven't had it for years, and have kept successful SPS tanks without it. Not needed.... but, now that i have it with the Osix, can't say that i don't like my Orphek bars even more now!

 

[pjr]

DAILY QUESTION:How do you currently decide the placement of your corals based on lighting needs?

High PAR loving SPS (like tenuis, lokani) at top, ithers in the middle about a foot down, and low light (chalices) at bottom.

 

[pjr]

DAILY QUESTION: What’s one reefing goal you achieved last year that you’re proud of??

Getting my system growing again was a great 2024 achievement. The tank was chock full of HUGE colonies of SPS, and in 2023 i started to sell some off and perform significant cutting due to lack of space from many years of great growth.

However, i started to experience some major losses and really struggled to identify the reason..... eventually discovered that a very nocturnal snail (purchased about the size of a quarter, but about the size of my fist when it perished) caused my tank to go toxic.

I lost many SPS and saved portions of others. Literally had to cut dead colonies so i could fit them out the top of my tank, Filled two 5 gallon buckets with skeletons.

The great news that I've overcome an algae outbreak and everything is growing again, even a few corals that I had written off as a complete loss!

 

[CenlaReefer]

DAILY QUESTION: What’s the most vibrant coral you’ve ever seen, and what kind of lighting was it under?

It was the little shop of horrors zoa. It was under LEDs. Wow!

 

[CenlaReefer]

DAILY QUESTION: What’s your biggest challenge when it comes to achieving the perfect light spectrum for your tank?

I have too many corals with different lighting needs. That is the problem with doing a mixed reef.

 

[CenlaReefer]

DAILY QUESTION: What do you think is the most underrated benefit of high-quality reef lighting?

Sun and moon cycles to help spawn corals, snails, and other inverts.