60g lighting question for a low iq lighting noob

[melonheadorion]

i have two kessil a160we (tuna blue) lights, with my 65g tank. unfortunately, i dont have a par meter, so i cant see how good the lighting is going to be, coral wise. right now, i just have a superman mushroom, zoas, hammer coral, and GSP. all of these are in my smaller 20g at the moment, and will be moving them over very soon. im concerned with lighting though. obviously, the a160s arent high end lights, and i cant really afford high end lighting. for the sake of not wasting what i already have, in case it isnt enough to provide the proper PAR for what i have mentioned above, i am wondering if supplementing them with a hybrid type of light such as the aquatic life t5HO setup ( https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/36-h...m-with-a360x-bracket-aquatic-life-bundle.html ) would supplement it enough to where i dont waste what i have, and yet keep costs low by simply adding to what i already have.
the link above is for the hybrid that has the a360 bracket, but aquatic life sells brackets that can hold the 160s, so if adding the 2 a160s to the fixture i linked, would give me plenty of par for anything that might come up, such as what i have, and maybe different types of SPS, that would be great, or would you suggest anything different?

 

[melonheadorion]

actually, after thinking it over, and thinking of the costs, using that T5 setup wouldnt necessarily be any cheaper than another option that i looked at. after all is said and done, the t5 setup would be about 350$ just to add to what i already have, plus i wouldnt have to replace bulbs every how ever often. so, with that said, i could still add to what i have, and get the ai hydra 32 hd. would that light, and the two a160s been overkill for a 36inch long by 23 inch high 65g tank?

 

[Pntbll687]

If you're planning on keeping the 160's you can use those on the end of the tank, and a stronger light in the middle.

I sense that budget is a major factor. I'd recommend looking at this light. You'll get 97% of the performance of a gen4 xr30 pro for less than 1/3 of the price. They're 35% off until the end of the month, so at $158 it's going to be REALLY hard to beat.

NooPsyche K7 PRO III kit with arm bracket

NP K7 PRO III v3 Aquarium LED Coral Light. Better spectrum out / Excellent Growth / Feed Almost all the of the SPS/LPS coral in one reef tank isn't a dream especially red coral / Natural perfect mixing and Shimmer / Superior Color Mixing / The best mixing spectrum technology / Affordable price...

noopsychereeflight.com

 

[melonheadorion]

If you're planning on keeping the 160's you can use those on the end of the tank, and a stronger light in the middle.

I sense that budget is a major factor. I'd recommend looking at this light. You'll get 97% of the performance of a gen4 xr30 pro for less than 1/3 of the price. They're 35% off until the end of the month, so at $158 it's going to be REALLY hard to beat.

NooPsyche K7 PRO III kit with arm bracket

NP K7 PRO III v3 Aquarium LED Coral Light. Better spectrum out / Excellent Growth / Feed Almost all the of the SPS/LPS coral in one reef tank isn't a dream especially red coral / Natural perfect mixing and Shimmer / Superior Color Mixing / The best mixing spectrum technology / Affordable price...

noopsychereeflight.com

just checked the link, they dont look like they are 35% currently. otherwise, that would be a heck of a deal and would definately jump on it if it were

 

[Pntbll687]

just checked the link, they dont look like they are 35% currently. otherwise, that would be a heck of a deal and would definately jump on it if it were

It comes off when you put it in the cart and check out. I'll post another link

 

[melonheadorion]

It comes off when you put it in the cart and check out. I'll post another link

ya. i went through the process, because thats kindda what i thought, but it doesnt do any kind of discount

 

[Pntbll687]

ya. i went through the process, because thats kindda what i thought, but it doesnt do any kind of discount

you gotta create an account and hit "check out"

it comes off then, I just emptied my cart, logged out and logged back in.

 

[Pntbll687]

here ya go

the link is a couple posts down in this thread

Aquarium 140Watt K7 V3 Reef light 35% OFF only $158

This thread is for the general discussion of the classified ad Aquarium 140Watt K7 V3 Reef light 35% OFF only $158. For more information about this item, please click the link or ask a question in this thread. Please add to the discussion here.

www.reef2reef.com

 

[melonheadorion]

excellent. thanks so much for the info

 

[MaxTremors]

excellent. thanks so much for the info

Just wanted to say that I’m really happy with this light (full disclosure I was given it for free to try out). I was using an AI prime before and I feel like the Noopsyche just looks better and my corals have all responded positively (I wasn’t unhappy with the AI Prime, it’s a great light, but as of now I have no plans of switching back). It does come with some draw backs, it’s pretty bare bones in terms of features (it is fully programmable and adjustable, though the controller isn’t the most user friendly), but the quality of the actual lighting is excellent. All of this said, for the corals you said you have, I think two a160s are probably adequate, most softies and lps don’t need tons of light. But if you want more coverage or want to get into SPS, another light is probably needed. If you are limited by budget, the Noopsyche is probably the best bang for the buck.

 

[melonheadorion]

Just wanted to say that I’m really happy with this light (full disclosure I was given it for free to try out). I was using an AI prime before and I feel like the Noopsyche just looks better and my corals have all responded positively (I wasn’t unhappy with the AI Prime, it’s a great light, but as of now I have no plans of switching back). It does come with some draw backs, it’s pretty bare bones in terms of features (it is fully programmable and adjustable, though the controller isn’t the most user friendly), but the quality of the actual lighting is excellent. All of this said, for the corals you said you have, I think two a160s are probably adequate, most softies and lps don’t need tons of light. But if you want more coverage or want to get into SPS, another light is probably needed. If you are limited by budget, the Noopsyche is probably the best bang for the buck.

ya. i looked at a few things, and it seems that the lighting gives the look i want. i will definately agree that it isnt user friendly for programming, but ill figure it out.