Advice desired

Brew12 · Aug 15, 2016

I am looking to start my first salt water tank. I have a pretty good idea of what I want to do and am starting to purchase the pieces parts with the intent of putting it all together in November. I'm really struggling with lighting.
I'm planning on a 75 gallon, 48"L x 18"W x 20"H tank. It will start its life as a fowlr with the intent to add coral around a year after established.
I know I want to go with LED lighting. The fixture that really seems to have my attention is the SB Reef, sBox Extreme 32" with Wifi. It looks like it gives me the most bang for the buck.

Anyone have any experience or opinion on this fixture?
I think it would be more than enough for the size tank I am looking for. Am I mistaken?
Any other recommendations?

I appreciate any feedback you can offer.

reeferfoxx · Aug 15, 2016

If you looked at it and you think the price is right, do it. Anyone else would suggest something equal to or more. It's a great beginner light with more than enough power. Placed at least 12 inches above water level should cover it! :)

Any other questions you might have?

Brew12 · Aug 15, 2016

Nope, that is definitely the type of input I am looking for, I appreciate you weighing in!

saltyfilmfolks · Aug 16, 2016

I have a 48 in tank as well. AND an SBreeflight. But on my cube.
First off yes go SB. Jus sayin. BOOOOOM
But for the best coverage consider the the two 16 in. I would. I believe it's about the same cost.
On a 48 you'd have to hang the 32 in light pretty high. For the absolute best coverage. And I'm kinda sure pulling the lenses would only half help.
With two 16in you can place a gap between them and overlap the middle a bit and still hit the edges. And if you decide later to pull the lenses you can.

I pulled about half the lenses on mine to cover the tank well. Keep in mind I'm a lighting nut.
Fwiw I prefer the fewer lenses as the lamp has PLENTY of power and it reduces spotlighting and shading also it gives a more t5 smooth feel but you keep the stunner strip style kessel shimmer and the lenses penetratit a bit better into the tank. Not that you really need it with these lights

In my 48 I did do something similar but I used 3 12 in ai sol and I hung them at about seven inches

Brew12 · Aug 16, 2016

Thanks for the input Salty.

The SB website says that the 32 would be recommended for a 48" but I do understand where you are coming from. The SB website doesn't say anything about the 16's being able to network or link together that I could find. While the cost is only a little higher going that route, I want to keep things fairly simple at this stage.
I plan on getting a tank with a corner sump and building the rock fairly high on that side sloping down to the middle with a lower rock structure coming up on the far side. My thought was that the shade from the taller rock would help limit algae on that sump side of the tank and provide a bit of "shade" for anything that wants it.
I would then offset the 32 by about 6 inches toward the low side to get better coverage for the rest of the tank.

Is my thinking sound or am I missing something? Would a shaded area cause a problem?

saltyfilmfolks · Aug 16, 2016

Light doesnt grow algae, nutrients do. As the saying goes. I believe the 16 wifi extreme link up. These a bit more in fo in FB and Youtube than the website. That actually put me off buying one initially.
Its been a bit since I got mine I thought the cost was pretty much the same. Sorry about that.
Go for the best coverage yo can. you actually want to hit the sides and back as light bounces all over the tank, it prevent a prob called shading. common to many led fixtures. undersides of corals not growing.
with t5 the same size as a tank its even, 2 Metal halide has a big wide spread to keep even. Many trruggle with Puck style with led. an evenly lit tank is just IMO pretty I supppose.

What I do in design is google image search. youll see a lot of good ones and importantly a lot of bad ones to learn from.

Reef Breeders · Aug 16, 2016

Brew12 said:
Thanks for the input Salty.

The SB website says that the 32 would be recommended for a 48" but I do understand where you are coming from. The SB website doesn't say anything about the 16's being able to network or link together that I could find. While the cost is only a little higher going that route, I want to keep things fairly simple at this stage.
I plan on getting a tank with a corner sump and building the rock fairly high on that side sloping down to the middle with a lower rock structure coming up on the far side. My thought was that the shade from the taller rock would help limit algae on that sump side of the tank and provide a bit of "shade" for anything that wants it.
I would then offset the 32 by about 6 inches toward the low side to get better coverage for the rest of the tank.

Is my thinking sound or am I missing something? Would a shaded area cause a problem?

Have you heard about the Photon-V2? Our Photon 48-V2 is designed for 48" tanks and has 6 dimming channels, tank mounting legs, and uses Cree LEDs for $649.99 shipped with a 2 year USA warranty. I usually don't recommend a 32" light for a 4 foot tank, however I can't comment on that specific light as we don't carry them.