At my wits end looking for lights for my 150 g

[a;lksdjf]

I'm almost done setting up my tank, it is going to be a mixed reef with mostly softies and a few LPS, but looking through lights while trying not to break the f***ing bank is proving to be an almost futile effort. Right now I'm looking at getting 2 maxspect razor x 150w's because 3 kessils + mounting arms for all of them is entirely too expensive at the moment and hanging them from the ceiling or a canopy isn't an option. At the very least the maxspects come with legs. Will 2 of those be enough or will that be too weak?

 

[Myxini]

The dimensions of the tank would be helpful for making more specific suggestions. I recently set up a new tank with a Reef Breeders Photon fixture and I’ve been happy with it. They come in a variety of length and with mounting legs in the box. Their new back of tank mounting legs (sold separately) look pretty nice too! On a side note, I’m not sure there is such a thing as a reef tank that doesn’t break the bank. My wife stopped asking how much things cost because she just doesn’t want to hear the answers. ‍

 

[uhgster1]

I have a mixed reef that’s 25 inches tall. I had 3 AI prime 16s and two coralife t5 fixtures over it. The only update I’ve done to the lights was replace two primes with a hydra 32. How deep is the 150?

 

[a;lksdjf]

Standard 150 dimensions, 72” x 18” x 28”. I’m on the “college student working part time” budget, so I want to stay under $1200

 

[jt8791]

I’m also running the reefbreeders Photon 24-V2+ light and would recommend them for a good in between price point.

 

[Myxini]

So two of the 32” Reef Breeders is a bit more $$$ ($556 vs $590 at BRS) than 2 of the 150W maxspect razors. But with more overall wattage (230W vs 150W) should you want to lean in the SPS direction. They also come with both mounting legs and the suspension wires.

I am currently running a Photon 16 over an SCA 50 cube at 35% over what I plan to be a mixed reef (still early with stocking). But everything looks happy and most is growing thus far.

 

[CookieRdReef]

180g with 4x NICREW 100W LED. Mounted with the HMS mounting track because I have a Eurobrace. Otherwise, I would have used the arms that came with the light. The 100W is $135 each.

 

[a;lksdjf]

Thanks guys, you convinced me to go with the reef breeders. I figure it’s better to have the option of having a stronger light and for an extra $40 each it seems more cost effective.

 

[jt8791]

Depending on how your rock work is you might have a few options, two 32s, 48&24, maybe even a 50 over the whole thing but that’s a slight maybe. I’ve got a 30 gallon 3’ long but my rock work is only 2’ wide so I save money going with the 24” light.

Edit: That’s the one thing I found odd about the lights was the sizes they come in. 16, 24, 32, 48 and 50, not sure of the point to the 50. A 72” model would be an easy seller to anyone with a 6’ tank. From what I read most people either do 2 32s or 48 and 24 but guess it depends on your tank layout. If you keep a foot on each end open a 50 would probably work.

 

[Myxini]

At the risk of sounding like a Reef Breeders/BRS rep, BRS has a couple of nice videos on the Photon.

 

[jt8791]

although if it's a standard 150 I'm gonna assume it has that center support brace so ya 2 32s might be the better bet.

 

[Paston1]

180g with 4x NICREW 100W LED. Mounted with the HMS mounting track because I have a Eurobrace. Otherwise, I would have used the arms that came with the light. The 100W is $135 each.

Can you please tell me where you got the side mounts and the hms. Custom build and it’s eurobraced. So struggling on how to add the lights

 

[RobB'z Reef]

Vispectra's are cheap and grow coral just fine. A little fancier, take a look at ReeFi beats the heck out of a kessil for power and spectrum.

 

[A;exr54]

The best lights I’ve ever owned are the ecotech xr30 pros. I current have 2x G4’s over my 125g.
Man they work excellent.
I’ll probably end up upgrading once G6’s ever come out. I can’t justify going to the G5’s yet.
They are pricey but they have been great for me.

 

[CookieRdReef]

Can you please tell me where you got the side mounts and the hms. Custom build and it’s eurobraced. So struggling on how to add the lights

It was a pain to figure it out initially. I added HMS mount arms, HMS mount track (6 ft for mine), and 2 HMS hydra 32 brackets per light. You need to buy longer screws and the bracket fits only if you mount 2 per light and turn them the opposite of the way they

fit on actual hydras. With 4 mounted on a 6 ft tank their is a slight bend in the track in the middle of the tank but it doesn't bother me. The Eurobrace is a non issue for this mount since it fits on the outside of the tank. Hope this was helpful.