Help me decide my lighting

Ron Reefman

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IMHO, you are considering 2 of the very best fixtures (although for different reasons). Either brand of fixture will do the job perfectly. They are both strong with PAR and good spectrum.

The issue isn't which is better for your tank. They are both very good at growing healthy corals. The issue is, which is better for your budget and your enjoyment of the tank.

The Viparspectra is a 2 channel (mostly white and mostly blue) fixture. And you can control the overall color of the tank by controlling the intensity of those 2 channels. The RB Photon has 6 color channels, so you can play with the fine tuning of the color. For the most part, your corals really couldn't care, it's about what you like to look at.

The Viparspectra allows you to dim and brighten either channel and you can do a kind of sunrise/sunset by having the blue channel come on and then some time later have the white channel come on. And do the reverse for a kind of sunset. Not that your corals, fish or other inhabitants really care about sunrise/sunset. The RB Photon allows you to ramp up and down each of the 6 channels independently. So not only can your sunrise and sunset be as long as you want, it can be most any color you want. Again, not that those inside your tank really give a rat's behind.

OK, so a 16" Viparspectra runs 55 3watt led from Bridgelux (I think) at 100 watts and costs $150.
The 16" Photon runs 18 3 watt leds and 18 5 watt leds from Cree, OSRAM & SEMI at 115 watts for $375.

That's more than double the price.

The 32" fixtures are just a bit closer in price, $270 vs $590.

But the Photon is far better looking fixture, has a wider array (spread) of leds, better, quieter fans, legs as well as the basic hanging kit, 2 year warranty and a sponsor forum here at R2R where you can talk to other users as well as the owner of the company. And IMHO, Reef Breeders offers excellent customer service if you should ever have need for it.

I use Photons over both my tanks and I use a Viparspectra over my refugium. I like the modern look of the Photon and I do like to play with the colors as well as sunrise & sunset. But then I'm home most days (retired) so I can enjoy watching the changes and the cost wasn't an issue to my budget.

Good luck with your decision.

These are my tanks from about a year ago when they were first being set up.

20200117_163550.jpg
 
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Areeflover

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IMHO, you are considering 2 of the very best fixtures (although for different reasons). Either brand of fixture will do the job perfectly. They are both strong with PAR and good spectrum.

The issue isn't which is better for your tank. They are both very good at growing healthy corals. The issue is, which is better for your budget and your enjoyment of the tank.

The Viparspectra is a 2 channel (mostly white and mostly blue) fixture. And you can control the overall color of the tank by controlling the intensity of those 2 channels. The RB Photon has 6 color channels, so you can play with the fine tuning of the color. For the most part, your corals really couldn't care, it's about what you like to look at.

The Viparspectra allows you to dim and brighten either channel and you can do a kind of sunrise/sunset by having the blue channel come on and then some time later have the white channel come on. And do the reverse for a kind of sunset. Not that your corals, fish or other inhabitants really care about sunrise/sunset. The RB Photon allows you to ramp up and down each of the 6 channels independently. So not only can your sunrise and sunset be as long as you want, it can be most any color you want. Again, not that those inside your tank really give a rat's behind.

OK, so a 16" Viparspectra runs 55 3watt led from Bridgelux (I think) at 100 watts and costs $150.
The 16" Photon runs 18 3 watt leds and 18 5 watt leds from Cree, OSRAM & SEMI at 115 watts for $375.

That's more than double the price.

The 32" fixtures are just a bit closer in price, $270 vs $590.

But the Photon is far better looking fixture, has a wider array (spread) of leds, better, quieter fans, legs as well as the basic hanging kit, 2 year warranty and a sponsor forum here at R2R where you can talk to other users as well as the owner of the company. And IMHO, Reef Breeders offers excellent customer service if you should ever have need for it.

I use Photons over both my tanks and I use a Viparspectra over my refugium. I like the modern look of the Photon and I do like to play with the colors as well as sunrise & sunset. But then I'm home most days (retired) so I can enjoy watching the changes and the cost wasn't an issue to my budget.

Good luck with your decision.

These are my tanks from about a year ago when they were first being set up.

20200117_163550.jpg
I’ve been leaning towards to RB photons.. because I’ve heard of the black boxes having poor quality control and some die soon after acquiring and others having them for years..
but if 2 of the viparspectras will grow anything I want with supplemental t5 maybe that’s the way I Should go... uuggghh it’s so hard
 
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nereefpat

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SPS tank?

If you can swing the 700 bucks for the 48" ReefBreeders light, it would be *better*.
If not, lots of people use those black boxes. Especially since you are supplementing with T5s, it will be fine either way.
 
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Areeflover

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SPS tank?

If you can swing the 700 bucks for the 48" ReefBreeders light, it would be *better*.
If not, lots of people use those black boxes. Especially since you are supplementing with T5s, it will be fine either way.
LPS heavy, but I’d like to be able to grow anything. I don’t like having limitations.
 
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vetteguy53081

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I would recommend an orphek OR3 light strip to supplement them
 
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Ron Reefman

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As I said, either will do the job of growing even sps corals and can do it without any t5 support. But the t5 support is perfectly OK. IMHO there is no need to get something like the Orphek OR3 light strip to support the Vipar or the Photon.

How long is your tank?

If it's 48" you can really get by with a 32" fixture from either brand. That only leaves 8" off either end and unless you set you fixture very close to the water, the light will spread that far. And odds are, you won't have much coral out that far anyway.

This is my old 40g (2'x2'x20") tank under a 16" Photon at 2 years from the set up.

FTS June 2019 R1 19x13.jpg
 
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Devaji

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lighting can and is a major PITA so many options you can pull your hair out.

here in my 2 cents for what ever there worth...

I have a RS 650P that will be LPS heavy & will run 2X 24" RB photon V2+ I dont think I will need to supplement with any other lighting.

so if I was you i would go with the V2+ they just look better IMHO and form factor matters to me. wait a year or even two let your tank grow out and see if you even need more lighting. if you do I bet there will be some better LED "t5" dtyle light by then. so much can chance in that time.

no need to spend the cash now for something you may or may not even need.
 
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Areeflover

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lighting can and is a major PITA so many options you can pull your hair out.

here in my 2 cents for what ever there worth...

I have a RS 650P that will be LPS heavy & will run 2X 24" RB photon V2+ I dont think I will need to supplement with any other lighting.

so if I was you i would go with the V2+ they just look better IMHO and form factor matters to me. wait a year or even two let your tank grow out and see if you even need more lighting. if you do I bet there will be some better LED "t5" dtyle light by then. so much can chance in that time.

no need to spend the cash now for something you may or may not even need.
Okay.. as of now the used set up came with 2 48 in current USA IC pros
 
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Devaji

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Okay.. as of now the used set up came with 2 48 in current USA IC pros

I dont know much about those lights. cant be much of a help there but I bet you can find some par data somewhere . or rent a par meter from BRS and get you own data and go from there. LPS dont need a ton of par.

I watched the lighting history vid on the BRS 360 and Ryan said he believes T5's are the thing of the past for a few reasons.
1 is most t5 if not all are made in EU and there trying to make it illegal due to the gasses in the builbs. IDK they will be around for a few years but for how long? could be 2 could be 20?
 
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Just switched from black boxes, marsaqua, to a photon V2+. To me the photons outclass the black boxes in every way except for the price.

I would agree you could probably get by with the 32" fixture. I bought the 32" fixture for a 36" tank. I think the 24" would have been sufficient in my situation.
 
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Areeflover

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Just switched from black boxes, marsaqua, to a photon V2+. To me the photons outclass the black boxes in every way except for the price.

I would agree you could probably get by with the 32" fixture. I bought the 32" fixture for a 36" tank. I think the 24" would have been sufficient in my situation.
Well tank is 48” I think the 32” fixture would be obvious short..
 
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Well tank is 48” I think the 32” fixture would be obvious short..
You're right it would be shorter than the tank. On the same note, neither fixture is going to be as wide as the tank. The light will spread the farther it gets from the fixture. To get the same coverage you would need to hang it higher than the longer fixture.

This is from the reefbreeders website:
32" coverage: FOWLR/Softies: 44" x 24" x 36", Mixed Reef: 42" x 24" x 30", SPS: 38" x 24" x 30"
48" coverage: FOWLR/Softies: 52" x 24" x 36", Mixed Reef: 50" x 24" x 30", SPS: 48" x 24" x 30"
 
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You're right it would be shorter than the tank. On the same note, neither fixture is going to be as wide as the tank. The light will spread the farther it gets from the fixture. To get the same coverage you would need to hang it higher than the longer fixture.

This is from the reefbreeders website:
32" coverage: FOWLR/Softies: 44" x 24" x 36", Mixed Reef: 42" x 24" x 30", SPS: 38" x 24" x 30"
48" coverage: FOWLR/Softies: 52" x 24" x 36", Mixed Reef: 50" x 24" x 30", SPS: 48" x 24" x 30"
Well I plan on getting the 48” one
 
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Ron Reefman

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The Current Orbit fixtures use leds that are about 0.5 watts. They do not penetrate the water very well at all (see their info below).

2015-11-16 07.01.46.jpg



Just 12" into the water and the PAR is between 50 and 70. That's terrible unless your tank is only 12" deep or a FOWLR. Even with 2 of them, on a 24" deep tank, easy corals are about all you should try. On a 12" deep tank you could do lps and easy sps.
 
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