Help me Light a 10 foot Fish only tank!

[Mtlgallardo]

Hey Everyone!

What would you recommend for lighting my Fish only tank
120x36x30

not sure what's the best way to go .
Of course I know the hobby is expensive I have had large tanks in the past but I'm new again and not sure what's the best bang for bucks for this setup

thanks so much !

 

[Sam7]

if your not going to have corals you dont need full tank coverage. You could just use cheaper lights the fish wont care. If you want the tank and fish to pop you may haver to still spend some coin. Lot of option depnding on your budget

 

[Dread Pirate Dave]

I'd go with 5 Nicrew Hyperreef 100's and a controller.

https://www.amazon.com/NICREW-HyperReef-Aquarium-Saltwater-Programmable/dp/B0DBHD2V1W?th=1

 

[Mtlgallardo]

I'd go with 5 Nicrew Hyperreef 100's and a controller.

https://www.amazon.com/NICREW-HyperReef-Aquarium-Saltwater-Programmable/dp/B0DBHD2V1W?th=1

I was just looking at these..
am I not better with the 200?

 

[Sam7]

you could use a big shop light if you wanted dirt cheap. You could go with the nicrew 200's but they are not cheap at $320 unless your just buying one .....depends how many your planning to buy. you could always buy a couple of the old black box light they are cheap but you have to hand them from ceiling
https://www.amazon.com/VIPARSPECTRA...=reef+black+box+lighting,aps,119&sr=8-21&th=1

 

[Sam7]

heres another
cheap
https://www.amazon.com/WILLS-Aquari...black+box+lighting&qid=1794461992&sr=8-6&th=1

 

[Mtlgallardo]

ceiling is not an option.. there 23 Feet high

 

[oreo54]

Hey Everyone!

What would you recommend for lighting my Fish only tank
120x36x30

not sure what's the best way to go .
Of course I know the hobby is expensive I have had large tanks in the past but I'm new again and not sure what's the best bang for bucks for this setup

thanks so much !

What do you want it to look like and what do you want it to do?
Fun W/ our new overlords..
Click on the followup w/ specifics for your size tank.
If you go "simple" Quanta bars are economical.
AI Overview



Lighting a large fish-only (FO) or fish-only-with-live-rock (FOWLR) saltwater aquarium is much simpler and more affordable than lighting a coral reef tank. Because you do not need to support photosynthetic corals, high PAR (Photosynthetically Active Radiation) and intense wattage are not required. [1, 2]

Core Lighting Requirements

• • Intensity & PAR: You only need enough light to comfortably view your fish. Low-to-moderate PAR levels (typically 20 to 60 PAR) are more than enough. [1, 2, 3]
  • Color Spectrum: Aim for a crisp daylight spectrum mixed with blue/actinic lighting (around 10,000K to 14,000K) to make fish colors pop without encouraging excessive nuisance algae growth. Avoid very low Kelvin bulbs (under 6,500K) as they can fuel unwanted brown or green algae blooms. [1, 2]
  • Photoperiod: Run your lights for 6 to 8 hours a day. Keeping lights on too long in a fish-only tank only leads to algae problems on the glass and rocks, since the fish don't require extended light hours. [1]

Best Options for Large Tanks

• • LED Fixtures with App/Timer Control: Modern, energy-efficient LED bars or strips (such as the Current USA Orbit Marine or Fluval Sea Marine 3.0) are ideal because they run cool, use very little electricity, and feature built-in 24-hour sunrise/sunset cycles. [1, 2]
  • Wider Coverage for Large Footprints: For a wide or deep tank, choose longer strip lights or multiple modular fixtures spaced evenly across the top so dark spots are eliminated.
  • Algae Control: If you have live rock with coralline algae or a FOWLR setup, you might want slightly more spectrum range, as discussed by hobbyists on Reef2Reef. However, users frequently note that keeping intensity dialed back (e.g., running LEDs at 20% to 40% power) prevents constant glass-scraping.

followup

 

[Mtlgallardo]

so the way my tank is build and my High ceilings
I'm not even sure how to install lights or what lights would work.

anyone have a solution?

thanks!

 

[bryster]

so the way my tank is build and my High ceilings
I'm not even sure how to install lights or what lights would work.

anyone have a solution?

thanks!

What make is this tank? Pretty oolong footprint.

 

[Mtlgallardo]

What make is this tank? Pretty oolong footprint.

Bob and Karen From Miami

 

[Sam7]

so the way my tank is build and my High ceilings
I'm not even sure how to install lights or what lights would work.

anyone have a solution?

thanks!

you could hang brackets off the wall for lights

 

[Dread Pirate Dave]

I was just looking at these..
am I not better with the 200?

I figured since it was fish only you wouldn't be after par and not want/need the extra blue leds.

 

[cilyjr]

With a high ceiling you'll likely need wall brackets. If you want to think a head and hate the sight of cords all over, consider having an electrician adding an outlet at light level. Or at the very least use cable races to keep things neat and tidy.

As far as lights for fish only, the world is your oyster. You could literally buy the cheapest color changing light strips they make, hell, you could buy a couple 2 dollar light bulbs whatever you want.

My 10 foot reef has a "floating canopy" but the ceiling in that room was all tongue and groove so hanging the weight was no issue for me.

These are old pictures but they show the hanging. I ended up using cable races because that was an exterior wall once upon a time and running romex through an insulated wall with fire breaks is more work than I wanted at that time.

 

[winxp_man]

Extrusion aluminum, is what I used to build light mounts and I use a swiveling 90* joint so I can lift any light out of the way when doing tank work.


Here is my brothers I did.

Here is my 96” x30” tank.

 

[Grog]

so the way my tank is build and my High ceilings
I'm not even sure how to install lights or what lights would work.

anyone have a solution?

thanks!

You could also build a canopy, which could decrease light spill into the room and possibly keep fish from jumping. Inside the canopy you could set up any manner of cross members, framing, mounts, clips as needed for whatever lights you get.

I am a Nicrew fan as well. The controller will let you get the color you want for the tank. 10' tank? I'd do what Dread Pirate Dave suggested. Go with the 100W Nicrews. You won't need the power, just the color and how your eyes perceive it. Spending the extra money on the controller is better than going 200W IMO.

Also, not having full coverage/spread and blasting light should help with algae on the glass too.

​

 

[Mtlgallardo]

You could also build a canopy, which could decrease light spill into the room and possibly keep fish from jumping. Inside the canopy you could set up any manner of cross members, framing, mounts, clips as needed for whatever lights you get.

I am a Nicrew fan as well. The controller will let you get the color you want for the tank. 10' tank? I'd do what Dread Pirate Dave suggested. Go with the 100W Nicrews. You won't need the power, just the color and how your eyes perceive it. Spending the extra money on the controller is better than going 200W IMO.

Also, not having full coverage/spread and blasting light should help with algae on the glass too.

​

how many 100W do you think i need?

 

[Grog]

You can get one or two, or a few, and see if they are enough, and tack more on later. They daisy chain well with USB cables. I had 3 of the 200W on my 6' long 180-gallon mixed reef and wanted better coverage for the coral so I added a 4th. It was as simple as adding the cable and rearranging the lights.

I have a canopy and can shuffle them around on rails really easily if I want to adjust their position. I'm also running 4 units because I don't want to overdrive my lights. I want them to last longer. (In theory)

I agree with Dread Pirate Dave and think 5 is probably the right number for a 10' tank. It really depends on what you like and how your tank is arranged. You may think 4 is good. You may want 6 or 8.

If you are planning for budgetary purposes, plan on 5 and a controller.

 

[Mtlgallardo]

You can get one or two, or a few, and see if they are enough, and tack more on later. They daisy chain well with USB cables. I had 3 of the 200W on my 6' long 180-gallon mixed reef and wanted better coverage for the coral so I added a 4th. It was as simple as adding the cable and rearranging the lights.

I have a canopy and can shuffle them around on rails really easily if I want to adjust their position. I'm also running 4 units because I don't want to overdrive my lights. I want them to last longer. (In theory)

I agree with Dread Pirate Dave and think 5 is probably the right number for a 10' tank. It really depends on what you like and how your tank is arranged. You may think 4 is good. You may want 6 or 8.

If you are planning for budgetary purposes, plan on 5 and a controller.

thanks!

 

[mcarroll]

It's hard for me to imagine why one would have reef lighting over a fish tank.....just for the algae???

Use fish tank lighting on fish tanks.

A simple shop light could work, but they are usually REALLY bright and not dimmable. There's going to be algae.

If you can find a shop light that's dimmable, then two 4' lights should look good on a 10' tank...run them on low....but will still probably be bright enough to grow some algae.

Better would be some actual aquarium LED's intended for fish tanks – they don't grow algae and the fish look nice under them. Two or three 3' or two 4' lights should do it...or five 2' lights....you get the gist. Investigate Petco and Petsmart to see if they carry something, otherwise online will have options.

It would take a bunch of them, but Marineland makes "hidden" LED strips made to go under the rim inside the tank. Five of them would cover the length of the tank – 25 watts total and probably aroud 1500 lux (30 PAR) so there will be minimal to no algae growing. In a normal tank with a black trim these strips be invisible, but IMO they'd still work in a euro-braced tank where they'd be visible. Still less visible than a fixture hanging over the tank! :)
https://www.marineland.com/products/lighting/hidden-led-strip-lights