I can't make up my mind, help me choose a light.

[SomeHappyFish]

I have a 30G cube 20"x20" x20" and I want to continue adding hammers but my Kessil A160 doesn't seem to give enough par at 20" depth and I would like more coverage and less shadowing. I have found the ReeFi Uno 2.1 Pro appealing but I can't seem to justify spending most of my bonus money on this light.

What I love is the 10k look, a bit of shimmer and ease of use.

 

[FUNGI]

T5

 

[SomeHappyFish]

T5

I don't feel like replacing bulb every 12 month and worrying about par dropping because of the bulbs lifespan diminishing.

But if I do, it would have to be the AquaticLife 24" T5HO LED Hybrid - 4x24W. It's the only model to " fit " on my tank.

 

[bradreef]

I say either uno or 2 noops. 2 noops gets you better angles so I voted for that

 

[Justfebreezeit]

The blades are nice but if you like the 10k look then im not sure. 2/3 of the leds are blues. so lot wasted

 

[Kigs15]

I have 2 noops over an EXT100 and I love 'em.

 

[Dkmoo]

In my earlier days I too tried to get different "spotlight and bar" combos to try to get the designed spread and par results to minimize shadows. In hindsight I should have just bite the bullet and got a "panel" like orphek instead. I currently have an orphek icon, and the result was night and day compared to my prior setups (3 ai prime and various bars, that probably ended up costing more than the orphek)

For a 20 cube probably u also wants to look at the orphek icon compact.

 

[SomeHappyFish]

The aquatic life t5 fixture with 4 bulbs could work but its larger then my tank's footprint.

The ReeFi Uno looks very well designed but its a bit expensive for my taste.

The noops.. I own 2 already, they look great, lots of par but I just wished the UI was cleaner and easier to use. Buying 2 more now, means I would have to buy less of them when I get a huge tank.

Orphek recently release the natura icon, but I feel the ReeFi is better.

Kessil have a very nice shimmer but the light is too focus like a spot light.

 

[twentyleagues]

Probably your best bet and cheapest way would be to continue to use your Kessil and add bars. Looking at the options I would go with the Quanta. Out of the options Reefi isnt that much more expensive, actually less expensive than a few of your options unless you have those lights already and its probably the one aio best option you have listed. A reefi with the 90 reflector will light your tank without an issue. I am voting for the reefi if replacing the entire lighting is an option. Can I vote twice? Once for best overall and once for price.

I have a single Reefi 2.0 over my 80g cube using the 120 reflector and it does a good job. For small form factor lights something else needs to be used to cut down on self shading eventually. I have been pondering this for a bit as I am setting up my 180g. I will probably go with reefi again it really is a nice light but I may add in some quanta helix bars to help with shading. My situation with this tank is black trim, cross braces and a canopy. If I didnt have the trim I probably wouldnt use the canopy and just use more reefi to light it. My second problem is more akin to yours I like to have a white tank the majority of the day. The reefi can do that pretty easy but adding bars I was thinking going with a more white bar and letting the reefi be my blues that way if I need to whiten up the reefi a bit I can.

edit I did vote twice! lol
1st (best in my mind) Reefi
2nd (maybe look at the helix) keep the kessil and add 2 Quanta bars

 

[Dom]

The lighting demands of a Reef Tank are far greater than that of a Fish Only With Live Rock setup. So when choosing a light for your reef tank, consider the following:

• Light Spread. When we speak of light spread, we are speaking of the area which a light covers.

An easy way to demonstrate light spread would be to take a flashlight, turn it on and stand it on end with the light facing down on a table. Now, slowly pick it straight up, moving away from the table. Notice that as you move the flashlight further from the table, the area of the table covered by light increases. The growing and shrinking of the area covered by light on the table based on the distance from the table is the spread.
So when selecting a light, the spread must cover the footprint of the tank. And much in the same way you adjusted the spread of light on the table top by changing the distance of the light from the table, you can adjust the spread of your light by changing the height at which the light hangs over the aquarium. But there is more…

• Light Intensity. It isn’t enough that your light spread covers the entire footprint of your tank. It must do so with the proper light intensity as well.

When speaking of light and it’s intensity in aquariums, people will reference light measurements in “lumen” or “PAR”. What is the difference between PAR and Lumen? Generally, lumen are used to measure the brightness of light as perceived by the human eye.
PAR is the amount of light that is actually available to be used during the photosynthesis process. So when speaking in terms of PAR, we are speaking about the portions of the light spectrum usable by the inhabitants in the tank.

 

[twentyleagues]

The lighting demands of a Reef Tank are far greater than that of a Fish Only With Live Rock setup. So when choosing a light for your reef tank, consider the following:

• Light Spread. When we speak of light spread, we are speaking of the area which a light covers.

An easy way to demonstrate light spread would be to take a flashlight, turn it on and stand it on end with the light facing down on a table. Now, slowly pick it straight up, moving away from the table. Notice that as you move the flashlight further from the table, the area of the table covered by light increases. The growing and shrinking of the area covered by light on the table based on the distance from the table is the spread.
So when selecting a light, the spread must cover the footprint of the tank. And much in the same way you adjusted the spread of light on the table top by changing the distance of the light from the table, you can adjust the spread of your light by changing the height at which the light hangs over the aquarium. But there is more…

• Light Intensity. It isn’t enough that your light spread covers the entire footprint of your tank. It must do so with the proper light intensity as well.

When speaking of light and it’s intensity in aquariums, people will reference light measurements in “lumen” or “PAR”. What is the difference between PAR and Lumen? Generally, lumen are used to measure the brightness of light as perceived by the human eye.
PAR is the amount of light that is actually available to be used during the photosynthesis process. So when speaking in terms of PAR, we are speaking about the portions of the light spectrum usable by the inhabitants in the tank.

You will also need to take into account the angles that the light is set at. Two of the same lights set side by side at the same height and angle will have intersecting light cones creating a better coverage for the subject being hit by the light. Better yet would be 2 or 3 light sources all coming from different angles. Panel style lights will have more angles (cones) intersecting because of diode spacing. Point source single diode clusters wont. So a panel style or multiple single point would be beneficial, or a combo of the two. Bars can be thought of as panels as well and can be angled to maximum efficiency hitting the subjects from front and back while a main, in this case single point covers from above. The panels while having multiple single cones intersecting are still typically flat and mostly light from above, better coverage than a single point source but still lacking.

The next innovation in lighting needs to be a single solution, probably a curved design panel all in one light.

 

[SomeHappyFish]

edit I did vote twice! lol
1st (best in my mind) Reefi
2nd (maybe look at the helix) keep the kessil and add 2 Quanta bars

I allowed multiple votes for this reason haha.

For some reason, Quanta bars (helix) don't ship to my adress in Canada, Quebec...

I might have to look into other options or go with the Reefi Uno which looks great.

KalamazooReefer on youtube runs them with two Quanta 12k bars and the tank looks great.
I think the Reefi are on a AB+ spectrum if I remember the video correctly.



I could also get 2 noopsyche and run them on a AB+ setting and keep the kessil in the middle at 100%. Giving me a white look while having the blue spectrum for growth.

This way I have matching lights for a bigger tank down the road and I would only have to add bars... So many options its hard to choose without being able to see the look in person imo.

 

[VintageReefer]

Shipping in Nov
Covers 24x24
Optional led bars if you want to add down the line to increase par or change spectrum
Base light provides full coverage for 24x24
75w
Hanging kit and tank mount included
Reef Breeders Meridian 11

Meridian Info

Meridian Meridian Key Features: Daisy Chaining: Multiple Meridians and Meridian Edge can be connected to a single power supply, supporting up to 600 watts of total power draw. Refer to the chart below for possible combinations. Three types of cables are available: • Solo Connector: Designed to...

shop.reefbreeders.com

 

[twentyleagues]

Shipping in Nov
Covers 24x24
Optional led bars if you want to add down the line to increase par or change spectrum
Base light provides full coverage for 24x24
75w
Hanging kit and tank mount included
Reef Breeders Meridian 11

Meridian Info

Meridian Meridian Key Features: Daisy Chaining: Multiple Meridians and Meridian Edge can be connected to a single power supply, supporting up to 600 watts of total power draw. Refer to the chart below for possible combinations. Three types of cables are available: • Solo Connector: Designed to...

shop.reefbreeders.com

I saw that exact set up at detroit reef club. It looks very nice in person the light itself and the light it emits. To bad they are so expensive. It does look slick though.

 

[VintageReefer]

I saw that exact set up at detroit reef club. It looks very nice in person the light itself and the light it emits. To bad they are so expensive. It does look slick though.

Zach is awesome!

 

[girlsdad_AAA]

What's your budget?

 

[twentyleagues]

I allowed multiple votes for this reason haha.

For some reason, Quanta bars (helix) don't ship to my adress in Canada, Quebec...

I might have to look into other options or go with the Reefi Uno which looks great.

KalamazooReefer on youtube runs them with two Quanta 12k bars and the tank looks great.
I think the Reefi are on a AB+ spectrum if I remember the video correctly.



I could also get 2 noopsyche and run them on a AB+ setting and keep the kessil in the middle at 100%. Giving me a white look while having the blue spectrum for growth.

This way I have matching lights for a bigger tank down the road and I would only have to add bars... So many options its hard to choose without being able to see the look in person imo.

Yeah Kalamazoo reefers set up is probably what I'll do on my 180. Wish I could fit 4 or 5 Reefi's on it and the bars but with the 3" wide black plastic cross braces the extra ones would be wasted. Hoping the bars will mitigate the shading from those.

 

[twentyleagues]

@VintageReefer Do you have a price on that set up with mounts and bars? I was thinking it was like $700-900.

 

[VintageReefer]

@VintageReefer Do you have a price on that set up with mounts and bars? I was thinking it was like $700-900.

The 11” is $400 and I thought it came when the hanging kit and tank mount legs

I don’t know how much the 11” bars are and I don’t think they really would be necessary in a smaller tank

 

[SliceGolfer]

Shameless plug: I have two Noop K7s for sale