IS THIS ENOUGH LIGHTING FOR MY 5FT 120G SOFTIE TANK

[joshbridges]

hey , i recently am new to the saltwater hobby , ive been involved for a little over a year now and i have a 120g with 3 fish ( DF Puffer, Fire Goby , Pealy Jawfish)
after buying coral and failing ( birdsnest colony ,2 different acropora colonies, a very large colony of mushrooms and a football sized gsp) ive came to realize it hasnt been my water quality this whole time , its been my lighting ,, ive done multiple water changes and bought multiple power heads and nothing changed ,, even switched brands of salt , i only used 2 36inch aqueon optibrights up until 3 days ago i bought 2 innova grow leds from costco that on blue only its pushes out 455nm each ,, i have 2 aqueon led optibrights i use for my daytime lights, my schedual is
2 hours LED OPTIBRIGHT (blues only)
8 hours OPTIBRIGHT(Full Spectrum RBW )& INNOVA GROW LEDS (blues only)
2 hours LED OPTIBRIGHT (blues only)
then off completely overnight
im wondering if anyone knows if 2x 30-36 inch aqueon optibrights and 2x 24inch Innova grow leds
are good enough for my 5ft 120gallon that is gonna be just softies

 

[Anirban]

Its hard to tell what exactly the innova will give out as they are not tested for reef. But the aqueon will be good for basic LPS growing as they are not very high demanding corals.

 

[joshbridges]

the innova uses 19w led , but it doesnt tell me the output ,, the lighting looks alot more bluer then infared,(but everyone knows its not look that matters) and with each 24inch ballist pushing 455nm each im hoping im alright with my par (cant afford a 300$ par reading device) ,, tomorrow im going to my LFS and im gonna buy a big rock of mushroms and separate them in an area in hopes of the colony spawning quicker,, id buy this cool fluval full spectrum led light but its only 24inches and my tanks 5ft , plus the price is very steep ,, and at costco for 39.99 i couldnt go wrong with the innova purchase

 

[tdileo]

Any good LFS will own a PAR meter. When you stop in, ask if they are willing to rent out theirs. If not, I’m sure you can find someone who will let you borrow theirs

 

[jda]

You are going to need a light meter to tell - even a simple/cheap lux meter can help give some idea.

If you have some softies in there, pay attention to them. If they have long stalks and are reaching up, then they need more light. If the polyps are twice as big as you see them elsewhere, then they need more light.

 

[Bayareareefer18]

I would question whether either of the lights are the proper spectrum as well. Seems the aqueon light is marketed for FW or SW. That would leave me to believe its designed for FOWLR or Fw planted tanks. The other looks to be a hydroponic grow light

 

[Stickboy15]

You need better lights look for some used radions if cost is a issue or a ati 6 bulb fixture both you can get for a good price

 

[Bayareareefer18]

Don't need a lot of light for softies. There are plenty of quality, lower cost options designed for reefs. Reefbrite, orphek bars, current USA etc

I am running the current USA IC pro lights on my 75 with all LPS and they are doing great.

The orphek bars are really nice as well. I'm running an orphek UV bar mostly for pop

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

$15 meter.

https://www.amazon.com/Sunche-Profe...ocphy=9031131&hvtargid=pla-505585159192&psc=1
Scan the top of the water , you want about 20-25,000 lux. More is better.

 

[joshbridges]

$15 meter.

https://www.amazon.com/Sunche-Profe...ocphy=9031131&hvtargid=pla-505585159192&psc=1
Scan the top of the water , you want about 20-25,000 lux. More is better.

just bought one kinda the same but had to go on amazon.ca because i live in canada ,

as for everyone else just saying i need lights because they arent made for reefs , obviously needs to do more light research ,, my bluer spectrum on the hydroponic lights is 1.0 = 160.526mW/nm
(peak wavelength :455nm)

so its the proper bluer spectrum and looks a deeper thicker blue then any 473nm ive ever seen

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

just bought one kinda the same but had to go on amazon.ca because i live in canada ,

as for everyone else just saying i need lights because they arent made for reefs , obviously needs to do more light research ,, my bluer spectrum on the hydroponic lights is 1.0 = 160.526mW/nm
(peak wavelength :455nm)

so its the proper bluer spectrum and looks a deeper thicker blue then any 473nm ive ever seen

As long as the light contains those yes.
Like a 56k bulb. Same as most folks have in thier Refugiums.