LED light bar

[Reefer_Marc]

Hey all


I am currently checking for a light bar to supplement my 2 AI Hydra 26. Together they produce 180 Watt on a 110 gallon tank, with some shadowing which i would like to combat.
I am starting to get more into SPS and had some trouble with montis browning out before, so i'd like to supplement a bit.

Checked a lot on the forum and stumbled on the Orphek OR4 iCon light bars. I also checked the AI Blades which i really like, also using the same App as my Hydras. But the cost of one Blade plus the hanging kit and shipping is more than 700 dollars! Whereas an Orphek with included hanging kit is just below 200 dollars.
Is the OR4 a good choice? Which colour is recommended just for one additional bar? The blue, the reef day plus, blue sky or a UV?

And about size, my tank is 120cm / 48 inches long, should i get a 48 inch bar as well or is a shorter one (36 inch) sufficient?

 

[Pntbll687]

I have multiple quantareef bars, the budget one that adds spectrum and reduces shadows but not too much par. The quanta pro bars, where 3 bars was way overkill on my 120g tank, super bright and good blend of color using the meso blu and tropic sun. And I have 2 of the quanta helix bars on 180, they have built in dimmer that is set to 60% right now. I would recommend tham to anyone, but if you go orphek that's another great choice.

As for what size bar, it depends on how high you plan on mounting the bars above the water. The higher you get the shorter bar you could use, but you will lose overall par. I have the 5ft bars on my 6ft tank, mounted 9in about the tank and angled in slightly. I have the 4ft bars on my 4ft tank, and they are mounted only 5in above the tank, they light the full tank without any major light spill into the room.

How are your current lights mounted? and do you plan on changing that to accommodate the light bars. Both the hanging kit that comes with orphek and quanta are meant to bolt onto something, or hang from above the tank.

 

[TLO45]

Quanta Lights

Quanta Lights

www.quanta-lights.com

Talk to Luca. He will get you set up right!!
Save you some money too!
Great guy!

 

[Reefer_Marc]

I have multiple quantareef bars, the budget one that adds spectrum and reduces shadows but not too much par. The quanta pro bars, where 3 bars was way overkill on my 120g tank, super bright and good blend of color using the meso blu and tropic sun. And I have 2 of the quanta helix bars on 180, they have built in dimmer that is set to 60% right now. I would recommend tham to anyone, but if you go orphek that's another great choice.

As for what size bar, it depends on how high you plan on mounting the bars above the water. The higher you get the shorter bar you could use, but you will lose overall par. I have the 5ft bars on my 6ft tank, mounted 9in about the tank and angled in slightly. I have the 4ft bars on my 4ft tank, and they are mounted only 5in above the tank, they light the full tank without any major light spill into the room.

How are your current lights mounted? and do you plan on changing that to accommodate the light bars. Both the hanging kit that comes with orphek and quanta are meant to bolt onto something, or hang from above the tank.

My current lights are mounted on arms, i was planning on hanging the orpheks from the ceiling with the included hanging kit, about same height as the hydras. A bit to the front of the tank and then angled backwards inside.

Heres my current set up

 

[Reefer_Marc]

Quanta Lights

Quanta Lights

www.quanta-lights.com

Talk to Luca. He will get you set up right!!
Save you some money too!
Great guy!

Checked it quickly but sadly they dont ship to my country

 

[Reefer_Marc]

I just measured, i would mount the light bar about 25cm (~10 inches) above the waterline.
Would you recommend getting a light bar the same length as the tank or one size shorter?

I think i will go with the orpheks, simply because of availability and prices

 

[Pntbll687]

I just measured, i would mount the light bar about 25cm (~10 inches) above the waterline.
Would you recommend getting a light bar the same length as the tank or one size shorter?

I think i will go with the orpheks, simply because of availability and prices

Mounting that high I’d go with ones slightly smaller than the tank. 4ft tank, go with the 36 in bars, especially if you’re looking to reduce shadows and not worried about adding too much par to the tank.

If the tank don’t have a center brace, you could also just add another light of the ones you have

 

[Jarob]

The orpheko have narrow lens and need to be hung fairly high for any spread. The Quantas are my favorite so unfortunate they don't ship to you, of suggest reaching out to him via email maybe he can?

 

[Reefer_Marc]

I just measured, i would mount the light bar about 25cm (~10 inches) above the waterline.
Would you recommend getting a light bar the same length as the tank or one size shorter?

I think i will go with the orpheks, simply because of availability and prices

Mounting that high I’d go with ones slightly smaller than the tank. 4ft tank, go with the 36 in bars, especially if you’re looking to reduce shadows and not worried about adding too much par to the tank.

If the tank don’t have a center brace, you could also just add another light of the ones you have

Some extra par would be nice, considering my two lights have 90 watt each. I liked the 120 which has about 60 watts, that would bring my total to 240 watts for a 110 gallon tank. The 90 has 40 watts, so 220 total.
Would that still be enough for some sps?

Theres no center brace, but i would have to redo the lid.
And i like the idea of having a light bar for an even spread. And thanks for the info!

 

[Reefer_Marc]

The orpheko have narrow lens and need to be hung fairly high for any spread. The Quantas are my favorite so unfortunate they don't ship to you, of suggest reaching out to him via email maybe he can?

Do you think 10 inches is high enough? I think i will try to email them and check, thanks!

 

[OnePiece Corals]

Don't get the orphek bars unless you want to buy another one in 2 year. By led board burnt out after 1.5 years. Although they would offer you a free LED board its a hassle to open the bar and change it. There is a reason why they have them on a 1 year warranty. Trust me I went thru too many of them to call it a quit.

 

[Reefer_Marc]

I checked some more for light bars, sadly the Quantas is not really available. I was in contact with Luca and he said though it is possible to send, he is very hesitant to do so. What with costs of shipping, taxes etc. I feel that way too.

So i decides to go with the Orpheks.
Question is, which one as a supplement?
Reef day Plus, Blue Sky or another one?
My current lighting on the hydras:



I dont mind if it looks a little blue, but i dont like it if its too blue. So to my understanding the reef day plus is the better choice for me?
Id like a bit more par to help my sps and less shading.

 

[OnePiece Corals]

I checked some more for light bars, sadly the Quantas is not really available. I was in contact with Luca and he said though it is possible to send, he is very hesitant to do so. What with costs of shipping, taxes etc. I feel that way too.

So i decides to go with the Orpheks.
Question is, which one as a supplement?
Reef day Plus, Blue Sky or another one?
My current lighting on the hydras:



I dont mind if it looks a little blue, but i dont like it if its too blue. So to my understanding the reef day plus is the better choice for me?
Id like a bit more par to help my sps and less shading.

I have tried them all so I will give you my opinion if you are set on orphek.

Blue plus: this is the light you want to get if you want a blue pop. You corals will shine under them but its a heavy blue and you have to use your orange filter to appreciate it.

Blue sky: this is the closest to t5 blue plus spectrum and visual representation.

Reef day plus: its white spectrum so no blue representation at all. If you light your corals under 18000k spectrum which is a day light spectrum this is your bar

 

[OnePiece Corals]

My pick for you is sky blue. Its a balanced blue spectrum with usable par and good representation of coral color.