Light for Growing Corals

Europa

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Nov 1, 2019
Messages
99
Reaction score
31
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I have a fish only tank, but would like to start growing corals. Could someone recommend a good brand (+specs) of light that I should buy? (I'm sorry if this question is somewhere else -- if so, please point me to the answer.)
 

Tahoe61

10K Club member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 2, 2012
Messages
13,239
Reaction score
15,695
Location
AZ
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
What is your budget for lighting, and what type of corals would you like to, keep?
 
OP
OP
Europa

Europa

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Nov 1, 2019
Messages
99
Reaction score
31
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I was hoping to spend around $ 200 for the light, but could go a little over that if necessary. My tank is a 60 gallon, 36x24". Still didn't think about the type of corals, but I would probably start with some easy to maintain.
 

Dana Riddle

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 10, 2011
Messages
3,162
Reaction score
7,606
Location
Dallas, Georgia
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Go with any of the Chinese black boxes or Noopsyche . You'll need two of either, unless you want to keep the corals bunched up. I generally don't recommend spending a lot of money on lighting when getting started with corals. A coral tank is a bit more work that a fish-only tank, so try to stay on a budget until you find if a reef is right for you. Make sure you've got good flow in the tank - just as, if not more, important than lighting.
 

45ZoaGarden

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Nov 24, 2019
Messages
2,672
Reaction score
2,218
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I recommend two hydra 26’s. They are a little over your budget but they are an excellent light that provide great growth and colors. Two ai primes won’t be enough for a 36x24, it will shadow and not have enough power to get down to the sand bed. Black boxes are risky. They are made with the cheapest materials possible and have fire issues. Sure they grow coral but fire isn’t good ;Hilarious. Search around! check Craigslist, offer up, Facebook marketplace, and here! There’s quite a few 26hd’s for sale out there for under $250. I know it seems like a lot of money, and it is. But lights are essentially the most important part of a reef tank. The best advice I can give you is buy once, cry once.
 

Dana Riddle

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 10, 2011
Messages
3,162
Reaction score
7,606
Location
Dallas, Georgia
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I hear reports of black boxes catching fire. Has anyone here personally experienced this? The Chinese government has a vested interest in product QC, and has adopted standards similar to other countries' for companies building electronic (and other) devices. Canada has CSA, the US Underwriter's Laboratories... My point is that lack of UL listing isn't necessarily a bad thing.
 

Pntbll687

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Oct 4, 2017
Messages
2,076
Reaction score
2,587
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
You can get a generic T5 fixture off ebay and swap out the bulbs for ati bulbs. This would give you an easy setup, and proven spectrum for growing coral.
 

cvrle1

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 13, 2018
Messages
851
Reaction score
974
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I hear reports of black boxes catching fire. Has anyone here personally experienced this? The Chinese government has a vested interest in product QC, and has adopted standards similar to other countries' for companies building electronic (and other) devices. Canada has CSA, the US Underwriter's Laboratories... My point is that lack of UL listing isn't necessarily a bad thing.

From what I could find before, those catching on fire stories were from friend of a friend, who has this cousin and her bf had this fixture that caught on fire and burned the house down type of stories.
 

Dana Riddle

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 10, 2011
Messages
3,162
Reaction score
7,606
Location
Dallas, Georgia
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
For what it’s worth, the owner of my lfs has had a few units smoking. He uses radions now ;)
Thanks. Do you know if it was a problem with salt getting into the units, cooling fan failure resulting in overheating, other?
 

45ZoaGarden

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Nov 24, 2019
Messages
2,672
Reaction score
2,218
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Thanks. Do you know if it was a problem with salt getting into the units, cooling fan failure resulting in overheating, other?
We don’t know for sure. The lights were 28 Inches above the frag tanks so unlikely. The store also gets pretty good airflow and runs big dehumidifiers so no condensation. There was also no rust/ salt creep on the lights. It was definitely an electrical fire in its early stages.
 
OP
OP
Europa

Europa

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Nov 1, 2019
Messages
99
Reaction score
31
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Thanks! I was looking at VIPARSPECTRA 300W LED at Amazon but how do you hang the light? does it need to be hung from the ceiling?
 

Dana Riddle

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 10, 2011
Messages
3,162
Reaction score
7,606
Location
Dallas, Georgia
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Thanks! I was looking at VIPARSPECTRA 300W LED at Amazon but how do you hang the light? does it need to be hung from the ceiling?
Not necessarily. I put egg crate on the top of one of my tanks and simply rested the unit upon that.
 

cvrle1

Well-Known Member
View Badges
Joined
Sep 13, 2018
Messages
851
Reaction score
974
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Back
Top