Light width?

[Jcm412]

So I am researching,planning, and budgeting my first reef tank. I just bought a 300 gallon acrylic aquarium. It is 96" x 24" x 30". I see that most LED lights are not very wide. Would I need lights the entire length of the tank or could I get away with a few lights spread out?

Any recommendations on the best bang for your buck LEDs for a reef system?

 

[mcarroll]

Depends on your demands......at a basic level you can't beat a DIY system based on gu10 bulbs. But there are tons of high-value options out there on ready-made lights too.

In general, it would be ideal to have emitters covering your whole tank, corner to corner. You can get around that strategically to some extent, but always with some sacrifices in coverage and shading. (Almost everyone puts up with at least some sacrifices...don't see many corner-to-corner light systems out there.)

 

[ndrwater]

On my standard 240 (96x24x24) I have 5 Radions running front to back spaced about 8" apart. It's an SPS tank, and grows corals like crazy.
My canopy is a foot shorter than the tank, and I DO have less light in the ends, but nothing that causes any problems

 

[Ty Hamatake]

+1 that it all depends on your plans for the tank. What are they? For a mixed tank you could probably get away with one row down the middle, but for an SPS dominant you either want to rows or to configure you lights like @ndrwater did. If you're looking for end to end coverage I hear good things about Reef Breeders https://www.reefbreeders.com/shop/photon-48-v2/

 

[Jcm412]

On my standard 240 (96x24x24) I have 5 Radions running front to back spaced about 8" apart. It's an SPS tank, and grows corals like crazy.
My canopy is a foot shorter than the tank, and I DO have less light in the ends, but nothing that causes any problems

Wow, if you don't mind me asking, how much does a set up like that cost. Aren't those radions like $650 + a piece?

 

[Jcm412]

+1 that it all depends on your plans for the tank. What are they? For a mixed tank you could probably get away with one row down the middle, but for an SPS dominant you either want to rows or to configure you lights like @ndrwater did. If you're looking for end to end coverage I hear good things about Reef Breeders https://www.reefbreeders.com/shop/photon-48-v2/

I plan to stick with a soft coral tank.

 

[ndrwater]

Wow, if you don't mind me asking, how much does a set up like that cost. Aren't those radions like $650 + a piece?

Yea, they are spendy, but you need a brief back story as to why I got them.
I had Halides... And a big chiller and a HUUUUUGE electric bill. Like half the cost of the new Radions huge.
My rationale is that spending the chunk on the lights would pay for itself within a year. Now, no chiller, no massive electric bill, and a happy thriving tank. The lights actually paid for themselves in about 6 months.

 

[ndrwater]

To save costs, you might look into used LED's. In this hobby, people like to get the latest and greatest gizmo. There are usually a ton of for sale threads with people looking to upgrade their gear.
LED's touted they would last for 50000 hours when they 1st came out.. At 8 hours a day, that's 17 years...
I personally know people running Gen 1 Radions with awesome tanks, and we are on Gen 4 now...

 

[Jcm412]

Yea, they are spendy, but you need a brief back story as to why I got them.
I had Halides... And a big chiller and a HUUUUUGE electric bill. Like half the cost of the new Radions huge.
My rationale is that spending the chunk on the lights would pay for itself within a year. Now, no chiller, no massive electric bill, and a happy thriving tank. The lights actually paid for themselves in about 6 months.

I hear you. The electricity and heat are my rationale for wanting to go LED. I took me long enough to convince the wife to let me get a tank this size. I'm sure a crazy electric bill wouldn't help my cause.

 

[Jcm412]

Question for you guys. I have an acrylic tank. The top is not 100% open. There are two cut outs that are about 36"x 14" and the rest is acrylic. Will there be any issues with light penetrating the acrylic.

 

[Cment]

Look into these LEDs. Its your basic black box: VIPARSPECTRA Timer Control 165W LED Aquarium Light Full Spectrum Reef Coral Tank. There is a vendor on here that only uses these on his tanks and grows everything from softies to SPS with success. They're also very budget friendly when starting.

 

[Jcm412]

Does anyone have any experience with Current USA Orbit Marine? They have great reviews on amazon. However, seem light on watts.

Is 1 watt per gallon a good rule of thumb?

 

[mcarroll]

Will there be any issues with light penetrating the acrylic.

Yes.

With only two cutouts, that could be very limiting.

How much solid acrylic is covering the ends and in-between the cutouts?

 

[Jcm412]

Yes.

With only two cutouts, that could be very limiting.

How much solid acrylic is covering the ends and in-between the cutouts?

I would have to measure, but I would guess about 6-8 inches. Not sure what you mean when you say solid, but it is clear in color.

 

[mcarroll]

As in the amount of space/length not cut out.

 

[mcarroll]

Does anyone have any experience with Current USA Orbit Marine? They have great reviews on amazon. However, seem light on watts.

Is 1 watt per gallon a good rule of thumb?

I'd suggest the Pro models with stronger (60º) lenses. At mininum the IC's (90º), but I think the bottom of the tank might still be pretty dark. The plain Marine model has no lenses, which is fine for a shallow tank.

The Dual 36" Pro kit would be ideal, if the cutouts are that long. (scrolling back!)

 

[mcarroll]

And if it's only 6-8" between and beside the cutouts, then the ideas above should work. Not as bad as I imagined.

 

[Jcm412]

I also found this thread.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/led-light-penetration.147234/

Looks like you loose 10% on 3/8" "clean" acrylic.

 

[mcarroll]

Right...I think that's generally accepted for acrylic – about 90% transmission. Manufacturers often publish test numbers is you happen to know the brand of acrylic you're looking through.

That's for perfectly clean, dry acrylic however. In reality it will not stay clean for long and will become a bother to clean if you light over the top of it.

 

[Jcm412]

Right...I think that's generally accepted for acrylic – about 90% transmission. Manufacturers often publish test numbers is you happen to know the brand of acrylic you're looking through.

That's for perfectly clean, dry acrylic however. In reality it will not stay clean for long and will become a bother to clean if you light over the top of it.

Yeah I hear you. It's a Tenecor tank.

I assume my best bet is to set it up like these pictures with two live rock structures.

If I'm doing mostly softies will the loss of power through the acrylic make a big difference?