Lighting for 60G Cube

RyanCSGO · Apr 27, 2016

Hi All,

I'm in the process of setting up a new 60G Cube with sump as an upgrade.

does anyone have any recommendations for lighting? i'd like to go with a Kessil but im not sure which one would be too much or too little. i dont understand all the aspects of lighting (spectrum, UV etc.)

i do know i want to get something that is controllable with a fade in to day light and out to moonlight.

tank will house a mixed reef selection.

all help and input is greatly appreciated :)

Radman73 · Apr 28, 2016

I have a Kessil A360W, not the We model, over my 60 cube. Love the shimmer and the light but get significant shadows. I actually bought a used 250w MH setup that I plan on putting over it instead. If you have the $, an A360We along with a couple of A160We's could work or supplement with some T5's. Do you have a canopy? That would make it easier to put in a T5 retrofit kit.

Other options:
ATI Sunpower T5 fixture.

Hamilton makes a 250W MH with 4 T5 fixture that would work great.

Heat could be a concern with any MH setup. MH and T5 both require at least annual bulb changes.

RyanCSGO · Apr 28, 2016

thanks Radman
no no canopy, just a standard rimless cube. Was planning on getting something that has an arm connected from the back or something suspended from the ceiling.

Radman73 · Apr 28, 2016

Any of those could work. Mine is rimless too and I have to admit the Kessil looks fantastic above it. What are you planning on keeping? If it's softies and LPS the issue of the Kessil being a spot light source won't be as critical.

Aesthetically, the Kessil beats all of the others hand's down. In my old house, the tank was viewable right as you walked in. New house it's back in a back room so aesthetics weren't as critical to us.

I can say the Kessil gooseneck mount seems to work well. I just bought that last week to avoid putting holes in brand new walls. At the old house I used a garden hanger that gets mounted on a wooden fence pole to hang plants from. That worked well too and was cheap.

RyanCSGO · Apr 28, 2016

It will probably end up as a 50-50 split between SPS and softies.
I truly love the way the Kessil looks on pretty much every tank I've seen them with

Radman73 · Apr 28, 2016

RyanCSGO said:
It will probably end up as a 50-50 split between SPS and softies.
I truly love the way the Kessil looks on pretty much every tank I've seen them with

Then go with the Kessil and see how you like it. Not that big of a deal to add a couple of A160's down the road if you're experience shading issues with your SPS. FWIW, I had an acro on the sand that grew. Not fast, but it did grow.