Lighting for a 100g tank

[Anchor]

@JJSins - Let me try it this way.. I presented you some options and so have others.. Eventually you need to work within your budget and desires and live with it one way or the other. With SPS you can always look at ways to add lighting if it is inadequate. You can take light away if you are budget constrained. You can buy dimmable options up front..

As you stated SPS is your goal, More light is good, too much light will kill. Too little light can stunt and might kill also..

depending on where you are, I would look for a local club and see if they can help you out with a par meter to use or rent.. You dont have to buy one.

LED lights.. generally look at the wattage output.. as a guide, but not as a definitive, as to how bright they can be.

I can grow SPS in a 40 breeder with 2 t5's and 2 AI prime 16's It is 16 inchews deep.. It works. No big bells and whistles.. You coral selection may be a bit lower but this works. It is dirt cheap and flexible.

A little more upscale is the Aquatic life3 and Kessils OR the HD's

Go shopping and compare, you are not going to get a lot of definitive answers here. Just options. No single method wil answer if your choices will cover. some of us have been at this for some time.. I have used t8's successfully back in the 1980's Not SPS but it grew corals.. T5, when they came into use were consdiered expensive.. but they worked even better. Hetal Halide and t5 were the go - to for reefers. Now it is t5 and LED's.. Mostly LED. Higher end LED is now the go-to light.. they are efficient, are not contantly in need of bullb replacement and they are bright. Kessil, EcoTech, Sky, all exdpensive for what we do. but they work.. Cheap lights can work, but not be optimal.. Figure out your need and let your budget do the work.

Make your choices and try to live with them.

 

[((FORDTECH))]

You're going to just have to raise the height.

Getting EXACT par is not necessary for a successful reef.

Get your tank set up, lights mounted and then worry about the height and PAR later.

I'd hang 8 t5 bulbs over 16" about 10-12" from the water.

Once you start adding coral you can adjust the height as needed, just make sure you hang it so you can adjust it.

Start with some softies and see how they react to the light, make adjustments accordingly. I'm sure you can get a cheap easy SPS Frag also for 25-30 to start testing SPS

Sudden light and darkness may cause "some shock" but thousands of reefers do it with 0 issues.... I think your corals will eventually adjust to the instant dark and black, but if you want you can always go dimmable to ramp up.

IMO you gunna be in big trouble if you get 8 t5s and mount then 10 inch from water on a 16 inch deep tank especially in a new reef system. Expect many bleached dead corals. If you go with 8 t5s mount them at least 20-25 inches to start rent par meter to see where you are and slowly lower them to get the par you looking for. Again just my opinion and I don’t know everything just what I’ve been thru.

 

[((FORDTECH))]

For what it’s worth I get 200 par on sand bed with 4 t5s mounted 12 inch from water on 24 inch deep tank. If you almost cut tank depth in half and double the amount of bulbs and put closer to water this will be a lot of light. And without knowing the par could be to much

 

[JJSins]

@JJSins - Let me try it this way.. I presented you some options and so have others.. Eventually you need to work within your budget and desires and live with it one way or the other. With SPS you can always look at ways to add lighting if it is inadequate. You can take light away if you are budget constrained. You can buy dimmable options up front..

As you stated SPS is your goal, More light is good, too much light will kill. Too little light can stunt and might kill also..

depending on where you are, I would look for a local club and see if they can help you out with a par meter to use or rent.. You dont have to buy one.

LED lights.. generally look at the wattage output.. as a guide, but not as a definitive, as to how bright they can be.

I can grow SPS in a 40 breeder with 2 t5's and 2 AI prime 16's It is 16 inchews deep.. It works. No big bells and whistles.. You coral selection may be a bit lower but this works. It is dirt cheap and flexible.

A little more upscale is the Aquatic life3 and Kessils OR the HD's

Go shopping and compare, you are not going to get a lot of definitive answers here. Just options. No single method wil answer if your choices will cover. some of us have been at this for some time.. I have used t8's successfully back in the 1980's Not SPS but it grew corals.. T5, when they came into use were consdiered expensive.. but they worked even better. Hetal Halide and t5 were the go - to for reefers. Now it is t5 and LED's.. Mostly LED. Higher end LED is now the go-to light.. they are efficient, are not contantly in need of bullb replacement and they are bright. Kessil, EcoTech, Sky, all exdpensive for what we do. but they work.. Cheap lights can work, but not be optimal.. Figure out your need and let your budget do the work.

Make your choices and try to live with them.

Thanks so much for your help, I am starting to gather all the stuff I'm going to go with and get a total together and see if it will work within my budget.