Lighting for my tank

Corey Shelk · Oct 31, 2018

I need better lights and I'm going to be looking for them this Black Friday. I currently have a standard 20 gallon tank (24"x12"x16") and I'll either be switching it to my old 20 gallon long (30"x12"x12") or upgrading to a 30 gallon (30"x12"x18"). I want to be able to grow frogspawn and maybe some leathers. If I upgrade to a 30 gallon I also want a BTA. Can you all help me with lighting and some specific lights you recommend? I'm still confused on what to look for and I've gotten help on my build thread but I want to consolidate it all. Thank you!

Old Fritz · Oct 31, 2018

I'd be a little cautious of buying electronics on black friday, I don't know if aquatic companies have the same practices as other companies but other companies intentionally put much cheaper parts in their electronics that are far more prone to failing, again not so sure about light companies, but just a warning. Anyways that rant aside what is your budget?

Corey Shelk · Oct 31, 2018

I would say around $100-$150 would be a good price. I am currently able to get this LED but it's 48" so way too long and I don't know if it's strong enough. But if it's strong enough then I'll suck it up and just have a ridiculous looking light lol.

pshootr · Oct 31, 2018

Please don't put a 48-inch light over your 24 inch tank, LOL

For the budget you mentioned, I don't think you can do any better then a black box, in terms of appropriate lighting for corals. The one from viparspectra has a built-in timer, but there will be no Sunrise or Sunset features. If you are willing to put another hundred on top of the high-end of your current budget, then you could go for an AI Prime with a mounting bracket.

https://www.amazon.com/VIPARSPECTRA...ocphy=9012300&hvtargid=pla-319024685974&psc=1

https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/prime-hd-led-module-black-body-aqua-illumination.html

Ron Reefman · Oct 31, 2018

For the corals you want to keep the Current is OK as long as the tank is shallow. Your old tank at 12" would be perfect with this fixture. The 16" you have now would be OK... but it's iffy for any corals that want more light than the ones you mentioned. At 18" deep, the tank is really getting iffy with that fixture and you might want to consider one that is stronger.

The led in the Current fixture are just 0.5 watts at best and they try to make up for the low power by adding way more leds... but it really doesn't work that way. Most black box fixtures use 3.0 watt leds and then run them between 1.8 watts (Mars Aqua) and 2.2 watts (pretty much everybody else). At 18" or deeper, I'd go for a black box fixture like Viparspectra, Ocean Revive, Euphotica or SB Reef.

Corey Shelk · Nov 1, 2018

Thank you both! I'll look into those you two mentioned

Dana Riddle · Nov 1, 2018

The corals/anemones you mentioned don't require a lot of light. A black box is a good bet if you're on a budget.

Corey Shelk · Nov 1, 2018

Thank you!

Corey Shelk · Nov 2, 2018

I'm home right now and I went to check out my old LFS and they had a Fluval rep in. I was talking to him about one of their lights and he the light we were talking about and was showing me his tank, anyways long story short I ended up getting it. It was a little above my price range so I just considered it an early Christmas present to myself. I'm impressed with the PAR values because even at the bottom of a 30 gallon, it is still stronger than the current light I have. So is this good for the corals and BTA I want? Anyways, here it is: