Hello, Looking for some recommendations for what will be a 225 gallon mixed coral reef aquarium. Dimensions are 72.5 long x 24.5 wide x 29.25 tall. Based on my research I'm looking to use T5s with LEDs (T5s being the predominant light source) although open to suggestions that are different. I am setting up the tank in my shop that doesn't have WI-FI so I'd prefer not to pay for that capability. Anyways, would love to hear some opinions out there. Thank you in advance!
Lighting recommendation for a mixed reef 225 gallon
- Thread starter Kan9
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Start with a 6 bulb ATI and then maybe some LED strips (orphek, reef breeders or reef brite XHO) mounted to the front and back.
6 is fine for a mixed reef.
6 is fine for a mixed reef.
I would worry about 4 penetrating down that deep if some day you wanted a clam, or higher light stuff. 4 is more for a 18 inch deep tank that is 18 inches tall, or something like that.
I would get a 60", for sure. It will be dark enough on the ends with the 6" uncovered.
sp1187
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Awesome, I appreciate your insight...and thank you for the link. Ill be researching over the next few days so any other thoughts on the subject of lighting will be much appreciated (other daytime configurations, time on, night lighting, ect) Thanks!
I'll second the recommendation for a 6 bulb T5 with led strips on each end. Get the 60" fixture also. This would be a setup where the T5s are doing the majority of the lighting. In fact, you could probably even do an 8 bulb fixture with led bars on each side if you wanted. You can always choose to run less bulbs or use one channel for dawn / dusk exclusively. The nice thing about having the 8 bulbs is it gives you more flexibility in fine tuning your bulb combination. However, the more T5 bulbs you run, the less visual impact the LEDs will make in regards to shimmer and color (relative to the T5 bulbs).
If you want more controllability, shimmer, or more balance between LEDs and T5, then you want to go with something that runs 4 T5 bulbs (2 on each end). For instance, the aquatic life hybrid setup or something similar will work, but you will need substantially more LEDs with that tank depth and depending on your stocking plans.
Any opinions on the following?
1 Aquacave 60" 6X80W ATI SUNPOWER T5 HIGH-OUTPUT LIGHT FIXTURE
+
2 Reef Breeders The LumenBar Color 60″ x 2 (1 High Octane & 1 Royal Ice)
Thoughts on LED light color choice above?
Any thoughts on the best bulb combo below for ultimately what Im hoping is a successful mixed coral reef aquarium?
Bulb combo 1-
ATI Blue+
ATI True Actinic
Giesemann 6500k Tropic
Ati Blue+
ATI Blue+
ATI True Actinic
Bulb combo 2-
3 blue Plus
2 Coral Plus or 2 KZ 10Ks
1 True Actinic.
Bulb combo 3-
3 Blue plus
2 True Actinic
1 Purple plus
Thanks in advance!
1 Aquacave 60" 6X80W ATI SUNPOWER T5 HIGH-OUTPUT LIGHT FIXTURE
+
2 Reef Breeders The LumenBar Color 60″ x 2 (1 High Octane & 1 Royal Ice)
Thoughts on LED light color choice above?
Any thoughts on the best bulb combo below for ultimately what Im hoping is a successful mixed coral reef aquarium?
Bulb combo 1-
ATI Blue+
ATI True Actinic
Giesemann 6500k Tropic
Ati Blue+
ATI Blue+
ATI True Actinic
Bulb combo 2-
3 blue Plus
2 Coral Plus or 2 KZ 10Ks
1 True Actinic.
Bulb combo 3-
3 Blue plus
2 True Actinic
1 Purple plus
Thanks in advance!
ATI fixtures are great. I run a 6 bulb with LED supplements. Any bulb combination is likely to be fine, so go with whatever combination you like visually. Without knowing how white you like your tank to look and other preferences, it's hard to comment on what bulb combination to shoot for. I personally think one pure actinic bulb is plenty in a 6 bulb combo, so I'd probably use another blue plus bulb versus 2 pure actinics (in the combos you have listed with two pure actinics). 6500k bulbs are a bit too yellow for my taste, but some people like that. ATI purple plus bulbs can be one of those that some people love, and others can think it's a bit too much. In 6 bulb setup, 1 would be okay. Best thing to do for bulbs is to order you 4 to 6 bulbs to start and mix / match till you get a feel for how white you want the tank to be. Whatever bulbs you don't like, keep as extras to have on hand. Always helpful to have a couple of extra bulbs laying around for when a bulb goes out unexpectedly.
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