Lighting

[bugmanpwhite]

Ok, so I’ve been into freshwater tanks for as long as I can remember and have always been researching information, ideas, and methods for reef keeping for just about as long (never actually started or kept a reef tank till last year). So my question is, why don’t more people just use those generic RGB “flood lights” vs “reef-specific” lights? I see lots of lower watt “reef” lights that cost around $100-$200 depending on brand and of course there’s the higher watt lights for $500-$1,200 like radion, ecotech, waterbox, etc. So what’s stopping someone from buying an exterior, waterproof 120watt RGB floodlight (for your house) for $39.99 and just adjusting the LEDS to match the spectrum of a “brand-name” light? It has the same mobile functions as all those expensive “reef” lights (timer, individually controllable LEDs, etc to make any customizable color or spectrum minus UV obviously) without the ridiculously high cost. I’ve had one of those 120 watt RGB “flood lights” since day one and I haven’t seen ANY negative affects on my tank. . . It’s been 4 months and it’s growing macros and other algae’s like crazy, corallines, favia, and my one pavona just fine at 40%. . . If I wanted to add other sps like acros and monti’s, wouldn’t turning up the intensity to match the higher PAR of “professional” brand-name lighting achieve the same thing? Sorry if I’m naive, but it just doesn’t make sense to me to buy a 100watt radion for over $500 when I can literally do the same thing and get the same results from a light that only costs $39.99?

 

[TX_REEF]

To answer the first question, people don’t just use flood lights because the spectrum is not optimized for coral growth, and perhaps the proper spectrum is not present at all in certain non purpose built LEDs. In other words, it would grow plants (and algae) just fine, without providing much benefit to corals. In the simplest terms, it's like asking "why is a Bugatti better for racing than a twin turbo diesel truck? they both have the same amount of power!"

That being said, “you get what you pay for” is only true to a certain extent. You can find quality reef lights at almost any price point, from $50 into the multiple thousands.

For example, this light, the noopsyche k7, will grow just about any coral you could ever want on most normal sized tanks on a relatively low budget: https://noopsychereeflight.com/prod...tqhabRCIEPb0DDAXUNqfPlujLuxdXoEL7L1EsszrNNNyS

On the other side of the price spectrum, you have something like this, the kessil AP9x. While it will not significantly benefit the growth rate of corals vs. the noopsyche, it will yield superior color development, has more adjustable options for spectrum, and produces a stunning shimmer effect in your tank. The aesthetic design of the fixture is also clearly more refined: https://amzn.to/3R0z3vZ