Lights for deep Tanks

[ReefCartel]

Thank you all for all the great knowledge and suggestions. I know Halides are great and they have proven to do wonders for corals but this discussion has made me a little more confused lol I just really want to know which "LEDs" would be best for my tank of 4 feet in depth?. I have an In-Wall Tank and halides would emit too much heat inside the wall :( (Not to mention a friend of mine burned half his garage using Halides).

Maybe the question I should have asked was "Which LEDs would be the closest to halides?" lol

Sorry just didn't want this thread to turn into a "Halide VS. LED debate. I know that has been a big controversy for years but I have always been [HASHTAG]#TeamLED[/HASHTAG] ;)

I would love to see anyone with deep tanks and thriving corals (while using LEDs ;) step forward and let me see whatcha working with and long ya been working that. lol

 

[mcarroll]

I think it may be iPhone-only, but I know there have been reports of good apps on Android too...

 

[mcarroll]

"Check out the Orbit Marine Pro, Kessils Narrow lens options, Maxspect's default might not be too bad even at 90º, but opt for a Razor that's "a bit too long" vs one that's "a bit too short" as the edges of 90º light are exceedingly dim....as well as any others you can think of with lenses in the range of 60º to 80º."

I know it complicates things, but getting "closer to halides" defeats, in full or in part, some of the best advantages LED has to offer.

Everything on the list above is "halide like" aside from the Orbit. I think both major types of halide are "represented" in fact.

(And keep in mind you can burn down your garage with any mis-installed electrical gadget - LEDs are not immune to this.)

 

[ReefCartel]

"Check out the Orbit Marine Pro, Kessils Narrow lens options, Maxspect's default might not be too bad even at 90º, but opt for a Razor that's "a bit too long" vs one that's "a bit too short" as the edges of 90º light are exceedingly dim....as well as any others you can think of with lenses in the range of 60º to 80º."

I know it complicates things, but getting "closer to halides" defeats, in full or in part, some of the best advantages LED has to offer.

Everything on the list above is "halide like" aside from the Orbit. I think both major types of halide are "represented" in fact.

(And keep in mind you can burn down your garage with any mis-installed electrical gadget - LEDs are not immune to this.)

Perfect thank you mcarroll. You always know your shstuff. :)

Yes your right any electrical gadget mis-installed can burn (I was just watching the news and another hover board blew up) but just standing in front of an aquarium with halides you can already feel the heat. lol with LEDS i can put my hand over the lens after a full day being on and it wont burn my hand.

 

[fragit]

The Meter
Don't wait on picking your light to get the meter! Head to AmaBayGateAzonMart and order one! Shouldn't be more than $15-$20 including shipping. If you have an iphone, check out Galactica Luxmeter (free) to get yourself started. (The lux meter may come straight from China so there could be a significant wait.) :)

The Light
One thing to consider is that commercial fixtures are always going to be the most expensive options. A DIY for your tank of a light like mine would cost <=$200. Basic colors, on/off functionality, nothing fancy except happy corals.

To light a 48" x 20" tank from 12", you'd need something with something in the range of 60º or 80º lenses. At 20" you'd need something like 30º lenses. This assumes you want to light the whole tank, but not light the room it's in nor grow excess algae on your glass. Most commercial fixtures make enough "compromises" that they struggle with those three items.

I think you've got some commercial options at 12", but at 20" you'd have to do some finagling to make something work - there just aren't many (any at all?) fixtures that make good use of lenses at all, let alone powerful lenses like 30º. (My DIY fixture does.)

Check out the Orbit Marine Pro, Kessils Narrow lens options, Maxspect's default might not be too bad even at 90º, but opt for a Razor that's "a bit too long" vs one that's "a bit too short" as the edges of 90º light are exceedingly dim....as well as any others you can think of with lenses in the range of 60º to 80º.

BTW, 68º is what I calculated as "ideal"...the corals aren't that particular, so I say 60-80.
My go-to triangle calculator: http://ostermiller.org/calc/triangle.html

@mcarroll so right before I toe down my old tank about 5 years ago I did a diy led system from rapid led. At that point in time it was recommended to use cool white and royal blue LEDs. Now I'm seeing the new fixtures and diy setups using UV, green, red, and deep blue colors. I have read and it seems logical to me that corals respond best to the blue spectrum. Red is the first wavelength absorbed by water, so that makes sense. My led rack has 36 Cree leds, I am toying with the idea of adding another 24-36 LEDs which would be a mixture of royal, deep blue, and uv. My setup is dimmable so I've already got that option. The optics I have are 80 degrees. So one thought I had was to add the above and spread the 18 cool whites I have among the other 2-3 heat sinks. Do you have any opinions or feedback on my idea?

 

[reefwiser]

I tried searching this app with no luck![emoji20]

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/galactica-luxmeter/id666846635?mt=8
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.notquitethem.android.luxmeter&hl=en

 

[fragit]

There are a couple low priced lux apps just search lux meter. I couldn't find a free one. It was recommended to me I think by @SunnyX that an actual lux meter (not an app) is a better investment (only $15-$20) because the color correction on the phones can mess with the apps accuracy.

 

[ReefCartel]

@mcarroll so right before I toe down my old tank about 5 years ago I did a diy led system from rapid led. At that point in time it was recommended to use cool white and royal blue LEDs. Now I'm seeing the new fixtures and diy setups using UV, green, red, and deep blue colors. I have read and it seems logical to me that corals respond best to the blue spectrum. Red is the first wavelength absorbed by water, so that makes sense. My led rack has 36 Cree leds, I am toying with the idea of adding another 24-36 LEDs which would be a mixture of royal, deep blue, and uv. My setup is dimmable so I've already got that option. The optics I have are 80 degrees. So one thought I had was to add the above and spread the 18 cool whites I have among the other 2-3 heat sinks. Do you have any opinions or feedback on my idea?

Can I see a pic of your set up? and the tank also? if you're okay with it.

 

[fragit]

@ReefCartel I don't currently have a tank set up. I'm beginning to start a slow 100 gallon inwall build. Just been working on my basement sump/fish area, and building the sump, lots of planning, and research. I will try and get you a pic of the light set up. I made it for my old 40 breeder, and didn't have the lights on there very long before I had to tear it down. So I don't as of yet know how effective they are. I'm leaning towards getting two kessils for my application, they have more control options than my diy set up. However for the price of one kessil I could add 24 more led's to my existing set up. So I don't know what I'm gonna do yet. I will try and get you some pics over the weekend.

 

[ReefCartel]

@ReefCartel I don't currently have a tank set up. I'm beginning to start a slow 100 gallon inwall build. Just been working on my basement sump/fish area, and building the sump, lots of planning, and research. I will try and get you a pic of the light set up. I made it for my old 40 breeder, and didn't have the lights on there very long before I had to tear it down. So I don't as of yet know how effective they are. I'm leaning towards getting two kessils for my application, they have more control options than my diy set up. However for the price of one kessil I could add 24 more led's to my existing set up. So I don't know what I'm gonna do yet. I will try and get you some pics over the weekend.

Awesome bud. I love in-wall builds. If you need tip let me know, i might be able to help. :)

 

[fragit]

Will do, gonna need lot's of tips/help/suggestions. First off is the return pump. Was thinking going vectra but somebody else mentioned BRS suggested going with reeflo because the vectras don't handle the head pressure very well. Gonna be about 13-15' head pressure any suggestions? And here's a link to my build https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/100-in-wall-slow-build.230792/

 

[ReefCartel]

Ah man I use the Diablo Variable Speed pump. The best pump ever in my opinion. perfect for hard plumbing too

 

[fragit]

I checked their website and didn't see it advertised any where. I've also looked at a few websites. I have one of thier skimmers and love it, and plan on getting a bigger one for the new tank. Where can I find the diablos?

 

[ReefCartel]

Go on Ebay. It came fast too.

 

[mcarroll]

A conventional internal or external return pump (DC or not) will not do it in your case. You will need something like a dolphin or reeflo pump. This is the main argument against remote sumps, but it is definitely doable.

 

[mcarroll]

Lifegard makes some suitable pumps as well.

 

[fragit]

You think huh, I was hoping to stay away from having to drill.

 

[mcarroll]

This is a basement sump?

 

[fragit]

Yes sir, 40 breeder refugium and 40 breeder sump. About 13.5 feet I think from sump to the top of where the DT will be.

 

[mcarroll]

Consider going sumpless.

Yes I am serious. It may not fit with your priorities, but it might.

If it does fit, you can save a whole lot of complexity, and effectively lose no functionality.

I'd use a Reefpack 500 for filtration. Lots of ways to go with it.