Looking for advice on which lighting

boboyo · Dec 23, 2020

Hi, I recently purchased an secondhand aquarium and it came with old school radium light bulbs, looking to upgrade it to something more recent as his bulbs get way too hot and it’s not the best looking metal cover for the light.

My tank dimensions
Inches : 18 wide x 40 long x 20 high
Cm : 45x101x51

What’s the cheapest light that could do the trick? Planning on having mostly soft corals since this is my first tank. I’m also on a budget.

I figured to not buy a 80$ “decorative led light for aquariums” on Amazon but I’m kind of lost. I was told to get minimum a G3 for my tank but that’s kinda pricey

Heres a pic of my aquarium.

Lastly, should I just stick with the ugly radium light bulb system and just figure out some cooling?

YankeeTankee · Dec 23, 2020

So you have a fixture, ballast, and radium bulbs? I would just use that, yes it's hot and some don't love the look but they grow coral very well and you've got the setup at no cost. These are excellent lights.

boboyo · Dec 23, 2020

YankeeTankee said:
So you have a fixture, ballast, and radium bulbs? I would just use that, yes it's hot and some don't love the look but they grow coral very well and you've got the setup at no cost. These are excellent lights.

Wow I didn't know they were this good. I'm just a little concerned as I was told it could be a fire hazard. There's also not much info on these on the internet. I have no idea how high to place them but I'll manage.

What would be a good LED alternative for my tank dimensions? I'll start looking into it and maybe upgrade when a good opportunity comes

YankeeTankee · Dec 23, 2020

Honestly you cannot upgrade from radium MH in my opinion. I mean with quality LEDs you can get as good maybe, most lights can grow corals these days and there are not the big discrepancies like there used to be. Halides are out of style for the reasons you mentioned but as far as how well they do what they are supposed to (grow coral) they are awesome. You will need a timer to turn them on/off at the correct times. If you want to upgrade it would be for looks of the fixture and heat. If you do want to go LED for those reasons there are tons of choices. Recently I ordered Reefi Uno LEDs, 2 would suite your tank nicely, would run you about 750 bucks with mounts and not grow coral any better than what you have now, and dont worry there are cheaper options. They do look pretty sleek though, don't emit much light sideways so they dont blind you, and can be controlled in every imaginable way ie colors, ramping, lightning/clouds simulation lol.

Your reef would benefit much more from spending that money elsewhere, dunno your setup.

Bepis · Dec 23, 2020

a alternative to them is
Led bars ( I recommend the orphek OR3S)
(Reef brites are another option)
T5s (ATI makes the best fixtures)
Standard LED lights
(Too state a few)
[Highest quality: Kessil or Radions]
[Lower end: AI, Maxspect Jump, and noopsyche.

There is a good amount of people that use the cheapest option Black box LEDs like Mars aqua, etc.

and some do a mixture like radions with orphek OR3s, or kessils with the aquatic life T5 hybrid fixture

X-37B · Dec 23, 2020

Halide guy here.
If I was to go led OR3 light bars get my nod.
2 OR3 90's would be the ticket and not break the bank.
Any pics of your current light system
I run 2 250 watt halides 14" of the surface of my 120 with no heat issues at all.

boboyo · Dec 23, 2020

90's reefer said:
Halide guy here.
If I was to go led OR3 light bars get my nod.
2 OR3 90's would be the ticket and not break the bank.
Any pics of your current light system
I run 2 250 watt halides 14" of the surface of my 120 with no heat issues at all.

The 2 small LEDs are velcroed on by the guy that had it before me, I only got this whole setup 5 days ago. I’ll try and find a way to add some small brushless fans so my house doesn’t burn down. I’m having trouble cleaning all the salt off the metal (on the top side). Plus I hate cleaning this kind of metal, it feels like fingernails on a chalkboard.

All I know is that it’s a 250w and I got some spare bulbs (they might not be functional)

X-37B · Dec 23, 2020

boboyo said:
The 2 small LEDs are velcroed on by the guy that had it before me, I only got this whole setup 5 days ago. I’ll try and find a way to add some small brushless fans so my house doesn’t burn down. I’m having trouble cleaning all the salt off the metal (on the top side). Plus I hate cleaning this kind of metal, it feels like fingernails on a chalkboard.

All I know is that it’s a 250w and I got some spare bulbs (they might not be functional)

The small reflector look like a standard grow light reflector.
If the ballast fires the bulb take a look at the lumenbright reflectors.
I run them on my 120.
Here is what they look like.

boboyo · Dec 23, 2020

90's reefer said:
The small reflector look like a standard grow light reflector.
If the ballast fires the bulb take a look at the lumenbright reflectors.
I run them on my 120.
Here is what they look like.

Wow that’s beautiful!! Can’t wait for my tank to look as sexy as yours. I guess I could always make a new light housing thing.

Does yours ever got too hot?

X-37B · Dec 23, 2020

boboyo said:
Wow that’s beautiful!! Can’t wait for my tank to look as sexy as yours. I guess I could always make a new light housing thing.

Does yours ever got too hot?

No. At 14" above the surface their is no issue.
Tank runs 79-81 year round with no chiller. Just a small fan in the sump. You can see it in the pic.
The lumenbright mini is only $150.
I run double end bulbs but they make one for single end bulbs like yours.

YankeeTankee · Dec 24, 2020

boboyo said:
The 2 small LEDs are velcroed on by the guy that had it before me, I only got this whole setup 5 days ago. I’ll try and find a way to add some small brushless fans so my house doesn’t burn down. I’m having trouble cleaning all the salt off the metal (on the top side). Plus I hate cleaning this kind of metal, it feels like fingernails on a chalkboard.

All I know is that it’s a 250w and I got some spare bulbs (they might not be functional)

I don't see ballasts, do you have them/can you fire up lights? They usually look like a brick.

if you don't have those then there's an argument for LEDs as I thought you had the whole setup, plus theres no splash guard/UV blocking and since the reflector does not go down low you might be able to see the side of the light when sitting, especially if you mount high, which is bad for your eyes, just some thoughts.