Looking for better lights and powerhead

[fishgirljockey]

hi yall

I am looking to buy better lights for my tank. I currently have a 40 gallon breeder with the CORALIFE lights on them. Honestly, they aren't bad and everything been doing well, however, I want better. The PAR on them doesn't go as high as I need them to especially for anemones and other coral. Can anyone chime in and recommend a set of lights? And let me know if I need one or two of them. Don't worry about price. I just want to see what options are out there and I also want to see what powerhead are good to use. Im really interested in the wave maker ones; I like the one that can do variations of flows. Please let me know! I am ready to do some upgrades!

 

[ColoredRock]

I have smat farm amazon lights $130 lights, I also have Radion xr30 g4 pro's....

When buy lights this is what I am looking at now:

ReeFi Uno 2.0 Pro – ReeFi Lab

www.reefi-lab.com

 

[MooreReefing]

In terms of lighting take a look at Radion xr15s and the Red Sea reefled 50 I would think that 2 of either would give you more than enough par and coverage for what you’re trying to do. For power heads take a look at the Red Sea reef wave, Vortech mp10s and the AI Nero 3. The mobius app can be **** but the Nero and Vortech have a lot of different settings and modes to try out.

 

[fishgirljockey]

In terms of lighting take a look at Radion xr15s and the Red Sea reefled 50 I would think that 2 of either would give you more than enough par and coverage for what you’re trying to do. For power heads take a look at the Red Sea reef wave, Vortech mp10s and the AI Nero 3. The mobius app can be **** but the Nero and Vortech have a lot of different settings and modes to try out.

Okay great! I like the shape of the Red Sea! That’s the shape I’m looking for. Im reading a lot thought about what you said. The connecting issue. What if Wifi goes out? Does that mean the lights won’t work or just the app? Is there anything else similar to this design that has an easier setup? So two would be okay? I have a long tentacle anemone that needs a lot of PAR. And im starting to get into a lot of colorful discosomas and zoas. I want something that’s going to give me good coloring! I want to start fragging and selling as welll. I’m going to start a separate tank with just small frags when I do start. So would these lights be good for that as well? Was thinking to get a long long short tank. I’ll prolly make it if anything cause I just want a heigh of maybe 12inches. But I just need a good set of lights for coloring.

 

[RedoubtReef]

T5s

 

[fishgirljockey]

T5s

Which brands? I’m new to this so I’m looking for something that will give me the best coloring. I want to start fragging and selling eventually. I’m really into the discosomas and Zoas. Of course other corals as well but I need something that will give me the best color. The price I’m not worried about. I’m ready to spend whatever I need to get me the desired look

 

[Rmckoy]

I also vote t5’s

ati makes a great fixture .( I believe it’s called ati sun power ?
Someone correct me if I’m wrong

 

[RedoubtReef]

Which brands? I’m new to this so I’m looking for something that will give me the best coloring. I want to start fragging and selling eventually. I’m really into the discosomas and Zoas. Of course other corals as well but I need something that will give me the best color. The price I’m not worried about. I’m ready to spend whatever I need to get me the desired look

Look for a good used fixture, ATI as suggested. Here's some good videos on bulb combo's:





There's also ReefBrite pendants with halide bulbs that can be paired with T5 or their actinic XHO LED. I

 

[Renaissance corals]

I run 2 AI prime 16HDs but you can get away with one for a while if price is an issue.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Highly recommended for output/spectrum and reliability:

Ai hydra 26 or 32hd
Orphek OR3-90 strips ( one sky blue/1 blue plus)
@noopsyche V7 wifi
vivarspectra LED

Powerhead:
Koralia
Nero 3
Jebao RW-4 or 8
Cobalt

 

[MooreReefing]

Okay great! I like the shape of the Red Sea! That’s the shape I’m looking for. Im reading a lot thought about what you said. The connecting issue. What if Wifi goes out? Does that mean the lights won’t work or just the app? Is there anything else similar to this design that has an easier setup? So two would be okay? I have a long tentacle anemone that needs a lot of PAR. And im starting to get into a lot of colorful discosomas and zoas. I want something that’s going to give me good coloring! I want to start fragging and selling as welll. I’m going to start a separate tank with just small frags when I do start. So would these lights be good for that as well? Was thinking to get a long long short tank. I’ll prolly make it if anything cause I just want a heigh of maybe 12inches. But I just need a good set of lights for coloring.

If the WiFi goes out, everything will still work just fine! Once you have your settings in place, they will stay that way and function just like you set them to regardless! But honestly, all of the “reefing” apps have issues. Some work better than others but they all have their problems. If you want to skip all of that, I agree with others in this thread that T5’s are a solid choice and will work great for what you’re trying to do. But yes, any medium to high end light these days will work and give you good par and coloration for your corals. Plenty of reefers have just used black box LED lights from Amazon and had great success. Ultimately it’s up to you and what you want out your light. Everything mentioned in this thread so far (Red Sea lights, AI primes, radions, T5’s, etc) will work and give you results. It just comes down to your preferences!

 

[Pntbll687]

I know you said don't worry about price, but that should be a factor, as far as what you get for the price.

Going LED there's 3 routes
1. Budget - I would look at nicrew 150 or 100w lights from amazon. They are good lights at a decent price. Decent controls, and options. Two of the 150w lights is gonna run $370

2. LED Bars - I would go with Quanta Reef 3ft bars, probably 3 of them, you'll have no issues keeping anything you want. They're $160 each, so for 3 bars you're looking at $480

Quanta Pro - Meso Blue | Quanta Lights

Wide spectrum blue is the name of the game for Meso Blue. The first and only true LED replacement for the ATI Blue Plus bulb on the market. It is recommended to get the longest LED light bar that can accommodate your tank length. For example, if you have a 48” long tank, I would recommend the...

www.quantareef.com

3. LED (high end) - I would put the reefi-lab uno pro 2.0 here. 9 channel control, 270w light. Mount it higher and you'll have no issues covering the tank with one fixture. $480 well spent

I think there's a trend to just recommend Radion/AI/Reefbrite without actually justifying the cost of those lights. A Radion XR30 Pro/blue is $949 for a 215w light, which is actually going to pull less than that once you tune the spectrums. You could go for the reefi-lab uno pro, and get a more powerful light, a bigger spectrum of blue, actual UV, and a 3yr warranty for just over half the cost of a XR30.

Powerheads
Again you need to see what they'll be used for.
Budget - Jebao
Mid Grade - AI Nero/Reef octopus / Tunze
High end - Vortech

I have 5 jebao powerheads in use and have zero issues with them. The new SLW are my go to right now. They have less features than other powerheads, but they get the job done. I also have an octopulse 4 from Reef Octopus, it works really well, but without an apex/hydros wave engine, it's limited in functions.

Vortech - lots of features, no cords in the tank, moves lots of water. They are nice, but personally I can't justify the cost

 

[Koh23]

Okay great! I like the shape of the Red Sea! That’s the shape I’m looking for.

If you like red sea, why not look into popbloom rs90?

Much cheaper, great light, not a single problem. For now, they have separate controller (not wifi), but wifi upgrade/version will be available, i hope soon.

Many satisfied users, very little difference to red sea, but, way cheaper.

 

[fishgirljockey]

I know you said don't worry about price, but that should be a factor, as far as what you get for the price.

Going LED there's 3 routes
1. Budget - I would look at nicrew 150 or 100w lights from amazon. They are good lights at a decent price. Decent controls, and options. Two of the 150w lights is gonna run $370

2. LED Bars - I would go with Quanta Reef 3ft bars, probably 3 of them, you'll have no issues keeping anything you want. They're $160 each, so for 3 bars you're looking at $480

Quanta Pro - Meso Blue | Quanta Lights

Wide spectrum blue is the name of the game for Meso Blue. The first and only true LED replacement for the ATI Blue Plus bulb on the market. It is recommended to get the longest LED light bar that can accommodate your tank length. For example, if you have a 48” long tank, I would recommend the...

www.quantareef.com

3. LED (high end) - I would put the reefi-lab uno pro 2.0 here. 9 channel control, 270w light. Mount it higher and you'll have no issues covering the tank with one fixture. $480 well spent

I think there's a trend to just recommend Radion/AI/Reefbrite without actually justifying the cost of those lights. A Radion XR30 Pro/blue is $949 for a 215w light, which is actually going to pull less than that once you tune the spectrums. You could go for the reefi-lab uno pro, and get a more powerful light, a bigger spectrum of blue, actual UV, and a 3yr warranty for just over half the cost of a XR30.

Powerheads
Again you need to see what they'll be used for.
Budget - Jebao
Mid Grade - AI Nero/Reef octopus / Tunze
High end - Vortech

I have 5 jebao powerheads in use and have zero issues with them. The new SLW are my go to right now. They have less features than other powerheads, but they get the job done. I also have an octopulse 4 from Reef Octopus, it works really well, but without an apex/hydros wave engine, it's limited in functions.

Vortech - lots of features, no cords in the tank, moves lots of water. They are nice, but personally I can't justify the cost

Thank you!! I really like the information on the reefi-lab uno pro 2.0. I might go with that one. Would I need two of them? For a 40 gallon breeder tank

 

[Pntbll687]

Thank you!! I really like the information on the reefi-lab uno pro 2.0. I might go with that one. Would I need two of them? For a 40 gallon breeder tank

I'd start with just one. Mount it 12"+ above the tank and adjust from there.

 

[fishgirljockey]

I have smat farm amazon lights $130 lights, I also have Radion xr30 g4 pro's....

When buy lights this is what I am looking at now:

ReeFi Uno 2.0 Pro – ReeFi Lab

www.reefi-lab.com

How many of these would I need for a 40g breeder? 2? And I really love T5s. Can I mix that? Say if I need two of these then can I also add in T5s? I want those!!! Beautiful lights

 

[Devaji]

Hey @fishgirljockey here is my 2 cents....for what ever there worth. you got a lot of great info already

lots of options for both. also nice to think ahead just in case/when you upgrade so you can reuse some of the lighting.
3' tanks are not the cheapest to light there in that "in between" size where most of the puck style lights are make for 2x2 so you would need 2 of them, but the good news here when you go bigger you'll have the lights. so how likly are you going to upgrade in say next 12-18 months?

all that said i have the Red sea 300XL 36x22x22ish for a project seahorse build I am doing I was gonna go with 2x AI primes but switched and going with 2X AI blades grows they are like T5 but no bulb changes ,cheaper to run and can set up sunrise/sunset schedule as well as other setting all the while getting the "right" spectrum coral corals.
I bet you could get away with one 30"er for a 40br but 2 would be even better.

the #1 selling point for me was the rest on tank mount this will keep the light spill to a min. so your room is not a blue disco.

for flow:
again lots of options here.
Gyres will need to be clean more than other pumps.

mp10/40 are nice but $$$$ but if you get an extra wet side you can swap out in 1 min. but for the price of an MP10 might as well go with the mp40.

jebao are a cheaper option but plan on replacing 18 months best to have a back up on hand. some will last for years others crap out. but you often can get 2 for the price of one other wave maker.

tunze are built proof I hear they last along time. basic control-ability tho. compared to others.

wavs are meh they crap out as fast as jeabos I here.

Ai neros love to each fish. if you like them go with the reef breedrs option same but cheaper with out the app tho.

reef octopus pumps look cool.

all depend on what type of flow you like/need and pump style in or out of the tank. the Mp40 look great in the tank but you have then huge pimple hanging on the out side of the glass box kinda of an eye sore.
where Gyres are in the tank but long and narrow and produce a wide flow pattern.

I like the gyre style pumps as long as you dont mind more cleaning they would be my recommendation. either the jeabo cross flow or maxspext/icecap ones.

or a pair of tunze 6095 but there going to be pretty big in that tank but like the above and move with the upgrade.

next would be Mp40s.

good luck deciding and be a choir for sure. ha

 

[Devaji]

Here is help video showing flow patterns:

 

[fishgirljockey]

Hey @fishgirljockey here is my 2 cents....for what ever there worth. you got a lot of great info already

lots of options for both. also nice to think ahead just in case/when you upgrade so you can reuse some of the lighting.
3' tanks are not the cheapest to light there in that "in between" size where most of the puck style lights are make for 2x2 so you would need 2 of them, but the good news here when you go bigger you'll have the lights. so how likly are you going to upgrade in say next 12-18 months?

all that said i have the Red sea 300XL 36x22x22ish for a project seahorse build I am doing I was gonna go with 2x AI primes but switched and going with 2X AI blades grows they are like T5 but no bulb changes ,cheaper to run and can set up sunrise/sunset schedule as well as other setting all the while getting the "right" spectrum coral corals.
I bet you could get away with one 30"er for a 40br but 2 would be even better.

the #1 selling point for me was the rest on tank mount this will keep the light spill to a min. so your room is not a blue disco.

for flow:
again lots of options here.
Gyres will need to be clean more than other pumps.

mp10/40 are nice but $$$$ but if you get an extra wet side you can swap out in 1 min. but for the price of an MP10 might as well go with the mp40.

jebao are a cheaper option but plan on replacing 18 months best to have a back up on hand. some will last for years others crap out. but you often can get 2 for the price of one other wave maker.

tunze are built proof I hear they last along time. basic control-ability tho. compared to others.

wavs are meh they crap out as fast as jeabos I here.

Ai neros love to each fish. if you like them go with the reef breedrs option same but cheaper with out the app tho.

reef octopus pumps look cool.

all depend on what type of flow you like/need and pump style in or out of the tank. the Mp40 look great in the tank but you have then huge pimple hanging on the out side of the glass box kinda of an eye sore.
where Gyres are in the tank but long and narrow and produce a wide flow pattern.

I like the gyre style pumps as long as you dont mind more cleaning they would be my recommendation. either the jeabo cross flow or maxspext/icecap ones.

or a pair of tunze 6095 but there going to be pretty big in that tank but like the above and move with the upgrade.

next would be Mp40s.

good luck deciding and be a choir for sure. ha

I have a mixed reef with about 9 fish. Right now I just use the plain and simple aqeuon powerheads. I mean they do the trick, but I think things can do a tad bit better. I have about 75 frags; mixed reef - I have GSP, different types of mushrooms, tons of zoas, hammers, gonios, Duncans, candy canes, acans, blastos, cabbage, pagoda cup, chalices, birds nest, montiporas... list goes on lol I even have a gonio that I thought dies months ago. It literally just looked like a rubble. I noticed it have small neon green dots inside the rubble so I just left it. 7 months later, its growing back! its wilddddd. So I mean the cheap stuff is getting it done but I want to do even better. So I am reading to get some different pulses in the tank. I have a canister - the spray bar which I absolutely love. It gets some nice flow in there as well. But I think the flow could be more creative rather than just the same direct flow, you know? It took an insanely amount of brainstorming to find a spot for every coral and every single one is doing very well. Nothing is crapping out. It took a lot of moving rocks and certain position of the powerheads to get the perfect amount of flow for each. As far as fish I have a flame angel, maroon and a pink skunk, cardinal, melanurus, two pink Talbot damsels and a blenny. I want to get more talbots and maybe 2 more fish and that's it. I was recently hit with velvet and I just put the fish back in about 2 weeks ago. So far tho, everything is going great. I just want to change up the power heads and lights!