MRRBW
Active Member
When it comes to puck led's it seems that the evidence is there that more is better. Cost becomes an issue for sure, upfront. Long term I think you win out, but it definitely hurts up front. Looking at hobby leaders like Mike Paletta, Sanjay, WWC, etc they have more led's than what most hobbyist use to get proper coverage. LED bars + led pucks is likely the future. I seem to always see people say go back to halides, which the reality is their time in the market is limited given how small a market it is for them. T5's will be around for some time but still can be an issue to get them not to mention maintenance long term. I think I've spent 3-4 years just looking at lighting and what to do for the next tank and I keep coming back to, yes t5's work, but LED's are the the present and future. We think we need to start from scratch everytime but realistically like T5's, the recipe for proper led lighting is already out there. Coverage is king, PAR is important, but let's be honest we can get enough par from any light source if done properly, and light spectrum as a whole is covered - but this is where the experimenting is at today. I believe if you think about coverage first - then you will do fine with whatever choice you make for the rest. Myself, whenever I start to think "oh - I can get away with just xyz..." I know I',m cutting corners and not helping myself. Get the coverage and the focus on maintaining proper water and flow. Long tangent short - for your tank I would go with 3 XR15's or the equivalent coverage with other brands, but not 2 and with light bars or t5's.
