Need Lighting Suggestions 36 inch tank

baseballfanatic2 · Mar 27, 2016

Hello,

I have a biocube 29 gallon with rapidled, but want to tear it down and get an IM nuvo fusion 30L. Picking one up actually on Wednesday for $300 (tank and stand with 2 inTank Media baskets).

MY only problem is what can I do about lighting? What would go well on this size tank? I want to grow everything. Also, do you think it's a good deal?

trido · Mar 27, 2016

A couple cheap black boxes with the right emitter combination will grow anything on that size of tank.

baseballfanatic2 · Mar 27, 2016

trido said:
A couple cheap black boxes with the right emitter combination will grow anything on that size of tank.

Sorry if I sound retarded but what are black boxes, and how do I get the right emitter.

trido · Mar 27, 2016

Black boxes are inexpensive LED's from China. Evergrow's or Reef Radiance. I buy mine from our LFS at an extra cost but IMO they have the perfect blend of blue and white so you can run both channels at an equal percentage for a better coral health and coloration. ALL blue LED is not good for most corals.

trevorspencer94 · Mar 28, 2016

I am setting up a 40b and I am going to use 1 of the black boxes to cover a growing area in the middle 2 ft my tank, and not do corals on the 6 inches on either end, the rock work I have planned will look good with this, and I will probably add simple led strip lighting on the ends to assure there isn't darkness on the ends. Best of luck!

trevorspencer94 · Mar 28, 2016

Worn noting also, not only is the 180w black box cheaper right now than the normal 165w one, but it has a led lens of 90 degrees instead of 60 degrees. Which would make it have the spread you need for a 36 inch tank. Especially a shallow one like a 30L... A 60 degree would have issues unless placed high

Acromora · Mar 28, 2016

my friend has the same exact tank. he started with a current marine orbit. was happy with it until he got tired of it ... then he bought a $120 T5 2 bulb fixture and in 2 weeks returned it and went with a deal he found on a local forum which was a kessil AP700 for 650. I checked it out and it's like night and day compared to the current(i didnt get a chance to see his tank with the t5 and current led). The only problem with that is cost and the firmware is still a bit buggy. The difference between the "black box" led fixtures and the kessils and high end LEDs is the multi-colored shadowing you see on the sandbed. It shows how far apart each led is and can be a bit uneasy to the eye. Just my 2 cents.