Poll: How high above the water line is your LED only fixture?

[dbl]

Yesterday I asked about the hanging height of T5/T5 Hybrid light fixtures. The majority of the responses were "I don't use T5's".

So today let's ask the LED only users how high they hang their lights above the water line. Hopefully it will prove to be useful for others and for new hobbyists wondering how high to hang their new lights.

 

[Crabs McJones]

Do I still get to answer even though I dont have leds ATM? When I had my pair of Kessil a360we's I had then about 6 1/2 inches off the waters surface. And later on when I got my AP700 I had that mounted 8" off the waters surface.

 

[Eastlake]

I have mine about 15" above the water line. I figured this height out arbitrarily as i just moved the hanging basket hook up the wall until I like how the light spread looked and then put the screws in the wall. I'm running 3, 165 watt mars aqua fixtures.

 

[Adele]

Kessil A360 and like @Crabs Mcjones said I have them about 6-7' off the surface. Just a couple inches above the wave created from by Maxspect Gyres. lol

 

[Reeferdood]

G4P's at 9 and shining bright as ever...

 

[Gareth elliott]

Lowered my primes to about 6” several weeks ago also increased red and green by 2% for visual appeal not for the corals [emoji23]

 

[cracker]

I have black boxes over the fish only. So I get to answer. they are at least 12 inches off the water. & turned all the way down . I know the second I turn them up the algae will come !

 

[Ryanbrs]

It matters less with lps and softy tanks. Even with mixed tanks and well placed corals it is less critical.

SPS tanks do much better when they are mounted higher and the light is more even, provided the light is strong enough. I’m talking 14-20” but that just doesn’t look good on a display tank. There will be a lot of spill into the room and from a seated position the lights will be blinding. /shrug.

 

[Reeferdood]

It matters less with lps and softy tanks. Even with mixed tanks and well placed corals it is less critical.

SPS tanks do much better when they are mounted higher and the light is more even, provided the light is strong enough. I’m talking 14-20” but that just doesn’t look good on a display tank. There will be a lot of spill into the room and from a seated position the lights will be blinding. /shrug.

I'm going to add 3 more G4p's to my setup and raise them to 15 inches, luckily my canopy covers all of the top so no spillage will be happenin!

 

[madweazl]

5" when I was Kessil only.

 

[fire4755]

2 black boxes 15ish inches off the surface. I forget exactly off the top of my head.

 

[Billdogg]

On my 120DT I use a pair of AI Sol Blues ~15" above water, now enclosed in a floating canopy. The 60g FT uses a pair of Kessil A360W tuna blues at about the same height.

 

[d2mini]

17" off the surface of the water. The higher you go, the more light spread you'll get, reducing shadows, and better mixing of colors (disco).

 

[luisgo]

2 Hydras26HD and 2 Reefbrites 16" from the water level.

 

[Scorpius]

10ish inches, just like my T5's.

 

[Scorpius]

17" off the surface of the water. The higher you go, the more light spread you'll get, reducing shadows, and better mixing of colors (disco).

This man knows what's up.

 

[turfster26]

GREAT topic and one I was literally just going to post, so very timely.

I have GHL Mitras, (4) in total on a 5' 180-gl sps tank, and mine are mounted 9" above water line. Been contemplating going to 10-12".

What are your thoughts when using GHL Mitras's? How high should I go???

Many thanks in advance...............

 

[wangspeed]

GREAT topic and one I was literally just going to post, so very timely.

I have GHL Mitras, (4) in total on a 5' 180-gl sps tank, and mine are mounted 9" above water line. Been contemplating going to 10-12".

What are your thoughts when using GHL Mitras's? How high should I go???

Many thanks in advance...............

I have 5 GHL Mitras on a 7’ tank. They are 9” off the waterline. So far so good with my little acro frags, but my tank is only 3 months old. Shadowing won’t be a problem for a few more months at least. At that point I would consider adding bars or 2 more Mitras and stagger them. Still orthogonal to the length of the tank, but some each one would alternate being closer to the front or back.

 

[DHill6]

G4pro with the diffuser, mounted using their RMS which is 9 inches above waterline
No more blinding light.

 

[Ryanbrs]

It’s interesting to see how 14+ is the least selected choice.

Behind the scenes, this seems to be the height that many of the pros are going to with their systems. Just goes to highlight the differences between the needs of an install for a tank in an average living environment and something implemented for ideal results. I know there is a solution that blends these two needs, just wish someone would bring it to market.