AcroBrewer
Active Member
So I drove down from Austin to San Antonio last weekend to go to the Reef Fest there and ended up falling in love with a beautiful frag of CC Pink Highlighter that Raising Reefs (https://raisingreefs.com/shop/cc-pink-highlighter/) had on display. It was a fat frag that was gorgeous and super colorful. I had to have it. Unfortunately my buddy told me that it would be best to keep it around 400 par which is much higher than what my Red Sea Max E-170 can produce on the top of my rock structure. Since he has over 90 types of acros in his tank I trusted his advice and decided that I was going to find a solution to get higher PAR in my tank. I did end up buying the CC Pink Highlighter, but gave it to my friend to keep in his SPS dominant tank until I was ready for it though. I was able to find a solution to be able to get 400 PAR towards the top of my E-170 and that is what this post will be about. If there is more interest I will keep updating it for others with an E-170 that want to increase their PAR.
Okay, so the two options came down to getting the ReefLED 160 which would be an easy swap on the arm that holds my current light or to add a T5 hybrid set up on to my ReefLED 90. After a lot of research I decided that the T5 hybrid mix seemed like the best option because it was cheaper and gave the best of both lighting solutions instead of just using all LED. I found a thread here https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/reefled-and-aquatic-life-t5-hybrid.605719/ that shows how to install a AL fixture on a ReefLED light, which is what I used and it works perfectly. You can see the fixture I used here https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/24-h...h-led-mounting-system-white-aquatic-life.html (They also have a black one, but my tank is white, so I will link what I used).
*I will put a disclaimer here that the AL T5 hybrid fixture is about 10 pounds and I would be willing to bet that the Red Sea arm is very capable of the extra weight, but not really designed for holding both the ReefLED and AL fixture. This is a DIY project for people that don't have the option to hang the T5 light, which would keep the weight off the Red Sea Arm and use the hanging mounts included in the AL fixture. I am unable to hang the AL fixture because I have 12 foot ceilings and my girlfriend said it would be too ugly. I am probably going to try to find a way to add some extra support for the long term though. Now cue the project music.
Things you will need:
- M4 35mm screws Everbilt M4-0.7 x 35 mm Phillips Flat Head Stainless Steel Machine Screw (2-Pack)-843808 - The Home Depot
- Stainless steel washers https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-10-Stainless-Steel-Flat-Washer-12-Pack-800331/204276461
- Screwdriver
-Optional wire cutters
I started by assembling the AL fixture per the instructions included. I did skip the part where you attach the wires for hanging (I used these for something else) and I did not use the wire hiding bracket on the back since it's not seen and would just add more weight. Once assembled I popped the top off the Red Sea light (They have videos on their website that show how to disassemble for maintenance if you have any trouble with this part) and removed the stock Red Sea screws from the 4 corners. Now you can place the brackets over the front and back holes on top of the light and drop in the 35mm screws with a washer on each one and screw them in. Once this is done you can place the LED light in the middle of the AL fixture and screw the 4 short screws in to the AL fixture channel. The front of the bracket on the front of my light is 17 and 2/3rds inches from the back of the AL fixture and there is a small gap on the back behind the Red Sea arm. Below is a picture of the assembled light from the top.
Once this is set up you can plug in the new light and off you go.
(Optional) I did feel like the light wanted to lean forward a little more than I wanted, but definitely not a deal breaker. I made a solution by clipping off one of the wires that is meant to hang the light and using it to secure the back to the Red Sea arm. I will attach pictures below.
Here is the finished product
PAR Readings with different lights:
T5 lights only- The PAR here is a little lower than expected. I think the height of the fixture could be spilling a lot of the light in to the room instead of in to the tank. I may try to find a way to focus more light toward the tank.
Top of my rock structure 150 PAR
Sand bed 100 PAR
Reef LED only at 100% blue and white
Top of my rock structure 250 PAR
Sandbed 150 PAR
Both T5 and LED on full
Top of my rock structure 400 PAR
Sand bed 250 PAR
Success! This new set up will allow me to have an SPS dominant tank and cost around $300 to $350 dollars.
Problems to overcome:
- This light blocks the media rack in the rear sump from coming out. I am going to try to trim it down and see if that fixes it.
- There is a good amount of light that spills in to the room which is kind of giving me a headache while watching TV on the couch
- You can not pull up the arm for maintenance and this light is pretty bulky and in the way.
If there is interest in this I would be glad to keep this updated as I acclimate the coral to this new light and try to solve some of these problems. Also I am lucky enough to own a PAR meter, so if anyone wants some PAR readings at different levels I would be glad to help.
Cheers!
Okay, so the two options came down to getting the ReefLED 160 which would be an easy swap on the arm that holds my current light or to add a T5 hybrid set up on to my ReefLED 90. After a lot of research I decided that the T5 hybrid mix seemed like the best option because it was cheaper and gave the best of both lighting solutions instead of just using all LED. I found a thread here https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/reefled-and-aquatic-life-t5-hybrid.605719/ that shows how to install a AL fixture on a ReefLED light, which is what I used and it works perfectly. You can see the fixture I used here https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/24-h...h-led-mounting-system-white-aquatic-life.html (They also have a black one, but my tank is white, so I will link what I used).
*I will put a disclaimer here that the AL T5 hybrid fixture is about 10 pounds and I would be willing to bet that the Red Sea arm is very capable of the extra weight, but not really designed for holding both the ReefLED and AL fixture. This is a DIY project for people that don't have the option to hang the T5 light, which would keep the weight off the Red Sea Arm and use the hanging mounts included in the AL fixture. I am unable to hang the AL fixture because I have 12 foot ceilings and my girlfriend said it would be too ugly. I am probably going to try to find a way to add some extra support for the long term though. Now cue the project music.
Things you will need:
- M4 35mm screws Everbilt M4-0.7 x 35 mm Phillips Flat Head Stainless Steel Machine Screw (2-Pack)-843808 - The Home Depot
- Stainless steel washers https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-10-Stainless-Steel-Flat-Washer-12-Pack-800331/204276461
- Screwdriver
-Optional wire cutters
I started by assembling the AL fixture per the instructions included. I did skip the part where you attach the wires for hanging (I used these for something else) and I did not use the wire hiding bracket on the back since it's not seen and would just add more weight. Once assembled I popped the top off the Red Sea light (They have videos on their website that show how to disassemble for maintenance if you have any trouble with this part) and removed the stock Red Sea screws from the 4 corners. Now you can place the brackets over the front and back holes on top of the light and drop in the 35mm screws with a washer on each one and screw them in. Once this is done you can place the LED light in the middle of the AL fixture and screw the 4 short screws in to the AL fixture channel. The front of the bracket on the front of my light is 17 and 2/3rds inches from the back of the AL fixture and there is a small gap on the back behind the Red Sea arm. Below is a picture of the assembled light from the top.
Once this is set up you can plug in the new light and off you go.
(Optional) I did feel like the light wanted to lean forward a little more than I wanted, but definitely not a deal breaker. I made a solution by clipping off one of the wires that is meant to hang the light and using it to secure the back to the Red Sea arm. I will attach pictures below.
Here is the finished product
PAR Readings with different lights:
T5 lights only- The PAR here is a little lower than expected. I think the height of the fixture could be spilling a lot of the light in to the room instead of in to the tank. I may try to find a way to focus more light toward the tank.
Top of my rock structure 150 PAR
Sand bed 100 PAR
Reef LED only at 100% blue and white
Top of my rock structure 250 PAR
Sandbed 150 PAR
Both T5 and LED on full
Top of my rock structure 400 PAR
Sand bed 250 PAR
Success! This new set up will allow me to have an SPS dominant tank and cost around $300 to $350 dollars.
Problems to overcome:
- This light blocks the media rack in the rear sump from coming out. I am going to try to trim it down and see if that fixes it.
- There is a good amount of light that spills in to the room which is kind of giving me a headache while watching TV on the couch
- You can not pull up the arm for maintenance and this light is pretty bulky and in the way.
If there is interest in this I would be glad to keep this updated as I acclimate the coral to this new light and try to solve some of these problems. Also I am lucky enough to own a PAR meter, so if anyone wants some PAR readings at different levels I would be glad to help.
Cheers!
