Reef lighting and spectrum experts opinion

[VintageReefer]

Yes please let's see what they think! Im open to ideas my tanks a very much a diy project. Im open to experimenting.

@Reef Breeders @Battlecorals
Hello! Suggestions please for this setup. Looking to mount high, and cover a 1.8m x 1.8m tank. I was thinking of Battlecorals raceway setups which proves meridians and photons can throw down the par from a high height. What would be recommended here?

 

[VintageReefer]

It will be too much to be able to penetrate with enough PAR.

ReeFi Uno 2 with 60deg reeflectors could do that, but than again - you will need many of them to cover it, which defeats OP goals.

Let’s see what RB and Battlecorals says.

The meridians do have 3 sets of swappable lenses available to accommodate different needs and setups

 

[FishOkay]

I feel like a shuttle is going to launch out of there. Or I could hide in here and be protected from nuclear fallout

I like it haha

Haha! Yeah that was very much my goal! I love seeing the tech aswell as the fish and coral!

 

[DanyL]

Let’s see what RB and Battlecorals says.

The meridians do have 3 sets of swappable lenses available to accommodate different needs and setups

The problem is they lack the power to push through, even if they focus the beam. I’m skeptical.

I think the most realistic light here with a wide spectrum would be the Quanta Atlas.

 

[VintageReefer]

Haha! Yeah that was very much my goal! I love seeing the tech aswell as the fish and coral!

Are you married? I have a lot of freedom it I would never be allowed this haha

 

[FishOkay]

Thats how the 960 and a500x were hung so ki of looking to replace those but more central above the pond/tank

 

[VintageReefer]

The problem is they lack the power to push through, even if they focus the beam. I’m skeptical.

I think the most realistic light here with a wide spectrum would be the Quanta Atlas.

I’m thinking 2-3 Meridian 63 due to the cube shape but this Is out of my wheelhouse.

Adam has been growing sps for years using ceiling mounted photons

 

[FishOkay]

Are you married? I have a lot of freedom it I would never be allowed this haha

Haha yes! Thats kind of why its all in the garage so I have my space and she cant tell me what to do

 

[VintageReefer]

Haha yes! Thats kind of why its all in the garage so I have my space and she cant tell me what to do

Genius

 

[DanyL]

I’m thinking 2-3 Meridian 63 due to the cube shape but this Is out of my wheelhouse.

Adam has been growing sps for years using ceiling mounted photons

Yes, once you put more than a few fixtures it is possible, but it doesn’t fit OP goals.

 

[FishOkay]

The atlas quanta seems an interesting one i dont mind if its not controllable id just get timer plugs like with the metal halides at the moment. But I cant see the wattage of them on their website. I will send them an email aswell.

 

[VintageReefer]

The atlas quanta seems an interesting one i dont mind if its not controllable id just get timer plugs like with the metal halides at the moment. But I cant see the wattage of them on their website. I will send them an email aswell.

Pretty sure that’s a huge lampshade shaped fixture with a 36x36 coverage area. Controllability can be accounted for with a timer, but you get no spectrum control or adjustability

 

[FishOkay]

Pretty sure that’s a huge lampshade shaped fixture with a 36x36 coverage area. Controllability can be accounted for with a timer, but you get no spectrum control or adjustability

Yeah just looking at them on YouTube now, I like the lampshade design reminds me of metal halides I just dont think one would cover i think I need alot more wattage than 250w to hang it high and get that penetration

 

[DanyL]

The atlas quanta seems an interesting one i dont mind if its not controllable id just get timer plugs like with the metal halides at the moment. But I cant see the wattage of them on their website. I will send them an email aswell.

They are 250W if I remember correctly.
But they also have a significantly higher PAR per Wattage ratio, because they are based on an underpowered, high LED count (720 per fixture) instead of pushing less LEDs to their max.

As for controllability, there is some available - the spectrum is fixed, but the intensity can be controlled via 0-10v interface.

Pretty sure that’s a huge lampshade shaped fixture with a 36x36 coverage area. Controllability can be accounted for with a timer, but you get no spectrum control or adjustability

Only partially applicable here.

They are extremely over powered, and most defiantly will fry up corals if maxed out at even more than the normal mounting height. If I remember correctly, at 1.5m they produced around 500-600 PAR, and the spread was far wider than the declared 36”x36”.

I think contacting Luca would be the best to get some realistic numbers for OPs specifications.

 

[FishOkay]

I sent quanta lights an email so we will see what they suggest. It looks good anyway spectrum controllability doesn't overly concern me to be honest!

 

[DanyL]

I sent quanta lights an email so we will see what they suggest. It looks good anyway spectrum controllability doesn't overly concern me to be honest!

I’d be interested to hear what he says, so updates would appreciated

 

[FishOkay]

I’d be interested to hear what he says, so updates would appreciated

Absolutely will keep the thread updated!

 

[Reef Breeders Verified Sponsor]

@Reef Breeders @Battlecorals
Hello! Suggestions please for this setup. Looking to mount high, and cover a 1.8m x 1.8m tank. I was thinking of Battlecorals raceway setups which proves meridians and photons can throw down the par from a high height. What would be recommended here?

I saw it was mentioned being interested in the Focus optics. The Meridian Focus optics were specifically engineered to deliver exceptional penetration at serious mounting heights. If you’re aiming for maximum depth and intensity, you’ll definitely be impressed by what the Meridians can do. If you decide to share your results here, it would be the perfect chance to clear up some of the skepticism that’s popped up from people who’ve never actually used our lights. Looking forward to seeing your results with the Meridians speak for itself loud and clear.

I’d be happy to send you both the balance and focus optics to try out and you can send back the pair you don’t prefer, and keep the one you like most. Just to ensure you get what works best for you right away and also help provide some valuable data on R2R for any skeptics.

 

[DanyL]

I saw it was mentioned being interested in the Focus optics. The Meridian Focus optics were specifically engineered to deliver exceptional penetration at serious mounting heights. If you’re aiming for maximum depth and intensity, you’ll definitely be impressed by what the Meridians can do. If you decide to share your results here, it would be the perfect chance to clear up some of the skepticism that’s popped up from people who’ve never actually used our lights. Looking forward to seeing your results with the Meridians speak for itself loud and clear.

I’d be happy to send you both the balance and focus optics to try out and you can send back the pair you don’t prefer, and keep the one you like most. Just to ensure you get what works best for you right away and also help provide some valuable data on R2R for any skeptics.

I don’t appreciate the implication that I’m offering uninformed opinions. My comment was based on publicly available PAR data and addressed a very specific scenario OP outlined - mounting the light nearly 2 meters above the tank. That’s a serious demand for any fixture, especially one without publicly verified PAR penetration at that height, or anything close to it.

If you have real world numbers that prove otherwise, great - share them. But dismissing honest skepticism as ignorance doesn’t reflect well on you or your brand.

 

[Reef Breeders Verified Sponsor]

I don’t appreciate the implication that I’m offering uninformed opinions. My comment was based on publicly available PAR data and addressed a very specific scenario OP outlined - mounting the light nearly 2 meters above the tank. That’s a serious demand for any fixture, especially one without publicly verified PAR penetration at that height, or anything close to it.

If you have real world numbers that prove otherwise, great - share them. But dismissing honest skepticism as ignorance doesn’t reflect well on you or your brand.

I completely agree that actual, measurable data is essential. That’s exactly why I encouraged the original poster to test our lights firsthand and share his results openly. We’ve already published strong PAR numbers through Arie Idaho Reef, clearly demonstrating the Meridian Focus optics’ impressive capabilities. But let’s be real, manufacturer data only goes so far. There’s nothing more convincing than an actual customer putting our lights to the test. If you have genuine doubts about the product’s performance, I’d invite you to buy one, test it thoroughly, and share your own findings. Until then, speculation alone doesn’t hold much weight against real results from real users.