Reefbrite Question

QuarantineReefer · Mar 4, 2021

Hey ya'll I am looking to setup a new tank that I am wanting to be SPS dominant. It's going to measure roughly 39x14x14. I originally was looking at putting 3 AI 16 Prime HD's over it. But then came across the Reefbrite Lumi Lite and the Lumi Lite Pro. I was wondering if anyone would be able to help me out in figuring out if either would work for me. I was planning on running 3 36" bars total. I was going to run 2 of the Actinic Blues with one 50/50. I don't really have any experience with these lights and was wondering if I would be able to achieve necessary PAR with these 3 bars or not. I didn't know if I would need to run the Actinic Blue Pro's vs the standard or if I could achieve necessary PAR with the standard Lumi Lights being a shallower tank. Just in the interest of keeping the build as budget friendly as possible.

vetteguy53081 · Mar 4, 2021

take a serious look at Orphek OR3-90 which are PAR monsters and cheaper

QuarantineReefer · Mar 5, 2021

Looking on BRS the 36" Orphek bars they have are more expensive than the Reefbrite. Are these the ones you're talking about or am I looking at the wrong ones? If these are the ones though and would give me necessary PAR I couldn't achieve with the Lumi Lites I would go that route. What configuration of the Orphek bars would you suggest if I went that route?

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Imaexpat2 · Mar 5, 2021

Im running Lumi Lite Pros over both my 20H's and love them! I havent checked the light with a PAR meter yet but I have had to throttle them back to about 50-60% power so as to not risk nuking my corals with retna frying light. I ran two of the Pro's in actinic and one of the single strips (not XHO) in 50/50's. I got about a 15K look to the tank. I have been running them a while on mixed reef and things seem to be happy although they are a bit much for the few softies I have. One thing for sure though is you will like the incredible "Pop" they are going to give your corals!

QuarantineReefer · Mar 5, 2021

That's good to hear! Do you think with the shallower tank I could get away with just running 3 of the standard Lumi Lites? Or should I maybe do a standard 50/50 in the middle of 2 of the Pro actinic blues on the outside?

dumpysauce · Mar 5, 2021

BRS has videos on the reefbrites actually. they measure par. check them out.
Can Reef Brite LumiLite Pros raise the bar for LED reef tank lighting? Must see testing performance! - YouTube

Imaexpat2 · Mar 5, 2021

QuarantineReefer said:
That's good to hear! Do you think with the shallower tank I could get away with just running 3 of the standard Lumi Lites? Or should I maybe do a standard 50/50 in the middle of 2 of the Pro actinic blues on the outside?

Hard to say. In my 20 gallon high, I am running 2 Pros and one of the cheap single 50/50's and like it. I am however getting a pretty serious 15k look which many may not like as much as i do and I have them at about 50% (# 3 of the 5 settings available using the dimmer switch).

When I set up the other tank I am seriously considering going to the regular non XHO's as it will be softies (Zoas) and LPS as I dont think I need the added row of leds that the Pro's give you. There wont be any SPS in the tank. If I find this to be lacking and I doubt it will be, I will just buy the 5 light bracket and add a couple more strips over the tank as needed.

I am kinda new to these lights and still kinda feeling my way through still as an experiment. I am planning a much larger tank in the not too distant future and I think the Reef Brites are the route I am going to go depending how well the ones over a 20H work for me.

Imaexpat2 · Mar 5, 2021

dumpysauce said:
BRS has videos on the reefbrites actually. they measure par. check them out.
Can Reef Brite LumiLite Pros raise the bar for LED reef tank lighting? Must see testing performance! - YouTube

That was the video that made me go Reef Brites only! Its a great watch for sure! I highly recommend it for your veiwing pleasure!

QuarantineReefer · Mar 5, 2021

Just watched the video, seems like the Pro's would be the way to go. I like the idea of them being able to hang higher for getting into the the tank versus using the mounting legs that come with the standards. I just need to decide if I need to try to replicate their numbers by running a 4th bar or if I'd be okay running the 3. I'm thinking I could be okay with 3 seeing as how the tank I am looking at is half as deep and half as wide as the one they used for their tests.