Spot light for 20 long

[andy28115]

I am looking to get a light with a spread similar to the one in the picture. For reference the light in the picture is a 15 dollar usb light off of Amazon. The catch is I need it to be able to support rose bta’s without a lot of spillage. The tank is 30 long x12 x 12 inches. I want the shadowing in the corners as the focus of the tank will be a pair of maroon clowns and a rock covered in bubble tips. To give you an idea of what I mean when I say covered the second pic is the tank the rock will be coming from. Should I run a single kessil a160 with a cylinder shade or a 360xe with a cylinder shade? Other suggestions are welcome!

 

[mcarroll]

IMO that looks like bog-standard 90º lenses.....but doesn't even look like there's a light on the tank. Is that a real photo or AI slop?

You would need a fixture shaped like the tank for best results, so strips like Current USA, Finnex, et al. would be a good idea.

If the tank is 24" long you'd want a shorter light (eg 15" or 18") to allow for the corner shadows you want.

 

[Justfebreezeit]

Id go 360x. The 160 would have to be at 100%

 

[oreo54]

I am looking to get a light with a spread similar to the one in the picture. For reference the light in the picture is a 15 dollar usb light off of Amazon. The catch is I need it to be able to support rose bta’s without a lot of spillage. The tank is 30 long x12 x 12 inches. I want the shadowing in the corners as the focus of the tank will be a pair of maroon clowns and a rock covered in bubble tips. To give you an idea of what I mean when I say covered the second pic is the tank the rock will be coming from. Should I run a single kessil a160 with a cylinder shade or a 360xe with a cylinder shade? Other suggestions are welcome!

Think you are better off with a rectangular light.
I know you want dim edges but your tank is only 12" wide.
So once you raise a "square" light to cover more than 12" left/right you start spilling light out in the front and back.



So like a 6" x 12" (estimate) panel would be better. Not symmetric kessils.
You have all sorts from inexpensive to over priced.. ;)

Roughly 6" height off the water with a 90 degree lens gives you the f/b of 12"
Just estimating with a single row btw

AT 12" length your main light will cover 24" (12 + 12 ) leaving about 4" each side in relatively low light.
As you see from the above photos that dimness will decrease with depth.

As to glare or spill well that depends on the light design.
Many have 3d aftermarket shades for them.
Lights using reflectors have less of this problem.

 

[andy28115]

IMO that looks like bog-standard 90º lenses.....but doesn't even look like there's a light on the tank. Is that a real photo or AI slop?

You would need a fixture shaped like the tank for best results, so strips like Current USA, Finnex, et al. would be a good idea.

If the tank is 24" long you'd want a shorter light (eg 15" or 18") to allow for the corner shadows you want.

Yes it is a real photo, it had a clamp on lamp temporarily. I wound up going with 160 just because it is so shallow. We will see how the tank does in the long run but hopefully everything will work out. I am putting pulsing xenia and mettalic GSP on either end. The anemone rock will go directly under the light Wich is probably 6 inches from the water at best.

 

[Science/G]

Those red bubble tip anemones are being grown under a reef breeders photon light. Now that the new reef breeder meridians have come out, you might be able to get an old photon for really cheap. Just saying

 

[mcarroll]

I wound up going with 160 just because it is so shallow.

Kessils have super wide lenses tho, so you're missing out on most of the "dark corners" effect a "normal" light would give you.

(IMO this is WAY better than the other photo.....I like Kessils a lot.)

 

[andy28115]

Those red bubble tip anemones are being grown under a reef breeders photon light. Now that the new reef breeder meridians have come out, you might be able to get an old photon for really cheap. Just saying

I appreciate the suggestion, they are being grown under viper Spectra's. The gentleman I'm getting them from is my brother. And the ones I would be getting are on the bottom of his 185, I am a little concerned about bleaching them as I am unsure of the par at the sandbed but it must be decent as he has a deresa clam next to them.

 

[Science/G]

I appreciate the suggestion, they are being grown under viper Spectra's. The gentleman I'm getting them from is my brother. And the ones I would be getting are on the bottom of his 185, I am a little concerned about bleaching them as I am unsure of the par at the sandbed but it must be decent as he has a deresa clam next to them.

Cool the led array looks like a photon