Which light to pick?

[anabechara]

Hello guys!

I am new to the hobby, I started with a 10G tank that a LFS recommended but after 3 months of having this tank I decided to upgrade and I now have a 45 gallon AIO tank. (The biggest tank my husband allowed in the house)
I currently have only fish, but in the not too distant future I want to have corals and an anemone. I am in love with Hammers, Frogspawns and Torches...
My tank is 26.5 x 22 x 19(deep).

which light would you guys recommend? My budget is around 400...

thank you so much in advance for your help!!!

 

[SilvermistInc]

T5!

 

[Hooz]

From those dimensions, I'm guessing the JBJ 45?

I have 2x Primes for mine (still working on the rockscape, so the tank is still dry). It'll be strictly a BTA tank, so same-ish PAR goals as an LPS/mixed reef tank. I run 3x Primes on a 36" long tank and a single Prime on a 12" cube, so I'm pretty confident that 2x Primes will do just fine on the 26" length.

If you keep a sharp eye on the classifieds here, I'm sure you can get a pair with mounts for under your budget.

 

[RedoubtReef]

I second the T5 option.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Ai Hydra 26 or 32 hd

 

[Falc!]

Smat farms....budget price and awesome adjustability and shimmer

 

[exnisstech]

You could get 2 noopsyche K7 V3 for $400 and it would be more than enough and leave you a cushion if you end up with more light demanding corals.

 

[anabechara]

From those dimensions, I'm guessing the JBJ 45?

I have 2x Primes for mine (still working on the rockscape, so the tank is still dry). It'll be strictly a BTA tank, so same-ish PAR goals as an LPS/mixed reef tank. I run 3x Primes on a 36" long tank and a single Prime on a 12" cube, so I'm pretty confident that 2x Primes will do just fine on the 26" length.

If you keep a sharp eye on the classifieds here, I'm sure you can get a pair with mounts for under your budget.

Yes! A JBJ 45!
Thank you for your reply.
Your primes are 32HD or 16?

 

[anabechara]

Ai Hydra 26 or 32 hd

That is what I have been looking at... would you get one or two?

 

[vetteguy53081]

That is what I have been looking at... would you get one or two?

Start with one
May be sufficient

 

[DanTheReefer]

With the coral you want you can pretty much do anything. They wave around in the flow so you don’t have to worry about a point light source like kessils causing shadowing.

+1 to the primes, sometimes they get knocked for the disco ball effect if mounted too low. You can’t unsee it once someone points it out.

For some reason the Red Sea Reef LED 90 is barely marketed but I’ve seen 3 great LPS tanks with them, one of them was in a doctors office of all places. It had great shimmer, color uniformity, and no spillage since it’s nicely recessed into the fixture.

 

[Hooz]

Yes! A JBJ 45!
Thank you for your reply.
Your primes are 32HD or 16?

I would always opt for more, single puck lights (like the Prime HD or 16HD) because you can space them out to get better coverage and less shadowing. For the stuff you want to keep, multiple Hydras (26HD or 32HD) would be way overkill. And, if you're going with a single Hydra, I'd recommend 2 Primes instead so you can space them out more.