Which Supplemental Reef Brite for ATI SunPower?

[nickkohrn]

I recently switched from EcoTech Radions to a six-bulb ATI SunPower on my SPS frag tank. I couldn’t be happier with the spread and consistency with regard to PAR. I have three Blue Plus bulbs and three Coral Plus bulbs, which provide a pleasing aesthetic, but I do miss some of the so-called “pop” that blue LEDs provide. So, I’ve been looking at supplementing my fixture with Reefbrite strips since they can attach cleanly to SunPower fixtures.

I have a 40-gallon breeder with a 36” SunPower, so I don’t need supplemental lights to provide a high amount of PAR. Rather, I’d like something that I can turn on in the evenings to view the incredible fluorescence that many corals exhibit. Even if the lights don’t provide much of that during the day, when the T5s are on, that’s okay. I am looking for lights that can provide a decent amount of fluorescence so that I can see the brilliant colorations of some Acropora frags, such as my Cherry Bomb, Homewrecker, Walt Disney, Jolt, and a few others outside of the classics.

Would the XHO models be too powerful? It seems that they can be used by themselves to provide a lot of PAR. Or, would something like the Lumi Light strips be best? If so, would the standard model be sufficient, or would the Pro model be best?

It doesn’t appear that the standard Lumi Lite models attach cleanly to the SunPower but the Pro models do. Maybe that’s not true, but the description of the standard model on BRS’ website does not mention being able to attach it to the SunPower, but the descriptions of the XHO and Pro models do.

 

[nickkohrn]

@Reefbrite Do you have any thoughts?

 

[Reefbrite]

@Reefbrite Do you have any thoughts?

On a six lamp ATI unit, a pair of 36 inch Blue Actinic XHO's would be your best option for maximum color and fluorescence. The LumiLite's cannot be mounted to the Sunpower in the same manner as the XHO's. I was able to find a picture sent to us by a user that did mount a pair of LumiLites to their fixture to show an example. While the LumiLites will work they do not have the same penetration and intensity as the XHO's.

 

[nickkohrn]

On a six lamp ATI unit, a pair of 36 inch Blue Actinic XHO's would be your best option for maximum color and fluorescence. The LumiLite's cannot be mounted to the Sunpower in the same manner as the XHO's. I was able to find a picture sent to us by a user that did mount a pair of LumiLites to their fixture to show an example. While the LumiLites will work they do not have the same penetration and intensity as the XHO's.

Thank you for your response and for providing the photo!

My tank is only 16” deep, so I am worried that the XHOs will provide too much PAR. Do you think I will have any issues with a six-bulb SunPower and an XHO on the front and another on the back?

 

[Reefbrite]

Thank you for your response and for providing the photo!

My tank is only 16” deep, so I am worried that the XHOs will provide too much PAR. Do you think I will have any issues with a six-bulb SunPower and an XHO on the front and another on the back?

No you will not have any issue with two XHO's. In fact two are recommended to get the most even color and growth from your corals. The way the XHO's are designed/configured they do not focus light like many LED systems, and optically act similar to a T5 lamp so you do not have to worry about acclimating or burning your corals.

 

[nickkohrn]

No you will not have any issue with two XHO's. In fact two are recommended to get the most even color and growth from your corals. The way the XHO's are designed/configured they do not focus light like many LED systems, and optically act similar to a T5 lamp so you do not have to worry about acclimating or burning your corals.

Thank you!

 

[Big E]

I'd look at these as they have UV, Royal blue and Blue have dimmers and are less expensive.

44" ReefBar Pro Ultra Actinic Blue/Red/UV Aquarium LED Light 42 x 3W Bridgelux LED reef saltwater salt water

44" ReefBar Pro Ultra Actinic Blue/Red/UV Aquarium LED Light 42 x 3W Bridgelux LED For saltwater coral reef

www.21ledusa.com

My friend had these and they did a good job of popping the corals. He used them to supplement an ATI fixture.

 

[Chac317]

I have 2 48” reefbrite techs mounted to my 8 bulb on an 18” tank with no issues. I have a tek elite fixture so I had to get creative with mounting but I’m happy with the results. Here’s a couple shots of when I got them

 

[MRReefs]

We use the Reef Brite XHO's on 4 of our tanks and we swear by them. Two tanks are dominant SPS and One of those systems is 96 x 30 x 11" and is a Frag system and only 11" deep. Reef Brite was able to work with us and made a custom fixture due to the length of the tank as we use there Halides as well and needed the continuity of light between Halide Fixtures.

Two Systems have the ATI - XHO set ups and we could not be happier. Money well spent.

 

[nickkohrn]

I'd look at these as they have UV, Royal blue and Blue have dimmers and are less expensive.

44" ReefBar Pro Ultra Actinic Blue/Red/UV Aquarium LED Light 42 x 3W Bridgelux LED reef saltwater salt water

44" ReefBar Pro Ultra Actinic Blue/Red/UV Aquarium LED Light 42 x 3W Bridgelux LED For saltwater coral reef

www.21ledusa.com

My friend had these and they did a good job of popping the corals. He used them to supplement an ATI fixture.

Were the LED bars simply rested on the tank via the adjustable mounts while the SunPower hung above?

 

[Reefbrite]

The XHO Actinic Blue if you want the most color and pop from your corals. The XHO's are made here in the US and used by Jason Fox, Cherry Corals, Budman Corals, Gonzo Corals and many of the other top coral vendors out there. There are legs available that allow you to set them directly on the tank or use the included L brackets to mount them to your fixture. The XHO's are dimmable allowing you to use an APEX to control using our APEX LED interface unit (Sold separately no VDM module required if you have an available VR port) or our Bluetooth LE controller. The Lumi Lite Pro Actinic Blue and Lumi Lite Actinic Blue are also great options for adding color and pop. The Lumi Lite Pro uses the same L brackets as the XHO and both come with legs allowing you to mount them directly on a tank. They are also dimmable allowing you to use them with our APEX LED interface or Bluetooth LE controller.

 

[Leadfooted]

Do you have a controller @nickkohrn ? Dimmers are available XHO’s for some controllers. Here’s a good read for you on XHO par levels ( Here ).

I highly suggest the XHO’s, they’ll make your corals flouresce incredibly to a degree your T5’s cannot. I debated similar for a year, finally got one, thought it was amazing, added a second a few months later, blew me away how the corals responded. I now have 4 (two on each system). They make quality product that last(only one of mine was new and they work flawlessly).

 

[Reefbrite]

Do you have a controller @nickkohrn ? Dimmers are available XHO’s for some controllers. Here’s a good read for you on XHO par levels ( Here ).

I highly suggest the XHO’s, they’ll make your corals flouresce incredibly to a degree your T5’s cannot. I debated similar for a year, finally got one, thought it was amazing, added a second a few months later, blew me away how the corals responded. I now have 4 (two on each system). They make quality product that last(only one of mine was new and they work flawlessly).

Thank you for posting and your support, we are glad you are happy with them.

 

[Reefbrite]

I have 2 48” reefbrite techs mounted to my 8 bulb on an 18” tank with no issues. I have a tek elite fixture so I had to get creative with mounting but I’m happy with the results. Here’s a couple shots of when I got them

Thank you for posting your tank, we are glad you are happy with them.

 

[Reefbrite]

We use the Reef Brite XHO's on 4 of our tanks and we swear by them. Two tanks are dominant SPS and One of those systems is 96 x 30 x 11" and is a Frag system and only 11" deep. Reef Brite was able to work with us and made a custom fixture due to the length of the tank as we use there Halides as well and needed the continuity of light between Halide Fixtures.

Two Systems have the ATI - XHO set ups and we could not be happier. Money well spent.

Thank you for your support we really appreciate it.

 

[Leadfooted]

Thank you for posting and your support, we are glad you are happy with them.

Very happy indeed @Reefbrite !

 

[NanoDJS]

Reefbrite XHO+ AB+ T5 , the choice of professional cooks the world over. In the new setup we are going crazy with 2 XHO 48" 2 ATI b+ 2 KZ-FP , 2 Redsea 90 , on my DeepBlue 80 16" tank, 10" off the water , so you will be fine brother! These are really the gold standard , and also the reason people get frags that are insane , that slowly dwindle despite them having xr30s or a good t5 hood alone, this is the missing link

 

[Reefbrite]

Reefbrite XHO+ AB+ T5 , the choice of professional cooks the world over. In the new setup we are going crazy with 2 XHO 48" 2 ATI b+ 2 KZ-FP , 2 Redsea 90 , on my DeepBlue 80 16" tank, 10" off the water , so you will be fine brother! These are really the gold standard , and also the reason people get frags that are insane , that slowly dwindle despite them having xr30s or a good t5 hood alone, this is the missing link

Thank you very much for the support we are glad the XHO'S are working well on your system.

 

[X-37B]

My 120 has a 6 bulb ati. I went with a aquatic life 2 bulb ati unit used for $50.
Like you I run 3b+, 3c+.
I added 2 actinic t5's to the ati 2 bulb on/off and run them 1/2 hour before and after main lights.
Was looking at reebrite and orphek but decided to try the above because my fixture is only 4" off the surface.

 

[mfinn]

I also switched from Radions to a ATI T5 fixture on both my tank.
After a while I kind of missed the led pop so I looked into the blue led light bars and finally decided on the Reef Brite XHO's for both my tanks.
I love the color.