Lighting suggestions 36" X 15 x 15
 

I recently got a nuvo fusion 30l (36") and have been struggling with lighting choices. The tank currently has a single kessil a360 which obviously leaves a lot of dark areas in the tank. So I have been throwing around the idea of selling that and getting the following options.
1) 3 kessil a80-
Pros: I already have a controller, silent (big plus), nice shimmer, price
Cons: under powered? Need to build canopy as I want to contain pretty much all light spill due to wife complaints
2) 2 ai prime
Pro: controllable, high powered
Cons:noise, still need to build a canopy, might still get shading
3)ati 36"sunpower non dimmable
Pros: no canopy, can use t5/led bulbs, even coverage
Cons:too powerful for15" depth?

Any Suggestions?

I had 2 primes set up on my 40 breeder which is pretty similar in dimension but found there was too much shading. I ended up with 2 hydra 26s and have been much happier.

I vote T5 every time. I don't like the look of LEDs, and I don't like the programming of LEDs either.

Which types of corals will you be keeping?

Check out the Evergrow IT series. They make a size that will allow for complete coverage with no shading and they are virtually silent.

LED Light option...
 

You could always go with a couple of Radion xr30w Gen 4's. I have several and they are awesome! (IMHO)...
Because all 8 light channels are completely and individually programmable, along with a master brightness level, the sky is the limit as to the look and growth you desire.
Yes, cost is initially higher, but looking at the long term, no bulbs to replace every 6-9 month's, energy efficiency and greatly reduced power bills along with very cool and quiet operation along with wireless operation and cloud access from any device.
As the light is 'focused' downward, ecotech states that the coverage is about 36" x 36", but in actual fact, I am seeing good coverage in a pattern of about 24" x 24" based on a tank that is 26" deep. I have the lights mounted on the Multi Light Radion Mounting Solution. Lights are about 8 inches above the water. I have a cube which is 3 feet front to back so I opted to go with 3 XR30's as I can catch the back corners on each side.


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Reeflink controller programming interface allowing wireless control of the Radions.

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Deven ran two XR15pro's on his 30L, looked great. The actual display area to light will be 36" x 11" x 12", you lose 3-3/4" width with the AIO wall and the glass is 13" high.

I have similar set up as your, do you only run at 20%?

Every successful tank I have seen in person has been based on halide or T5 lighting, with LED's as supliments. That being said, all those tanks were SPS dominent.

I'm leaning towards the t5 fixture. As I was worried about the shading from leds. It would only be the 4 bulb model as I dont want to light up the back portion of the aio. This would allow all coral choices which is nice

Now 24" or 36"?

The lights are still ramping up. All 3 lights are running at 45 percent at high noon. It is part of the default curve available as a profile in reeflink. I have not had the time to create a 'custom' profile. Its a work in progress...

Warren, there is a interesting article published recently and I believe a link was published to this board a couple of weeks ago or so. It deals with the Radion Gen 4's and the quality of light output. Near metal halide output and the growth of lps, sps etc.

With the addition of the 2 extra light channels over the Gen 3's and the type of lens over the LED, it has made a substantial difference in illumination.

I can pm you the link to the article...but you've probably all ready see it :lol:

Yes thanks, I've seen it.

This continues the ongoing debate of lighting. I do wish I could afford multiple fixtures run over multiple tanks. The Gen 4's look amazing and LED's do get better every day. I ran 2 Kessil 360W and I wasn't impressed, switching to T5 36w x8 a year later. Perhaps I used them wrong, I dunno, but I saw immediate results by switching. Some folks grow SPS no problem with cheap Chinese fixtures.

Basically, for someone starting their first tank, I generally don't recommend LED'S by themselves, as that person will have better beginner results with older tech.

I have to agree with you when it comes to first timers. The KISS (Keep It Simple) approach is the best. Too many other things to worry about. Lighting is very important if you wish growth in your tank.

I have a reefer friend who has the Chinese specials similar to the Mars...he has not had any luck with LPS, seem to last 4-5 month's and eventually just seem to whether away.

I looked long and hard, did allot of late nights on many major forums before investing in lighting. The initial outlay in money was substantial (even utilizing the group buy) :eek: but I standardized all my lights, putting 4 on my main tank, 1 for my frag tank and 2 for my Qt tank. They were all Radion XR30w Gen 4's controlled by a single Reeflink controller. The power saving is substantial compared to T5 or Halide. So far a very noticeable difference in my LPS, softies and even my one an only SPS. They are beginning to explode with growth. I've taken several photo's of the now look and it will be interesting to compare them to pic's 6 month's from now.

I think all depends what corals and creature you going to put in the tank.
This could go long way. Sounds like you prefer the led, even because when you mention Ati fixture you said going to use E5.
I have mostly sps so will tell you definitely t5, but also before used led ,from the Cheap Aqua mars to kessil a360. The growth I get with t5 can't be compare to the led light.... now if you plan to fill up the tank with softies, zoas, anemones lps you can definitely go with led , makes the color pop more.... but honestly don't waist your money on the led t5(E5)... are too expensive and you better go for a decent led fixture , just think about a 36" E5 bulbs is around 100$ each, I like mine just to make the corals pop but will not rely on them for growth, just my opinion


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If you are talking about those new LED strips that fit in a T5 slot, I have it on good authority that they are garbage compared to TruLumens or ReefBrights.

I wouldn't say I prefer led over other types. I have used all of them over the years. I would probably end up using 2xblue plus, fiji pink/purple and an actinic in the fixture. I just threw the possibility of the e5 in the mix as a potential option. Because the tank is relatively shallow I was concerned I might end up only running the ATI fixture full power for for like 2 hours a day.

As far as whats going in the tank, most likely mixed. all of the listed options give me flexibility, aside from maybe the a80's

You can always look for a dimmable Ati fixture, I know you mention non dimmable in the first post, but at least save you headache about thinking is too powerful, like also Warren say those E5 are pretty much useless ... believe me , have 3 and I'm stuck with them,


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Just trying to save some money with the standard model. The dimmable version isn't much more so I'm sure it is a worthy upgrade. Thanks for all of the input.

Dimming T5 bulbs will reduce their lifespan, lol.

I think this is a great option. Go with 36" to match the length of the tank. If you want LPS and softies like Zoas and such then 2 bulbs will give you plenty of light. 4 bulbs may actually be too much light for many corals with such a shallow tank.


Do you have any references? I've seen people say this, but I've yet to read any reliable data on it. I've yet to see anyone come up with any references either.

I guess at the end of the day choose something that doesn't break the bank!

Not one of you mentioned heat issues when going with T5 fixture on such a small Volume(gallons) tank.

Probably because some of us have dealt with "heat issues" for 20 years, and don't really consider it an issue! Add a fan (if needed), problem solved. :mrgreen:

If I was doing a tank similar to your dimensions definately a 4 bulb fixture would suffice for spread and there is a guy selling a brand new fixture on a local fish forum. Pm me and I'll get you his info.

I have one of the ebay Chinese black box fixtures (Popular Grow 165w) over my 40" L x 14" D x 12" H tank and have been happy with it so far, I have it 16.5" above the tank and don't even have it ramped all the way.
I just have the one fixture over it and do have shading at the far edges but still grows Candy Cane, Mushrooms and rockflower Anemone fine in those areas. I have added a smaller par 20 reef bulb over one end that I have some zoas located but my rock height doesn't help. SPS grows great in the center areas. I am debating whether to remove the lenses to get even better spread and blending and/or to replace the red and green diodes for UV ones but happy even if I don't.

Have used strictly led and strictly t5 on multiple systems , and came to the conclusion that kessils/t5 is the best combo I get growth and color. T5 is always the easiest method that works without question. However I get much nicer colors/patterns in my corals when using kessils/t5 combo than compared to when I was running t5 alone. When I ran kessils alone I got great color everything did great just growth was slowed . So to me the mix of the 2 is perfect combo and I only have to change 2 bulbs a year instead of 8 less power and tons of adjustability . And not to mention pretty affordable should be able to make a nice hybrid fixture with two A360's and two t5 bulbs for the price of the ap700 or a radion . How much does an ATi fixture with bulbs run ? Close to$1000?

Skimmer do you have a picture of your Kessil/T5 combo?

I have been debating this route as well. The wife wants to limit light spill on the walls and ceiling since the tank will be in the main area our toddler plays in, i could use the 360 i currently have and retro in some t5 bulbs in a small canopy over the tank. The ati fixture wouldn't be one of the fancy LED ones, but still around 750 with bulbs. The retro your describing is maybe $150, sounds like the way to go.

Just run the 4 bulb I suggested and 2 reef brite XHO...that is the gold combo for pop and spread!

That's not economical LOL

I use to have a 6 bulbs tek light, removed the 4 bulbs and reflector in the middle and cut a couple of holes for 2 kessils, nice and easy, also a bit cheaper as you already have a kessil... is easy to do as the 2 bulbs at both ends run with the same ballast ... that should be plenty for your tank


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