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)
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.
Quote:
Originally Posted by WarDog
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.
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