Nano tank 10 gallon lighting question

[Crumpy]

Hey everyone in new to the forum, this is my first post 😋 . So I'm kinda new to the hoby and yes I know that smaller tanks are harder to maintain. I've been doing a lot of research and I feel like I am capable of keeping up with a smaller tank . So my question to everyone is led lighting I'm trying not to break the bank account ... I've been researching lights for the past few days and I really have no clue as to what I need ... I'm trying to have a reef tank with corals like frog spawn ( mainly soft corals) some zoanthids, and not likely but possibly in far future a sps... Also a cleaner shrimp and a clown fish .. But I don't know what type of lighting is acceptable .. Or even what colors I need them to be .. I've been looking at the orbit 18 inch by current usa ... Only because it looks simple and pretty much does everything .. Or the wave point 12 inch light 16w... Open to suggestions let me know what you think

[Stevenliu9]

Welcome to the hobby! and just a warning- as much as you vow to keep a strict budget, the temptation will eventually take over lol.
Honest answer- if you have not purchased your equipment, as a newby I would strongly recommend you simply purchase a 14G nano cube that comes with everything you will need to keep all the things (coral, shrimp, zoanthid) happy. It might be a larger initial investment, but trust me in a long run, as long as you are not planning (or an impulsive spender) to upgrade any time soon the 14G nano cube will last you a very long time.

[Crumpy]

Haha thanks i have eveyything but the lighting and I already feel the temptations! Very addictive hobby I must say!

[GT350pwns]

Reefbreeder's LED fixtures and their no-name ebay counterparts are both very nice

I have the ebay version of the Reefbreeder's Photon 24 over my 36 gallon bowfront and it is definitely strong enough to provide light for anything I could keep in the 36.

The value fixture should do well for a 10 gallon and be able to support anything you'd throw in there.

Once I upgrade to a larger tank, I'll definitely be going whole hog on lighting, though!


And, for future reference, just bear in mind that keeping softies and SPS in the same tank can be a bit of a challenge for the beginning marine hobbyist.