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Clancaster23
02/03/2016, 03:32 PM
So I pulled the trigger for a 20"x20"x8" frag tank and now I am looking at what kind of light to get for it. I want to be able to grow anything in it. I have three of the eBay units over my 180 and they do pretty well but I'm thinking that those are 16" long and with the frag tank being only 20" long and 8" deep, I probably want to have a good gap between the tank and the light and that could make a lot of light flow past the tank. Would this sized unit be good for this sized tank?

Also, I'm not wanting to drop a ton on lights. Maybe $200 max. And I want to do LED no matter what. I was looking at par38 bulbs. Would one or more of these bulbs grow decent coral or should I stick with an actual unit? If par38's will work, which are the good ones?

DrPheel
02/03/2016, 04:47 PM
The ebay 120 W units are a sure buy , I also hear great thing about ocean revive fixtures, both under 200$ and been tested and proven. you dont have very deep to cover so set it up a little higher or dim it down , they all come with narrow optics so I don't think spill will be a issue. 20x20 is fairly easy to cover you can also look at a kessil or Ai prime but my take on Kessil is they are more for eye pleasure and not coral growth. The AI prime will give you lots of goodies with the WIFI controller and software.

if you ask me what I would pick , the AI prime would be my choice as it fits the price range, full spectrum and better control option so you don't need timers and a bunch of wires.

Happy reefing and good luck with the frag tank !

Clancaster23
02/03/2016, 04:58 PM
Is this the one you're referring to?

http://www.marinedepot.com/AquaIllumination_Prime_LED_Fixture_Aquarium_LED_Pendant_Lights-AI_(AquaIllumination)-3Z4813-FILTFILDLP-vi.html

DrPheel
02/03/2016, 05:24 PM
Is this the one you're referring to?

http://www.marinedepot.com/AquaIllumination_Prime_LED_Fixture_Aquarium_LED_Pendant_Lights-AI_(AquaIllumination)-3Z4813-FILTFILDLP-vi.html

Yup ! that's the one, They look to have great review and for the price / options on it. Would be a good candidate for what you are doing. :thumbsup:

Clancaster23
02/03/2016, 05:33 PM
Definitely a candidate and I've already watched/read some reviews on it. All good things. The things you can do with the dimmer and colors and such are pretty cool too. I'm not one to nit pick and change stuff a whole lot but it would be cool to know I can change things if I wanted to. Thanks for the suggestion. Just may be the one.

DrPheel
02/03/2016, 05:55 PM
for that price range , I think you will be getting the light with the most out of all aspects of a LED light with out any sacrifice. I wish my tank was only a 20x20 as I would be rocking one and giving you first had advice :P I had research leds a fair bit when working on my tank build and I had a hard time covering the 30x30x18 footprint of the tank. From what you are describing , I would rule the AI prime as the ''prime'' candidate for the job :beer:

Happy reefing :beachbum:

CrazyNovice
02/03/2016, 06:35 PM
Have you looked into ReefBreeders LED? They have a nice looking nano light.
https://www.reefbreeders.com/shop/nano-lite/
If you follow a link on the page it has a direct comparison to its competitor the AI Prime.
One positive for your wallet for the ReefBreeders is that the nano light comes with a hanging option and a mounting option with it in the box. You have to buy that separate with the AI Prime.

They also they have the SuperLux
https://www.reefbreeders.com/shop/superlux/
This light is similar size to the other lights you already have though, and it doesn't say how wide or narrow the optics are. There also have a value option that is in your price range that has optics choices between 90 and 120 degrees.

If you are concerned about size and light spillage you could always try holding your current light up to the tank to take a look at how you like it if its not too much hassle. If you like the way it lights and there is too much spillage you could always make a DIY add on to the the bottom edge to reflect the light back into the tank and direct it a little bit more.

Clancaster23
02/04/2016, 02:41 AM
I wasn't sure about Reef Breeders. I was waiting for someone to recommend them. That Nano-Lite looks pretty good too and $50 cheaper with the mount. I don't know why but I think I'd go with the Nano instead of the Superlux although it looks good also. I'll be ordering something later today after I find out a couple other things. Thanks for chiming in.

DrPheel
02/04/2016, 02:40 PM
The nano lite is cool ! but back order until 2/20 :( and from what i can see the superlux is the same thing as the ocean revive. Please let us know what you end up choosing , You can also start a build thread in the Blog section of the forum and show us the progress on your frag tank :beachbum:

Clancaster23
02/05/2016, 03:51 PM
I ended up going with the AI Prime. I initially went after reef breeder's light but saw it was out of stock and I don't want to wait that long. The light was shipped today with some plumbing and stuff for the tank. Tank should be here Wednesday. Gotta figure out where I can put it then I'll be ready to go.

CrazyNovice
02/07/2016, 01:21 AM
+1 on the blog for the progress. I'd like to see how it all works for you. If you do, put a link here and I'll subscribe for sure!

Also with the ocean revive lighting, I started looking into that and a review I saw said the some of the colored lights didn't mix well and created a red and green spotlight effect in the tank. He wasn't sure if it was his settings or just the light in general. It gets me curious about if the reef breeder lights have that same issue.