Lighting for small Frag Tank

[honeycombz]

Hey everybody!

Going to be getting a 24x24x6 Frag tank. Going to be keeping mostly zoas. Maybe a few montis. Wondering what would be good lighting set up. Looking for something lower end as i am trying to keep this whole project under $500.

Was thinking about some LED but was not sure what my best option would be. T5? What do you guys think?

Currently have a AI prime HD on my Nuvo 20.

[solitude127]

I would use similar lighting to what's on your DT so that the corals aren't shocked when moving over.

[Ron Reefman]

Originally Posted by solitude127

I would use similar lighting to what's on your DT so that the corals aren't shocked when moving over.

Good point to remember.

And even a $100 MarsAqua will do just wonderful over a 6" deep frag tank. Light is light. As long as it has 2 channels, a reasonable mix of blues and whites and 3 watt leds with dimmers, your corals will do fine.

You can spend a lot more, but it's a frag tank, not a DT. You really don't need to spend money on bells and whistles like sunrise/sunset or 6 channel color control for a frag tank.

I've been using an OceanRevive T247 (I like the built-in timer and digital dimmers) for several years over my 2'x2'x10" frag tank and the corals all do very well. But almost any fixture will work. Corals encrust on frag plugs in no time!

[honeycombz]

Originally Posted by solitude127

I would use similar lighting to what's on your DT so that the corals aren't shocked when moving over.

Thank you! I was thinking about moving my AI prime HD from my display to this frag tank and upgrading the display lighting. Might get a Hydra 26

[honeycombz]

Originally Posted by Ron Reefman

Good point to remember.

And even a $100 MarsAqua will do just wonderful over a 6" deep frag tank. Light is light. As long as it has 2 channels, a reasonable mix of blues and whites and 3 watt leds with dimmers, your corals will do fine.

You can spend a lot more, but it's a frag tank, not a DT. You really don't need to spend money on bells and whistles like sunrise/sunset or 6 channel color control for a frag tank.

I've been using an OceanRevive T247 (I like the built-in timer and digital dimmers) for several years over my 2'x2'x10" frag tank and the corals all do very well. But almost any fixture will work. Corals encrust on frag plugs in no time!

I was checking out SB reef lights, they seem similar to the MarsAqua. definitely right about not needing the bells and whistles! I heard with these black box lights you have to start with the intensity very low and work your way up, due to intensity. Any tips?

[Ron Reefman]

I don't think the Chinese black boxes are really any different than any other 3 watt or 5 watt led fixture from AI, Maxspect, EcoTech or any other manufacturer. Start with them set at lower intensity and raise the power level every week or two. I'd suggest running the blue channel at twice the white channel. You can fine tune to suit your taste in the shade of warm to cool white you like. Just remember, your corals want more blue than white for health and growth. And also that this tank is shallow so PAR will be higher than 12" or 18" down in a DT.

A PAR meter is the easiest way to set the power levels. Borrow one from a fellow club member, ask the LFS if they have one you can barrow or rent, and you can find them for rent online.

Before I got a PAR meter I used the 'canary in a coalmine' approach. Get a small frag of a red cap monti and set it in your tank higher than all the other corals. When you raise the light intensity too high, the red cap will start to bleach before any other corals. At that point, dial the power back a bit (5% to 10%) and you should be good to go.