rwalsh156 Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Hi All, I recently bought a 93 Cube and am now looking into new lighting options for it. I really like the idea and energy efficiency of LEDs but am accustomed to the high PAR of Metal Halide lighting. Currently I have a MH (250 W, 10,000K) and T5HO combination fixture. The origional T5s were replaced with ATI Super Actinics to help balance the Metal Halide. Though I am a big fan of this type of fixture, it does put out a lot of heat, which tends to be a problem when you live in apartments (and for smaller sized tanks). So with all that said, I am mainly looking to change my lighing for the following reasons: 1. New tank. New Lighting. Better, sleeker look! So astetics basically 2. Reduce power consumption 3. Reduce Heat output and temperature effect on tank 4. Lighting profile control. More control tends to be better then simple On and off. So let me know what your suggestions are. if you have any questinos regarding my system then let me know. The most light sesnitive animals I have are the clams and a few SPS. Also sorry for the skimpy info and typos but I'm posting this while at work haha. Link to comment
Paleoreef103 Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Hi All, I recently bought a 93 Cube and am now looking into new lighting options for it. I really like the idea and energy efficiency of LEDs but am accustomed to the high PAR of Metal Halide lighting. Currently I have a MH (250 W, 10,000K) and T5HO combination fixture. The origional T5s were replaced with ATI Super Actinics to help balance the Metal Halide. Though I am a big fan of this type of fixture, it does put out a lot of heat, which tends to be a problem when you live in apartments (and for smaller sized tanks). So with all that said, I am mainly looking to change my lighing for the following reasons: 1. New tank. New Lighting. Better, sleeker look! So astetics basically 2. Reduce power consumption 3. Reduce Heat output and temperature effect on tank 4. Lighting profile control. More control tends to be better then simple On and off. So let me know what your suggestions are. if you have any questinos regarding my system then let me know. The most light sesnitive animals I have are the clams and a few SPS. Also sorry for the skimpy info and typos but I'm posting this while at work haha. 30x30x24? Not the easiest thing to light based on the shape and lack of LED fixtures that realistically light a large cube. A radion XR30 will claim to cover that, but even two of them will produce noticeable hot spots. What is your budget for your lighting? A pair of nanobox quads would be absolutely ideal, but the price tag would be in line with a pair of radions. The budget solution would be a pair of reefbreeders photon 24s. They'd definitely fit your criteria, but they aren't as elegant, well made, or controllable as as the nanoboxes. A pair of used Maxspect R420Rs could also fit the bill for a cheaper solution. Link to comment
buckeyereefer Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 agree with above. if budget allows a pair of nanobox hybrids would work well. also a 24" 8 bulb T5 ATI fixture would work very well. then down road mod it with some LED's. .... REALLY depends on budget Link to comment
Caravanshaka Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 My suggestion is an 8 bulb ATI with 4 nanobox pucks replacing 2 of the bulbs. That will get you a good amount of PAR as well as the controllability you are looking for. Link to comment
rwalsh156 Posted April 1, 2015 Author Share Posted April 1, 2015 30x30x24? Not the easiest thing to light based on the shape and lack of LED fixtures that realistically light a large cube. A radion XR30 will claim to cover that, but even two of them will produce noticeable hot spots. What is your budget for your lighting? A pair of nanobox quads would be absolutely ideal, but the price tag would be in line with a pair of radions. The budget solution would be a pair of reefbreeders photon 24s. They'd definitely fit your criteria, but they aren't as elegant, well made, or controllable as as the nanoboxes. A pair of used Maxspect R420Rs could also fit the bill for a cheaper solution. Sorry I forgot to mention this, but yes the cube is the 30Wx30Dx24H. I like the look of the Nanobox Quads, but as with all things, I am hesitant to buy something online that I cannot physically see in a store first. That being said, do you have any experience with the Nanobox lights? Also, when I went to their site, I was only able to find the price of the Duo instead of the Quad. Do you know what the Quad costs? Or is it just two Duos? As far as budget is concerned, I am trying not to spend anymore then the Radions would cost. Right now I'm highly considering the Radion XR30Pro. It seems to fit all the criteria that I am looking for, the most important being a minimum of 2 watts per gallon and coverage. However I do share the same concerns as the rest of you (and have been told by the LFS) that all the Radion line thus far will leave shadow in the front or back of the cube (depending on the lights position). There are 2 other options I have been thinking about so far. The first is the Reef Brite Hybrid. The second is from Orphek, however $1000 is quite a bit more than I want to spend. But if anyone has any suggestions about any of these lights or the Nanoboxes then I am definitely all ears. reef103oreef1 agree with above. if budget allows a pair of nanobox hybrids would work well. also a 24" 8 bulb T5 ATI fixture would work very well. then down road mod it with some LED's. .... REALLY depends on budget I like T5 and do have T5s from ATI flanking my MH now, but I'm looking into upgrading the lighting to make the setup look sleeker, reduce the overall power consumption, and reduce heat output. While T5s don't consume a ton of power, I probably wouldn't run them without the MH since that has been my setup thus far. Link to comment
rone_kevin66 Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Their are 100+ tanks on here that run nano box and if it's your budget you will not get a better light. Just look and you will find ppl who are using them. You can also talk with Dave the owner and have the light custom to fit you. Link to comment
buckeyereefer Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 I have had the Nanobox MIni tide for awhile. liked it so much I am waiting on the newer model I purchased to arrive on porch. if your interested in pricing email Dave. he usually responds quickly. an will give you his recommendation on amount of light. after having MH myself. I don't think you will be happy with coverage of single Xr30 on this size tank. also I mentioned the ATI 8 bulb fixture because you could buy it now. then down road a bit remove some T5's an add LED's in place. keeping the sleek design of the ATI fixture with LED/T5 hybrid. Link to comment
Paleoreef103 Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 http://www.nano-reef.com/forum/169-nano-box-reef/is the sponsor forum here. Nanobox reef is EXTREMELY popular on this forum for a very good reason. As for pricing: http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/359122-nano-box-reef-going-wireless/ that link has the newest prices. As I said earlier, a single XR30 Radion will claim to cover that tank, but claiming and actually doing it are two very different things. LEDs are at their absolute best when coral is pretty much directly under an array or between two arrays. Without that you're going to get a lot of shading of branching corals in particular. and highly variable PAR. Link to comment
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