Horerczy Posted May 6, 2015 Share Posted May 6, 2015 How big is the tank you want a light for? And what retail lights are you looking at? Link to comment
hockeyhead019 Posted May 7, 2015 Author Share Posted May 7, 2015 Its going over a 20 gallon long. The stocking plant coral wise is mostly softies with some lps and maybe a monti or something with low light requirements. Right now I'm looking at: Photon 24 Current USA orbit led fixture Aquaillumination hydra 26 Photon value led And a hand full of others but those are the top contenders. I'd absolutely love a nanobox duo but that's out of the price range right now. At this point I'm leaning towards the orbit marine. I know the cost is low and I'm aware that you get what you pay for however I think that the extra cash could be used for live stock. A close second is the photon 24, I think it's the best fit. The photon value is a close contender with USA for the one I'll actually get. It just lacks the bells and whistles and mounting ease that the USA orbit fixture has If anybody else has suggestions that are in the $200 range I'll happily check them out Link to comment
hockeyhead019 Posted May 10, 2015 Author Share Posted May 10, 2015 Bump... Anybody have other of the shelf suggestions? Link to comment
Paleoreef103 Posted May 10, 2015 Share Posted May 10, 2015 Its going over a 20 gallon long. The stocking plant coral wise is mostly softies with some lps and maybe a monti or something with low light requirements. Right now I'm looking at: Photon 24 Current USA orbit led fixture Aquaillumination hydra 26 Photon value led And a hand full of others but those are the top contenders. I'd absolutely love a nanobox duo but that's out of the price range right now. At this point I'm leaning towards the orbit marine. I know the cost is low and I'm aware that you get what you pay for however I think that the extra cash could be used for live stock. A close second is the photon 24, I think it's the best fit. The photon value is a close contender with USA for the one I'll actually get. It just lacks the bells and whistles and mounting ease that the USA orbit fixture has If anybody else has suggestions that are in the $200 range I'll happily check them out Don't go with the orbit marine. Too weak. Terrible color rendition. If I was on a serious budget it would be one of these. http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Dimmable-Full-Spectrum-D2120-120W-LED-Light-For-CoralReef-saltwater-aquarium/261732062886?_trksid=p2047675.c100011.m1850&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D30794%26meid%3D0bb09d771cb841ae87cbcb366dd8833d%26pid%3D100011%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D10%26sd%3D380771821215 They're not great units, but they are miles ahead of that current unit. Word to the wise, buy quality from the beginning or you'll end up buying twice. Link to comment
hockeyhead019 Posted May 11, 2015 Author Share Posted May 11, 2015 yeah that's what I keep reading... I'll probably buck up and snag a Photon 24 unit. It's pricey but seems like the best bang for the buck at that price range Link to comment
Paleoreef103 Posted May 11, 2015 Share Posted May 11, 2015 yeah that's what I keep reading... I'll probably buck up and snag a Photon 24 unit. It's pricey but seems like the best bang for the buck at that price range You'll be happy with that unit. Link to comment
blasterman Posted May 12, 2015 Share Posted May 12, 2015 Most commercial units, especially the Chinese units are getting pretty decent and actually have higher out-put per dollar than DIY. Basically it's kind of a Mongolian hordes approach with the Chinese units (and their countless knockoffs) in that they use lots of 2watt LEDs with every color under the rainbow so it's tough NOT to get a color you like. Still, I'm not seeing a whole lot of innovation in the wholesale / distributor market aside from rare exceptions like the Maxspect Celestial. My biggest gripe with commercial units is the vast majority of them still use low quality base white LEDs and then try to fix the mess with lots of discrete colors. Exception to this is obviously the stuff Dave Fason is building. If I were building for a really big tank I'd probably use the Luxeon S5000's provided I could actually find the royals. A royal S5000 has like 6x the output of a Luxeon M, which is scary. Flank twp Royal S5000 with a neutral in the middle and you have a base light that would match or exceed a 400watt halide *without* using optics. Link to comment
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