Upgrade or Suppliment Orbit Marine?

[musicsmaker]

It's time to give my 20L some more light. I'm currently running a single Current Orbit Marine LED fixture, and thus far it has been awesome. I've been keeping mostly zoanthids, a couple shrooms, some acans, and a Hollywood Stunner chalice that only stays colored up if I keep it near the top of the tank. I do have an acro frag, but it stays brown even at the top of the water column. I recently acquired a few montipora caps and would like to keep them colored up as nice as they are, and would also like to be able to keep a less demanding acro at the top of the water column without it browning out.

Here are some of the options I am considering:

 

Cheapest - Adding a Trulumen LED strip to the current setup. I like it because if I decide it's not enough, I can run up to three of them on the same power supply. This gives me the option of upgrading it again later.

 

Most versatile - Get another Orbit Marine fixture. This doubles my lighting, adds more spread, and gives me the option of ramping it up slowly over time to give my corals time to adjust. It also gives me two independently programmable setups, which really expands the options for morning, noon, night, and with the added benefit of being able to use one remote control to control both setups.

 

Most Expensive - Replace my lighting completely with the Orbit Marine PRO or some similar unit. Plenty of power, plus I could sell my current light setup or even use it to run over a second tank.

Any suggestions or thoughts would be much appreciated. I want to stay away from PAR38's because I like the low profile of the setup I already have. With it, I'm able to lay screening over top of the tank to prevent fish from jumping out. It just works well for me.

[WV Reefer]

8 minutes ago, musicsmaker said:

It's time to give my 20L some more light. I'm currently running a single Current Orbit Marine LED fixture, and thus far it has been awesome. I've been keeping mostly zoanthids, a couple shrooms, some acans, and a Hollywood Stunner chalice that only stays colored up if I keep it near the top of the tank. I do have an acro frag, but it stays brown even at the top of the water column. I recently acquired a few montipora caps and would like to keep them colored up as nice as they are, and would also like to be able to keep a less demanding acro at the top of the water column without it browning out.

Here are some of the options I am considering:

 

Cheapest - Adding a Trulumen LED strip to the current setup. I like it because if I decide it's not enough, I can run up to three of them on the same power supply. This gives me the option of upgrading it again later.

 

Most versatile - Get another Orbit Marine fixture. This doubles my lighting, adds more spread, and gives me the option of ramping it up slowly over time to give my corals time to adjust. It also gives me two independently programmable setups, which really expands the options for morning, noon, night, and with the added benefit of being able to use one remote control to control both setups.

 

Most Expensive - Replace my lighting completely with the Orbit Marine PRO or some similar unit. Plenty of power, plus I could sell my current light setup or even use it to run over a second tank.

Any suggestions or thoughts would be much appreciated. I want to stay away from PAR38's because I like the low profile of the setup I already have. With it, I'm able to lay screening over top of the tank to prevent fish from jumping out. It just works well for me.

 

Others can give you better advice for your tank..... just wanted to tell you Drs Foster and Smith have a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. I bought my 36" Marine Orbit LED and decided I wanted the Pro version instead..... you can return it anytime for a full refund. I then bought the light I wanted. 

 

The Pro Version is not quite as slim as the regular.  

[Kayman]

I also loved my Current Marine over my 29 but decided to upgrade to a Reef Breeders unit, mainly because a 40G is in my near future. I think upgrading to the Pro is probably the best and easiest option. It will allow you to keep the nice ramping features but also give you full spectrum and the ability to grow SPS. If I was keeping my 29 I would have gone with the Pro.

[musicsmaker]

Which Reef Breeders unit did you go with? I was checking out their site and there are several.

 

[Kayman]

45 minutes ago, musicsmaker said:

Which Reef Breeders unit did you go with? I was checking out their site and there are several.

 

I got the Photon V2 24". I went with that size though because it is going to be going over a 40 breeder.