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LED Lighting choice for 10 gallon


kbreck

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Hello all!!  First timer here, getting back into saltwater after a 20 year hiatus.  Man a lot has changed!  So the plan is a standard 10 gallon with a Fiji Cube DIY AIO at the end to produce a peninsula style tank.  Tank depth is 12".  One or two fish, hermit crabs and a few snails.  Definitely plan on Zoas and LPS but want the ability to add SPS later.  So the question is:  what LED light system do you all recommend?  My finalists are the following in order:

 

1. Red Sea Reef LED 50

2. AI Prime HD

3. Fluval Marine Nano

4. Kessil A80 Tuna Blue

 

I definitely want programmable features and price is a consideration to some degree.  The tank will be sitting on a side table in my living room between two chairs so I can enjoy it while I enjoy my adult beverage.

Thanks for all of your ideas and opinions!!

 

Keith

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Pretty sure any of those would work and some are overkill.  I think a pair of A80's would be the nicest option of those.

 

Dunno if you're focusing on spotlights on purpose, but maybe consider a Current USA Orbit LED strip as another good option for a shallow tank?

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Have the A80 over my 9.6 and I do not have it turned up all the way.  I did not purchase the programmable option/equipment so I cannot comment on that specifically.  I will say I have been incredibly impressed with the build quality of the Kessil so I would not imagine you would be greatly disappointed with that additional equipment.  

 

I recognize the other lights from many posters so I think you will end up with something good no matter which one you select.  

 

Love the idea of tank serving as a complement to a nice sipping glass of something~

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On 8/12/2019 at 9:50 PM, Superdave said:

Have the A80 over my 9.6 and I do not have it turned up all the way.  I did not purchase the programmable option/equipment so I cannot comment on that specifically.  I will say I have been incredibly impressed with the build quality of the Kessil so I would not imagine you would be greatly disappointed with that additional equipment.  

 

I recognize the other lights from many posters so I think you will end up with something good no matter which one you select.  

 

Love the idea of tank serving as a complement to a nice sipping glass of something~

The A80 and the individual Current USA strips are all less power than the Prime HD, which is 45 watts.

 

Some comparisons:

 

The A80 is only 15 watts, which is more like the Tunze strip LED's in terms of watts used. (10-24 watts)

Tunze LED

image.png.89d72ef65dc9870e0ee3b3da39ea3311.png

 

The A80's and the Tunze LED's would both make excellent options for a 10 Gallon.

 

The Current USA 18"-24" Orbit Marine IC Pro, for comparison, is a a package of two 20 watt strips.  So at 40 watts, the IC Pro kit is more comparable to a Prime HD.

 

Run them right on the rim of the tank for an almost totally invisible look, or run them with a mounting arm or two if it fits your design better:

image.png.65ad91739803800874fd7b4adccd508f.png

 

May be interesting that they're having a sale on the Nano Loop kit with lights and a pump.....$199 for the dual strip model, so seems like a great deal.  There are other options on sale too though.

https://current-usa.com/product/nano-reef-bundle

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NoOneLikesADryTang
3 hours ago, mcarroll said:

The A80 and the individual Current USA strips are all less power than the Prime HD, which is 45 watts.

 

Some comparisons:

 

The A80 is only 15 watts, which is more like the Tunze strip LED's in terms of watts used. (10-24 watts)

Tunze LED

image.png.89d72ef65dc9870e0ee3b3da39ea3311.png

 

The A80's and the Tunze LED's would both make excellent options for a 10 Gallon.

 

The Current USA 18"-24" Orbit Marine IC Pro, for comparison, is a a package of two 20 watt strips.  So at 40 watts, the IC Pro kit is more comparable to a Prime HD.

 

Run them right on the rim of the tank for an almost totally invisible look, or run them with a mounting arm or two if it fits your design better:

image.png.65ad91739803800874fd7b4adccd508f.png

 

May be interesting that they're having a sale on the Nano Loop kit with lights and a pump.....$199 for the dual strip model, so seems like a great deal.  There are other options on sale too though.

https://current-usa.com/product/nano-reef-bundle

Not to be a downer, but the Current Orbits aren't strong enough for SPS, which the OP said was a consideration for the future. I had one, and loved the way it looked on the tank... And it's shade of blue is fantastic, but the par on it maxes out at around 300 at the water line, with all colors at 100%. 

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25 minutes ago, NoOneLikesADryTang said:

Current Orbits aren't strong enough

That's an observation you see a lot, but with strips (just like with T5's) you simply add enough strips to get the PAR you want.  

 

Since advanced aquarist is now apparently offline, so are most of Dana Riddle's good articles that I'd routinely refer to.....so for now check this one of Dana's out:

https://orphek.com/the-myth-of-corals-requiring-unlimited-amounts-of-light/

 

That's by Dana and published by Orphek, so you know they aren't trying to pump up Current's lights. 😉 

 

The key (which is explained at the link) is to understand the difference between the compensation point, saturation point and photo-inhibition point.

 

Orbit's are strong enough.

 

Here's Current's PAR graph for the Orbit IC (single strip)

image.png.531f2a574cb7797424d80cd70d2de859.png

Here's two strips:

image.png.ba66a332b7cbef6c5bcb11e0831f5d4e.png

220 PAR at six inches down is fine for almost everything.  Consider that you can place these lights right on the tank so that intensity levels will be even higher.

 

And there's nothing to stop you from adding a Truelumen Pro strip or even a third or fourth Orbit IC if you really did need more intensity than that...but you probably don't. 😉 

 

 

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NoOneLikesADryTang

While I don’t dispute their findings in this study, I would point out that they studied two corals - Not nearly enough to be a scientific study. 

 

I am only speaking from experience, and like I said, I used and liked some things about the current orbit lights, but there was little to no growth with SPS on them. (They did do fine with zoas and LPS.) If I was going to purchase a light, knowing that I’d want to have SPS, I wouldn’t go with a current. I even stepped up to their “Pro” series (like I said - I liked the sleekness and their blue color), and it was mildly better growth, but not significant. After 6 months with the Pro model, I moved on. 

 

As always, your mileage may vary. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

I recently replaced the stock t5 lights on my Biocube 8g. After researching, and seeing a few lights via YT, etc. I chose the Kessil A80. I did not buy the controller for an additional 100.

 

The difference is quite dramatic, and I do not turn the light up past 30% I also find the shimmering effect to be pleasing. The LEDs in the Kessil are packed tightly together in a well built, aluminum body that is designed as a heat sink, so no fans are required. 

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