ReeferBob Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 Hello reefers, I'm just getting back into saltwater and was wondering what kind of light would be good for good coral growth. I don't not plan on growing hard corals would like it to be led. My budget is about $300-400 that's including brackets to mount above tank( cannot hang it from the ceiling). Would like to stay around $350 casue I have to get some other parts. I do have a coralife with t5 and 2 metal halides but it was from my 75gal ,also have a 48 inch t5 light with 4 bulbs in it. But I think they are over kill for this tank. Thanks allot in advance Quote Link to comment
mcarroll Posted January 9, 2020 Share Posted January 9, 2020 You can light a much larger tank for that much....maybe consider a larger tank? This (among other things) would definitely benefit your livestock more than an uber-expensive light. A good option to consider for a 20 Long is the Orbit Marine line from Current USA. https://current-usa.com/orbit-marine-ic-led-bt/ The 24"-36" unit is under $200 and would give you 100 PAR all the way to the bottom -- plenty even for 90% of stony corals. With a tank as small AND shallow as the 20 Long you can probably even get away with the plain Orbit Marine light (non IC) which would also give you better spread at the top of the tank where it matters in such a shallow tank.. https://current-usa.com/product/nano-reef-bundle There's also their nano-reef bundle, which includes a single IC (infrared not bluetooth) strip AND a wave pump in a complete kit. That's only $169 for the 24"-36" version. Those two are actually sold thru their website. https://current-usa.com/orbit-marine-led/ They also offer the plain Orbit Marine LED strip (infrared not bluetooth) that would be fine....even better for lighting at the top of the tank thanks to its 120 degree lenses (vs 90 degree on the IC's). Honestly I think this is a better light for your specific tank, but Current doesn't sell it via their website. Looks like Chewy sells the 24"-36" model for just $71. Same price at Amazon. See if your local store sells them....these tend to be fairly popular. 2 Quote Link to comment
ReeferBob Posted January 10, 2020 Author Share Posted January 10, 2020 I picked up a red sea led 50 for $140 wensday that was only uses for like 2 months. It's working good now for the price. It's like $280 with the mount so I'll try it out for what I got it for and if I have to upgrade in the future I'll look at the current Quote Link to comment
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