Lighting a 5 gallon

[darkhour]

New to the reef world! Coming from freshwater and really excited to dive in. I'm considering is the Nicrew 50w hyper reef from amazon for my 5 gallon reef. I mainly want to keep soft corals but don't want to limit myself if I want to keep easy SPS or upgrade to a larger tank one day. 

 

https://www.amazon.com/NICREW-Aquarium-Dimmable-Spectrum-Saltwater/dp/B083XYR64W/ref=pd_di_sccai_4/143-1394534-7336762?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B083XYR64W&pd_rd_r=a1c97472-99fe-422e-8279-9716f35c7e94&pd_rd_w=85Sg8&pd_rd_wg=vjc19&pf_rd_p=5415687b-2c9d-46da-88a4-bbcfe8e07f3c&pf_rd_r=2SAJ10FRGB72FP0HAB5G&psc=1&refRID=2SAJ10FRGB72FP0HAB5G

 

Does anyone have experience with this light? I assume not many so my other choices are the AI Prime 16 HD Reef Aquarium LED and the Kessil Tuna Blue A80. I have notice a lot of pico tanks using these lights and their success is well documented in the forums. Let me know your recommendations. 

[RedTheReefer]

Get yourself a used AI Prime HD (they go for $140-$160 USD) or a 16HD. This is the best light you can get in my opinion, especially if your plan to go larger or do some SPS. If you plan on going larger, why not go larger now? Always get the largest tank you can fit where ever you want to put it unless you specifically want a pico. One thing I have learned is that you'll definitely want more room to fit that next coral frag you want. 😅 And also if you plan on having fish, your options are quite limited with a 5 gallon. A 10 gallon really opens up the doors for what species of fish you can keep.

[darkhour]

Hey thanks for input! My original plan was for a 40 gallon reef breeder to go along side with my 40 gallon freshwater planted breeder. I brought all the materials, except the tank to get started (live sand, dry rock, rodi unit etc) and then chicken out. That was two years ago, the live sand is just sand now and I have enough cured dry rock for a 40 gallon thank but just using a fraction of that for the 5 gallon. I live in a house that I own but really started to debate if I wanted to devote more time/ living space into the hobby mid way my planning. So 2 years later, decided I can't say no to a pico tank and if this pico is successful thats my calling to get a larger tank around 20-30 gallon cause making rodi water and getting salinity right is not fun or I need to get use to it. The learning curve to reef so far hasn't been easy but I got the tank cycled just a few days ago (took a month) and ready for a clean up crew, then some corals and lastly a goby or shrimp in a span of months. 

[paulsz]

AI prime would be my choice. You go super low on the settings for the 5 gal. And it'd be enough for a softy/LPS 20 gallon (with some SPS up top near the middle) should you ever decide to upgrade. 

 

If you can find a used one (Which shouldn't be an issue if you live in the US), that'd be great!

 

[darkhour]

Good tip on getting it used. I see one for sale. Was about to buy it full price. 

 

[mcarroll]

On 10/2/2020 at 2:52 AM, darkhour said:

My original plan was for a 40 gallon reef breeder to go along side with my 40 gallon freshwater planted breeder. I brought all the materials, except the tank to get started (live sand, dry rock, rodi unit etc) and then chicken out. That was two years ago

Lack of confidence from lack of good how-to info?   What books have you been reading since then?  What info have you been eating??  

[Reefkid88]

You should not skimp on quality lighting. You will spend more money trying to find something you like. 

 

 Get a used AI prime which can be had for cheap,skip the amazon specials and get a quality light.