Need some input on a new light fixture

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ryanm19

Medium Fish
#1
Feb 6, 2008
99
0
0
Lawrence, KS
#1
Hey everyone. As of right now I am using:
http://www.marinedepot.com/AquaticLi...FIT54U-vi.html
I have a 65 gallon tank (36x19x24) that has been up for about 3 years with mostly lps and softies. I am looking into upgrading my light so that I can get some more growth from my lps as well as being able to buy a clam and sps.
I don't really want to go with halides because of the heat issue. So that leaves me with more T5's or LEDs. I'm not much of a DIY guy so what would you guys recommend for either a T5 or LED fixture. If i go with T5s should I jump up to 6 or 8 bulbs? I know that LED fixtures right now are very expensive but let me know if there are any ones out there that are worth looking at.
 

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strout

Superstar Fish
#4
Dec 21, 2008
1,009
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#4
ryanm19 said:
I have been looking into some led fixtures and came across shop | Apollo Reef LED
It says it can replace a 250 watt metal halide. They recommend 1 for every 2 ft. and my tank is 3 ft so I'm not sure whether or not I would need two or if I could get away with 1.
Click to expand...
I ended up buying AI LED lights for my new tank, But before I came up with a few more $$$ to buy the AIs, I was going to buy Appollo solarblast LED lights, these are good lights.
 

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strout

Superstar Fish
#6
Dec 21, 2008
1,009
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#6
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1872242&page=14

This is a 120g tank, I think 48x24x24 Lit by two Apolo LED lights, I think since you only have LPS and Soft Corals, one light should do well for you. There is a down side to these lights though, not that much of one, and I think they are fixing to offer another light that will solve this down side. I really don't think its a down side though, the new light will have an added cost to it to make up for this added feture. The Apolo light dosn't have a dimmer feature, meaning, you can't make them gradually come on, dimmer to brighter. These lights have two control dials on top of the fixture, one for the white LEds and one for the blue LEDs. You pre set these, when your timer turns the lights on, you get what you have pre set them for. The new lights they are working on will have a dimmer capability but will also have an increased cost of somwhere around $100. Its not that big of a deal, buy the Apolo lights, you won't regret it. When you scroll down the page in the link, its the second tank, not the first tank.
 

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ryanm19

Medium Fish
#7
Feb 6, 2008
99
0
0
Lawrence, KS
#7
thanks strout! yeah i've talked with him about his experiences with them as well as the new dimmable ones coming out. one of my concerns with one is the fact that my tank has a center brace. I don't want to have a shadow in the tank.
 

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ryanm19

Medium Fish
#8
Feb 6, 2008
99
0
0
Lawrence, KS
#8
Also, appollo is saying that the new dimmable lights are only controllable through an aquarium controller like an apex or apex jr. This isn't a bad thing for many people, but I am in no need of a controller at the moment.
 

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strout

Superstar Fish
#9
Dec 21, 2008
1,009
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#9
You just have to make a choice, no matter what type of lighting system you buy MH, T5, LED, you are still going to have that center brace in your tank, I don't think you will have a problem with that shadow effect as much as you think. I have two center braces in my 125g tank with a glass pane between them, have MH over this tank, I really don't see a shadow. Now, that being said, I am sure there is a par drop thru that glass pane, specially if I don't keep the glass clean, which I am guilty of lol. I wouldn't give that center brace a second thought, If it ends up being a par problem, you can always put your less light loving corals towards the center of your tank. Now on to your other choice, the LED dimmable feature on the lights. These Apollo LED and a whole bunch of other brands are made so that they sell to the masses. People buy these lights and the first thing I hear them say, after they say they like the way the light looks in their tank, it sure would be nice to have a dimmable feature on these lights, Kinda defeats the purpose. Lights are either on or off, unless you have that dimmable feature, if they use cheap LED bulbs, as some do, your corals suffer, nobody buys that light after their corals start to die. So, the only place left to cut cost, is to cut out that dimmable feature. If they put that dimmable feature on the new Apollo light, then jack the price up to cover that cost, I as the customer should have just bought the AI lights to start with. I am buying the Apollo lights to save money, if it comes down to a choice between bulb quality and that dimmable feature, I would choose skipping the dimmable feature, (am I spelling that word wrong LOL dimmable) Its not that big of a deal, your corals won't know the difference, they only care that the light comes on at some point. Your other choice is T5s or MH lights. Good T5 bulbs cost around $25 a piece and have to be replaced every 6 months, MH bulbs, say $60 a piece and every 6 months. The Apollo is a good light with a good bulb, just dosn't have that dimmable feature. I have read tha Evolution LEDs are good also, I just haven't seen any par read outs on them.
 

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