LEDs to supplement T5

[mkunk1]

Right now I just have AquaticLife Marquis Marine Dual Lamp T5 HO (78 total watts) - I don't even have fish in yet, still cycling. I am planning for when I start with coral in a few months and am thinking about getting two of the Mars Aqua LEDs to supplement the current fixture. Do you all think that is a good plan or is there something else around a similar price point that I should look into?

Tank is a 40 breeder.

Thanks!

 

[mcarroll]

A 40 Breeder is pretty low so doesn't require a ton of intensity. Corals don't require a ton of intensity anyway.

Just the T5's might be fine.

Get a light meter so you can know how much light they are putting out. Then you know how much you have AND if you need more: how much?

A lux meter is cheap and fine (I use a "LX-1010B" that I got for around $12, delivered.) but a PAR meter is nicer if you can get one. BUT USE A LIGHT METER, don't bother with guessing when you can get a $10-$15 light meter.

 

[mkunk1]

A 40 Breeder is pretty low so doesn't require a ton of intensity. Corals don't require a ton of intensity anyway.

Just the T5's might be fine.

Get a light meter so you can know how much light they are putting out. Then you know how much you have AND if you need more: how much?

A lux meter is cheap and fine (I use a "LX-1010B" that I got for around $12, delivered.) but a PAR meter is nicer if you can get one. BUT USE A LIGHT METER, don't bother with guessing when you can get a $10-$15 light meter.

Thank you, I will look into that. What is the optimum range I should be looking for?

 

[mcarroll]

Their light compensation points are usually from 1,000-5,000 lux. Basic survival.

10,000 lux is probably a reasonable minimum. All needs met. I've grown hard corals at this level for years at this point.

25,000 lux seems to be desirable, at least for some corals. For example, some corals will use more amino acids >25K lux. But also, many corals are already photo-saturated by 20K lux. Go very slow with lighting changes.

Clams seems to want >30,000 lux. Unlike corals, there's no real upper limit for these guys.

Around 50,000 lux is considered a fairly bright tank.

Direct sunlight above the water surface is about 100,000 lux.