Light Suggestions.

[N11morales]

I have a Planet Aquarium tank that is 36"L x 18" W x 24.5" H

Was wondering what lights should i run on this tank for maximum coral growth/coloration.
I have a Gen3 Radion xr15 on it i believe right now. (came with the tank)
I want to change/upgrade the light before getting into coral. It's fish only right now.

Is the light on the tank good enough or need 2 lights to cover the tank better? I see some shadowing in some areas of the tank.

 

[mjgonereefing]

It’s all about what kind of coral you want to keep. I would suggest figuring that out first and then tailoring light to it. That size tank with 1 X-r 15 will not be sufficient to really grow out most corals but is a nice light indeed. If you wanna keep lps only then grab another one of the same and if you want to keep sps then grab 3 more. You can go crazy with lighting so have a goal on what what you wanna keep then light it accordingly to the needs of the coral. A PAR meter is very helpful as you can lookup what range par a coral needs then meter it to make sure you are delivering.

 

[N11morales]

It’s all about what kind of coral you want to keep. I would suggest figuring that out first and then tailoring light to it. That size tank with 1 X-r 15 will not be sufficient to really grow out most corals but is a nice light indeed. If you wanna keep lps only then grab another one of the same and if you want to keep sps then grab 3 more. You can go crazy with lighting so have a goal on what what you wanna keep then light it accordingly to the needs of the coral. A PAR meter is very helpful as you can lookup what range par a coral needs then meter it to make sure you are delivering.

Oh my bad i forgot to put the corals that i wanted to keep. Yeah its mainly going to be an LPS/Soft coral mix reef tank.

 

[Suohhen]

Agreed and the same goes for adding Kessil and other competing brands and alternatively you could supplement a pair with T-5s or my new favorite supplemental lights Reefbrite Lumi Lights. Not the most cost effective per par but a huge improvement in spread and a great opportunity to add a fuller spectrum.

 

[N11morales]

Agreed and the same goes for adding Kessil and other competing brands and alternatively you could supplement a pair with T-5s or my new favorite supplemental lights Reefbrite Lumi Lights. Not the most cost effective per par but a huge improvement in spread and a great opportunity to add a fuller spectrum.

Yeah I was just looking to see other options on lighting since the radion i have is an old version bought used. It came with my tank. So not sure if I should just completely switch to a new light. I'm not stuck on using radions. Any cheaper options are welcomed lol.

 

[mjgonereefing]

Oh my bad i forgot to put the corals that i wanted to keep. Yeah its mainly going to be an LPS/Soft coral mix reef tank.

Nice! I love LPS corals. Throw another one on and you’re good to go. Like suohhen said you could also supplement with a blade either LED or T5 that’s angled to reduce shadows. The only thing is if you bought new radion not sure you can pair with the gen 3. That might be a question for somebody else

 

[N11morales]

Nice! I love LPS corals. Throw another one on and you’re good to go. Like suohhen said you could also supplement with a blade either LED or T5 that’s angled to reduce shadows. The only thing is if you bought new radion not sure you can pair with the gen 3. That might be a question for somebody else

Yeah I'm not sure on the radion pairing. I think gen3 is to old. I kinda just left what the previous owner had the light set too. He had a euphyllia garden tank so i just left it. Are there any other lights u would recommend besides radions? Is there a cheaper option that proveds good color/coral growth.

Know anything about Noopsyche K7 Pro V3's?

 

[Gtinnel]

Know anything about Noopsyche K7 Pro V3's?

I have 6 of the Noopsyche lights above my tank (mine were before they added wifi control but still the V3). They produce a really good light and for the price can’t be beat IMO. They are not without their issues though. The app that you use to setup and control them isn’t the most intuitive, and pairing Noopsyche lights to WiFi was a pain in my experience (I have one of their WiFi mini lights on a nano tank). If you can get past those short comings they’re a great light.

Also I can sometimes hear the fans running on mine, it’s not loud enough to be annoying (to me at least) but they’re not completely silent.

 

[mjgonereefing]

I have no experience with that one unfortunately. I’ve been thru many lights and my opinion is the buy once cry once rule with lights. It may be cheaper now but if you have to buy another one 6 months later then it wasn’t really cheaper. You could probably find another gen 3 for sale on here. Have you checked out the marketplace? Really any higher end light at the right output will a good choice. Kessil has by far the most shimmer out of any light. AI has the best app. Radions are the most popular. Maxspect has clean mounts. I don’t care for Red Sea lights but some people do. As far as cheaper lights I hear nicrew is decent? Never used them. So yeah it’s really a personal call but there’s my 2 cents and it’s worth even less than that. Haha

 

[ninjamyst]

You will need two fixtures. Two AI Prime or two Radion XR15 if you got the money. Else two 50w - 100w lights from Amazon if you are on budget. All will grow softies and lps and easy sps just fine.

 

[oreo54]

Yeah I'm not sure on the radion pairing. I think gen3 is to old. I kinda just left what the previous owner had the light set too. He had a euphyllia garden tank so i just left it. Are there any other lights u would recommend besides radions? Is there a cheaper option that proveds good color/coral growth.

Know anything about Noopsyche K7 Pro V3's?

Here is a review..

LED - telegraham's lighting tests

I normally share testing data over on IG, but I thought I'd do the same here. Basic test parameters: Spectrum testing using a UPRtek MK350s Premium PAR captured open air over a 24" grid using an MQ500 or MQ510 (with multiplier removed) Spread over that same 24" grid Measured wattage at...

humble.fish

At the current price it is "sort of" a steal. Should probably get 2
BUT watch shipping. The link that got me to that price said "free shipping" but that page does not.

NooPsyche K7 PRO III kit with arm bracket

NP K7 PRO III v3 Aquarium LED Coral Light. Better spectrum out / Excellent Growth / Feed Almost all the of the SPS/LPS coral in one reef tank isn't a dream especially red coral / Natural perfect mixing and Shimmer / Superior Color Mixing / The best mixing spectrum technology / Affordable price...

noopsychereeflight.com

$219 x 2
As noted above, typical China direct sort of hassles. These can include not working on some mesh wifi networks.
AFAICT there really are no "returns" and service may be just them sending you parts.

One thing to keep in mind with "puck style" lights is your tank bracing. Makes a difference in numbers of units sometime unless you can live with some blockage. Well all opaque braces block some.

Something more bullet proof with US support:

ReefBreeders

reefbreeders.com

$760

There are plenty of "reviews" here of almost every light and every price point.

 

[N11morales]

Here is a review..

LED - telegraham's lighting tests

I normally share testing data over on IG, but I thought I'd do the same here. Basic test parameters: Spectrum testing using a UPRtek MK350s Premium PAR captured open air over a 24" grid using an MQ500 or MQ510 (with multiplier removed) Spread over that same 24" grid Measured wattage at...

humble.fish

At the current price it is "sort of" a steal. Should probably get 2
BUT watch shipping. The link that got me to that price said "free shipping" but that page does not.

NooPsyche K7 PRO III kit with arm bracket

NP K7 PRO III v3 Aquarium LED Coral Light. Better spectrum out / Excellent Growth / Feed Almost all the of the SPS/LPS coral in one reef tank isn't a dream especially red coral / Natural perfect mixing and Shimmer / Superior Color Mixing / The best mixing spectrum technology / Affordable price...

noopsychereeflight.com

$219 x 2
As noted above, typical China direct sort of hassles. These can include not working on some mesh wifi networks.
AFAICT there really are no "returns" and service may be just them sending you parts.

One thing to keep in mind with "puck style" lights is your tank bracing. Makes a difference in numbers of units sometime unless you can live with some blockage. Well all opaque braces block some.

Something more bullet proof with US support:

ReefBreeders

reefbreeders.com

$760

There are plenty of "reviews" here of almost every light and every price point.

Thank for all this info great help! I was actually looking into the photons last night. Looks like a great light.

 

[N11morales]

Here is a review..

LED - telegraham's lighting tests

I normally share testing data over on IG, but I thought I'd do the same here. Basic test parameters: Spectrum testing using a UPRtek MK350s Premium PAR captured open air over a 24" grid using an MQ500 or MQ510 (with multiplier removed) Spread over that same 24" grid Measured wattage at...

humble.fish

At the current price it is "sort of" a steal. Should probably get 2
BUT watch shipping. The link that got me to that price said "free shipping" but that page does not.

NooPsyche K7 PRO III kit with arm bracket

NP K7 PRO III v3 Aquarium LED Coral Light. Better spectrum out / Excellent Growth / Feed Almost all the of the SPS/LPS coral in one reef tank isn't a dream especially red coral / Natural perfect mixing and Shimmer / Superior Color Mixing / The best mixing spectrum technology / Affordable price...

noopsychereeflight.com

$219 x 2
As noted above, typical China direct sort of hassles. These can include not working on some mesh wifi networks.
AFAICT there really are no "returns" and service may be just them sending you parts.

One thing to keep in mind with "puck style" lights is your tank bracing. Makes a difference in numbers of units sometime unless you can live with some blockage. Well all opaque braces block some.

Something more bullet proof with US support:

ReefBreeders

reefbreeders.com

$760

There are plenty of "reviews" here of almost every light and every price point.

Do u think a

Photon 24-V2 Pro would work on this tank?​

Coverage Area	FOWLR/Softies: 38" x 24" x 30", Mixed Reef: 36" x 24" x 30", SPS: 30" x 24" x 30"

Or would it be best to get the 32-V2 Pro?
FOWLR/Softies: 44" x 24" x 36", Mixed Reef: 42" x 24" x 30", SPS: 38" x 24" x 30"

 

[Suohhen]

That light would certainly work and the 36in version would give you more flexibility. 300+ par is a range where opinions vary widely and it really comes down to personal preference. There are a lot of other considerations when it comes to lights beyond price, and quite a few lights are quite competitive when it comes to price/par. At least when it comes to the standard lights. Chinese black boxes are a whole different bag of badgers. BRSTv is my go to resource for lighting research. https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/content/category/brs-tv/brs-investigates/lighting-showdown

 

[Hooz]

Photon V2 32", three Primes or two XR15s would probably cover you for pretty much anything you wanted to grow. If you wanted to do Blades, one Grow and one Glow would do pretty good for softies and LPS, two Grows and a Glow if you wanted to do a mixed reef or SPS tank.