Lighting for 30” depth? XL tank must haves?

LesPoissons · Jun 30, 2020

Hey guys,
I have a 220g reef tank. It’s my first reef tank ever and a free 220g was available so that’s where I started. I would say for someone new to saltwater... it may not have been the greatest idea to go through the learning curve on such a big tank- but here we are lol. So my tank has been running about 4 years and I really still feel like a newbie. So here are some questions:

Currently I run 3 blackboxs on it which support corals and they grow but I don’t feel like I’m “there” yet. But a lot of the lighting I have looked at come across a lot darker to me and doesn’t really hit the 30 inch depth of my tank. I tried a kessil and while I’m sure the actual light quality is better than my black boxes- it was really dim? Most other people have moderate sized tanks so it’s hard to get an informed opinion. For you large tank keepers- what lighting do you use?
Also, I’m slowly upgrading my “starter” equipment and hand-me-downs that I inherited for my tank. What are your favorite powerheads and placement for water movement? Any other faves for xl tanks I maybe don’t know about?
Thanks for the input

alton · Jun 30, 2020

On a 29" deep tank Metal Halide is #1 for best lighting. The new Philips Leds are suppose to work on 1 meter deep tanks? I ran black boxes on my 180 at 24" deep and not enough Par on the sand.

Amado · Jun 30, 2020

I have a 210 the tank is 30” deep.
i use two kessil 360x on each side and ap700 in the middle.
i also have two 60” reef brite xho led bar .
I am thinking about adding the kessil narrow reflector to put on the 360x To give me a higher par levels

Wildcats1023 · Jun 30, 2020

I have 5 black boxes on my 220 and I'm around 175-200 par on the sand. I am using viparspectras. I have mostly sps and I have great color and growth

LesPoissons · Jun 30, 2020

geversole01 said:
I have 5 black boxes on my 220 and I'm around 175-200 par on the sand. I am using viparspectras. I have mostly sps and I have great color and growth

What settings do you have them on if you don’t mind me asking

Wildcats1023 · Jun 30, 2020

LesPoissons said:
What settings do you have them on if you don’t mind me asking

Whites 5% blues 60% I'm still ramping them up but I think the whites will be staying at 5%

LesPoissons · Jun 30, 2020

Okay, thank you all.
Im going to boost up my lights a bit and investigate the metal halide options. Im kind of over the diy experience and Im all for simplicity. = ) thanks!

User1 · Jun 30, 2020

With tall tanks it is all about light position, quality of the lighting unit, aqua scape, and coral placement. Some lights have lens. Having a similar 210 gallon tank that is 30" tall I used lens on my DIY multi channel. I do not use them on my Kessil a360x's currently. I do have a maxima clam that I'm considering using one though but so far haven't seen the need. Once corals grow in around it I probably will. The rest can be done with coral placement and how you lay out your rock foundation and coral growth. Sort of like a grocery store shelf, ladder, or rack. Higher light requirements up top, medium light in the middle, lower light on the bottom. If you have a clam and it needs high light then you can use a lens.

It all works out in the end. Some light kits are better than others. Kessil lens for example works extremely well. I don't think you will get that with a G5 due to how it is laid out. So these are the things the hobbyist has to look at, test, and decide.

LesPoissons · Jun 30, 2020

geversole01 said:
Whites 5% blues 60% I'm still ramping them up but I think the whites will be staying at 5%

how high off the water are your lights?

Wildcats1023 · Jun 30, 2020

LesPoissons said:
how high off the water are your lights?

7" right now but I'm building a new canopy that will have them around 11" above water. I'm hoping that will get rid of the little bit of shading I have left too.

Wen · Jun 30, 2020

I’m following this, as my new tank is 34” deep with lights 8” above water. (Will be lit with t5s and old hydra52hds.)

Currently running 4 hydra52hds and 2 Orphek strips on Old tank that is 28” deep with lights 12” off water. As corals are larger and lights 5 yrs old, I’m worrying about par levels mid to lower tank.