How many fixtures are needed?

Discussion in 'LED Aquarium Lighting' started by kaceyo, Sep 3, 2014.

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  1. kaceyo

    kaceyo Plankton

    Joined:
    Sep 1, 2014
    Messages:
    7
    Hi all,
    I'm new here and have done a lot of research and find that things have changed a lot since I had a reef tank in the early/mid 80's. There was no such thing as LED lights then, for instance. That is the type of light i've decided to go with though and I am on a budget so it's CHEAP led's for me. The article on poor mans led lights was very informative and helpful but I do have a couple of questions.
    I want to get the light recommended in the post mentioned above at Amazon from Expowertt. It's one of the many 165w (55 x3w) dimmable fixtures I've seen. It will be used on a standard 29g 30"x12"x18" tank with mixed corals including sps, clams etc, and I was thinking it might be overkill, but could be used at a lowered output and later, if I want to upgrade my tank, I could buy another one (or 2 or?). Then I got a reply from another retailer saying I'd need two of the DM165e's (formerly DM155e), another 55x3w led, to light the tank I wanted.
    I'd read of people using two of these lights over much larger and deeper tanks than mine was to be with excellent results. Was this guy just trying to sell another light or is there something I've missed? Can a single light of this type work over the tank I am setting up?
    I also wanted to ask if anyone hasdealt with Alibaba as they seem to have a large selection.
    Or is there another choice in my price range ($100-$150ish) that I have overlooked that wasn't mentioned in the article, which included the Value fixture, Evergrow, Tao-Tronics, and retailers Reef Radience, Reef Breeders(?), and the "ebay" lcd's which seem to very widley in price for the same fixtures.
    Any infoor suggestions you could provide will be greatly appreciated.
    Thanx,

    Kacey
     
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  3. Pickupman66

    Pickupman66 Tassled File Fish

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Winchester, TN
    So, ive had several types of LEDS. initially I had a custom build system over my 180 however that bears notin to this conversation. My current tank is 32wx24Dx20T I have used a Reef Radiance DM132 on it as well as my frag tanks in the past. The spread from this type of light works extremely well for a 24x18" area. any wider than that and you can have some shading at the ends. To use on a 30" wide tank you would need to mount the light considerably higher (and you would still get plenty of light penetration into the 18" of water) or if you are wanting just a center rock structure with space between it and the walls, you will be fine. hanging two of these end to end may be a little long for your tank as I think they are 16" long each? if you were to turn them parallel to each other, you would have too much front to back light.

    So, now what? if your budget is to purchase two of these then I would suggest you look at something like a Photon24 from Reefbreeders. Or something in that range. On my 32" tank I have a Reef Radiance Lumentek Pro 240. it is 32 inches long. I could likely go with a 24" light but I wanted the overkill.
     
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  4. kaceyo

    kaceyo Plankton

    Joined:
    Sep 1, 2014
    Messages:
    7
    Hi PT, My budget is to spend no more than needed, so get just one of the fixtures, which is one reason I was disappointed to hear I needed two of the DM165e's, which has the same # of 3w diodes as the Amazon light. I could swing 2 of them and go over budget just a bit, but I don't want to, especially if I only need one. The DM132 is working well for you and has fewer 3w diodes than the 165w I'm looking at, right?
    BTW, I had a 180g too, back in the early 1980's, which was lit by a single 400w halide at one end and two fluorescent Philips Actinic 03's along the length. Wish I'd kept my gear.
    Thanks
     
  5. Pickupman66

    Pickupman66 Tassled File Fish

    Joined:
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    Messages:
    1,991
    Location:
    Winchester, TN
    I had my Dm132 turned way up. and it was temporary and it was also combined with a pair of Evergrows.

    Go with that Dm15. you will be pleased. hang it up high and you will get plenty of coverage.