junglejim Posted August 31, 2014 Report Share Posted August 31, 2014 Hi all, Anyone able to advise on the best cost effective lights for a tank with coral? Tank is 200L 1m long I was thinking of getting an led one from fish-street.com but their descriptions are crap and I can't figure out which one I need. Thanks for any help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godly3vil Posted August 31, 2014 Report Share Posted August 31, 2014 Budget? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinnadian Posted September 1, 2014 Report Share Posted September 1, 2014 Best cost effective is DIY. Coral-box or K4 (now K5 it seems, K4 is outdated) from fish-street are reasonable cost effective, growth is not proven. I like the look of the K5 more than the Coral-box, the 90cm one should be good enough for your tank at $510 + shipping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junglejim Posted September 1, 2014 Author Report Share Posted September 1, 2014 Thanks guys, I was hoping something like this would be ok: http://www.fish-street.com/coralbox_m1_ ... m_lighting I was hoping to spend about $350 Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinnadian Posted September 1, 2014 Report Share Posted September 1, 2014 There is no way the 60cm lights will be bright enough for a 1m tank, unless you put wide optics on, and then you will lose intensity. For that budget your only options for somewhat decent lights will be DIY. If you skimp on lights your corals simply won't grow, and will look crappy. Decent lights is the single most important purchase for your tank. There is a common saying "buy cheap buy twice", and it really IS true. If you try to buy real budget lights you will either get poor growth or give up, or end up buying better ones later anyways. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted September 1, 2014 Report Share Posted September 1, 2014 I have seen some nice setups running T5's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godly3vil Posted September 1, 2014 Report Share Posted September 1, 2014 I have seen some nice setups running T5's I was just about to post that. Can pickup some cheap T5HO units now too that will do the job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Totara Posted September 1, 2014 Report Share Posted September 1, 2014 Hi all, Anyone able to advise on the best cost effective lights for a tank with coral? Tank is 200L 1m long I was thinking of getting an led one from fish-street.com but their descriptions are crap and I can't figure out which one I need. Thanks for any help. I thought you already had a tank with coral? Or are you setting up another? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinnadian Posted September 1, 2014 Report Share Posted September 1, 2014 T5HO wouldn't be any cheaper than LED from fish-street, the K5 90cm or Coralbox 90cm. 2x http://www.hollywoodfishfarm.co.nz/detail/view/aqua-zonic-t5-90cm-39w-double/m/2977/ = $356 4x bulbs, about $45 each, $180 With shipping total about $570 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Godly3vil Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 Can pickup some cheap 2nd hand units now for around $50-100 each. Quick search on trademe shows these http://www.trademe.co.nz/pets-animals/f ... 505814.htm http://www.trademe.co.nz/pets-animals/f ... 478513.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
si_sphinx Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 Coral Box have proven growth on my sps over my tank. I have them at 65% intensity, 200mm above the water. Tank is 400mm deep and the light is still too bright for zoas on the bottom but fine for the sps. You can raise the lights up say 400-500mm to get a bigger light coverage but will need to increase the light intensity. So my opinion on the Coral box is they work great. But yes you might have to buy the bigger unit if you are wanting higher demanding corals if light coverage is is an issue. On a 1000mm long tank, a 600 light unit will be pushing it and you will get dark spots at the ends of the tank. And the mounting legs only extend 180mm each side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sally J Posted October 8, 2014 Report Share Posted October 8, 2014 I bought K4's and I can't grow stony corals, I wish I had gone with something better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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