LED lighting length

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brownlm4

Member
Folks,

Just starting to plan my tank and think LED is the way to go as could do without extra elec bills and bulb changes.. would rather the bigger up front cost.

particularly like the vertex illuminum 260 or 360 (depending on budget) but was interested in what size would be best.. ... im looking to get a 4ft tank so would I buy a 4ft led and turn it down slightly as they are too bright generally.. or do I go with a shorter one ( its sort of dependant on if I want to put corals etc that like low intensity at the edges of the tank) but wanted to get a feeling of what anyone else has done.. is it worth getting a full length ?? would a 3ft be the best option overall...

thanks

Mike
 
Bearjohnson

Bearjohnson

Well-Known Member
PREMIUM
RS Ambassador
The best thing to do is find out what the manufacturer has to say about coverage.

The other thing to consider is how far off the water will they be once you set them up. If they are a little higher, you'll get more coverage and vice versa.
 
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Reef Commando

Member
I have a 360 on one of my tanks. Tank is 24" cube with a water height of 26". It certainly puts out enough ooomph to place coral where ever you want. The height it sits from the water will depend on whether the tank is rimless or not.

I have AI Hydra on my larger tank and these are also good. Easier to programme than the Vertex.
 
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DaveK

Well-Known Member
In my opinion, your putting the cat before the horse. First, figure out what you want to keep. Second, select the tank size. Then select all your other equipment.

Just because it's a 4 foot long tank doesn't mean that any old lighting will do. For example, if you have a 55 gal tank, about 12 inches wide, you'll need a lot less light. If you choose a 100 gal tank that is 4 ft long, you will have a tank about 24 inches wide, and for that you might even want two or more fixtures.

Lighting will also be dependant upon what you plan to keep. You'll need a lot more for SPS corals and clams verses zoas, mushrooms and soft corals. This is why you first need to figure out what you will be keeping.

Don't rush the planning. It's very easy to spend money on the wrong items.
 
reefer gladness

reefer gladness

Well-Known Member
I agree with everything said so far and would add the following:

Coverage is entirely relevant to beam angle of the LED's and the height over the water. LED's without optics have a 120 degree beam angle, those with optics vary from 90 degrees all the way down to 30 degree beam angle. You can visualize the effect this has by making a cardboard cutout at the various beam angles and see the coverage at various heights.

Optics focus the available light into a tighter beam, this increases PAR but reduces coverage. This is especially useful on deeper tanks and/or SPS dominated tanks.

Your specific question has been answered here, the manufacturer recommends a 3 foot fixture over a 4 foot tank: http://reefbuilders.com/2012/07/18/vertex-illumina-led-review/

I'll just add DIY projects are usually pretty ugly to look at - unless you have a canopy and don't see it. You can build a light as good or better for a fraction of the price and spend the money saved on a full-functioned aquarium controller that will do a better job controlling your LED's than what Vertex is trying to sell.
 
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brownlm4

Member
Thanks guys,

not looking to set up for a year so taking time over planning...im hoping in a years time this type of light wi... still looking at width of tank but know it will probably be 4ft 121 50 62 cm .. in terms of what I will keep... I am looking for fish with some easy corals and work my way up over a period of time so don't want to change lights...would rather have a light that is future proof a bit..

will take a look at the AI Hydra .. thanks
 
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