Upgrading my lighting

dbetts

dbetts

Member
Hello all,

A few months ago I was contemplating upgrading my lighting, and I am now in the position to actually do it. I keep hearing that AI Hydras are the way to go (especially since I want to keep with LEDs). However, I would really really like to not spend almost $1,000 on lighting. I know someone will say "you can't be cheap when it comes to this hobby (or lighting in particular)" but I'm not trying to be cheap per say, just trying to get the biggest bang for my buck, while obviously still being able to keep my corals happy and healthy.

With that being said, I have been looking on forums, reading articles of the best lights for your reef aquarium, etc. and found the ViparSpectra 165W LED. It has amazing reviews wherever I look and a very nice price tag (especially at the moment). So I was hoping to get your guys' take on it. Here is the unit on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UMXAR5S/?tag=reefsanc-20

My tank right now only has GSP, a leather coral, and frogspawn. It is a 55 gallon.

I would love any help! Thank you!
 
mr_tap_water

mr_tap_water

Well-Known Member
The lights you are suggesting IMO look pretty good and a good price to you don't always have to spend a fortune to get good results,
So deafly worth considering.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
D

DaveK

Well-Known Member
What your looking at should work, but at the same don't expect them to compare to AI, EcoTech, or Kessil when it comes to optics, control, quality and replacement parts. On the other hand the light is very inexpensive at $139 verses about $800 for an EcoTech Radion Gen4 pro or $600 for an Ai Hydra 52.

Consider what you ultimately want to keep in the tank. SPS corals and clams have much more demanding lighting requirements.

This is a tough choice. On one hand it's hard to ignore the bargain price, on the other I can think of a lot of times I replaced equipment because I initially went cheep.
 
dbetts

dbetts

Member
DaveK said:
This is a tough choice. On one hand it's hard to ignore the bargain price, on the other I can think of a lot of times I replaced equipment because I initially went cheep.
Click to expand...

That's the dilemma I am having in my head :( Thank you for your input though! It definitely helps!
 
dbetts

dbetts

Member
Thought I would update this thread to let you all know what I ended up doing. I went ahead and purchased the ViparSpectra lights. They are now all up and running. I have some more to do to the stand I made for them, but here is what they look like on my tank right now. I am pretty happy with them. Definitely a step up from my Fluval unit. Especially with the built in timer!

upload_2017-4-4_22-2-57.png
 
Pat24601

Pat24601

Well-Known Member
dbetts said:
Thought I would update this thread to let you all know what I ended up doing. I went ahead and purchased the ViparSpectra lights. They are now all up and running. I have some more to do to the stand I made for them, but here is what they look like on my tank right now. I am pretty happy with them. Definitely a step up from my Fluval unit. Especially with the built in timer!

View attachment 46964
Click to expand...

Looks awesome!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top