Picking Led For 75g Reef

Hello. I am picking a light for a 75 reef, I was looking at he current USA orbit ic pro. Mainly I started there due to using their light on my 75gal planted freshwater and I like the functionality.

Here is my question, is there a better option for $400 or less all in? The par levels for the current at max depth in this tank for coral (14") is 150.


Better to me means not only in light output but it must have a minimum programmbility. I work in the medical field and am often gone for 16 hours. The current is great on my planted tank because it cycles through a full 24 he cycle.

I would be wanting something similar. It needs to be able to ramp up the blues to full and then sit at tbatblebel for 2 hours before ramping to delight for 6 and then back to blues for 2 hours before dimming to moonlight level for another 4 hours and then shutting off.

Things close to.thia are fine but not just a straight up blue light that has a slow ramp up. That isn' comparable

Thanks

 

Wish I could help... Bump!

 

Not a chance I would spend $400 on a LED light for aquarium.

You could DIY a far better panel for less than $150

 

You could DIY a far better panel for less than $150

I disagree. My husband is a certified electrician and overall just super handy and a smart guy. He spent a good amount of time wrapping his head around building a reef light modeled after Ecotech's Radions. It is possible, but they wouldn't be cheaper, nor would they be better. Also consider how much money goes into corals, who depend on good, consistent lighting for their health.

This is not to say that I think spending $400 is the only way to go. Our budgets are what they are, but imo one of the biggest monetary mistakes a new reefer can make, is buying the wrong lights. I tried to save a few bucks at first and it wasn't long before we started looking into upgrading. If you're unhappy with the first light, you'll only spend more money in the long run to replace it.

I know a few reefers who are happy with Current USA Marine Orbits over their reefs. There are some low light corals that would do well towards the bottom of the 75g, and you can put more demanding ones closer to the light on your rockscape. This is a good time to let you know how important a rockscape can be. Consider that different corals have their own preferences regarding light and flow, so build your scape with that in mind.

 

Its not just simply an LED. Its the spectrum, wattage, PAR value, shimmering, the lens type (does it evenly spread the light or is there hotspots), etc there's a lot that goes into building a light fixture for corals. Simply getting some halfway decent LED's and mounting them won't do it.

check out this video by BRS regarding the cheap "Black box" that's readily sold as a reef light.

 

After talking with some people on Reef Central I decided to go with 2 AI Prime HDs . Thanks for the advice, the total came in at 460 with the 18" flex mounts

 

After talking with some people on Reef Central I decided to go with 2 AI Prime HDs . Thanks for the advice, the total came in at 460 with the 18" flex mounts

Excellent choice, those are amazing lights for the money.