High Tide Aquatics

LED options for 48X31x20 tank

R

ReefLove

Guest
Hi Everyone,

I'm planning to buy a tank with 48X31x20 dimension. Most of the things are considered and pretty much done deal, but my last worry is how to light it with LEDs because with 31" front to back I would think its going to be a challenge to light it properly and make it look good at the same time and yes it should be in budget. My current budget is $1500.

So what are my options ??

---------UPDATED----
Now, no hurry..I ordered my tank, Elos 120 XL.

http://www.elosusa.com/store/product/137/system-120xl-125gal-w-ps2000
 
2-3 kessil 350w, or 2-3 AI sol blue or vega, maybe w all 70 degree lenses. 31 is a big spread but you really don't want light hitting the wall and or spilling out anyway. You could try 4 AI Sol w a controller for about $1675 if 2-3 doesn't cover it the way you want
You could DIY from rapid for less, But won't look as finished.
 
Checkout some of the Giesmann hybrid fixtures...either led/T5's or or led/metal halides. You might want to contact Tony Vargas via Facebook regarding what he has in the works with the Ecoxotic led/T5 fixture he mentioned in his talk.
 
IMo best bet if you want leds is to go 2 a350w if you want to do lps/softies and 3 if you want to do mixed sps,lps,softies............ (under your budget either way 2 or 3 lights)

or you can contact Rapid LED about a DIY setup
 
eldiablosrt8 said:
IMo best bet if you want leds is to go 2 a350w if you want to do lps/softies and 3 if you want to do mixed sps,lps,softies............ (under your budget either way 2 or 3 lights)

or you can contact Rapid LED about a DIY setup
Click to expand...

Thanks Jess. I will keep this in mind. I have heard that Kessils would spill lot of light in the room, considering I won't have canopy.
 
your tankis also 7 " wider than most setups..... most leds will spill light in the room once you hang them above a tank with no canopy, just saying...
 
You can also hang the Kessil's, or what ever you go with, low enough to keep the spillage to a minimum. If you go with the A350Ws that will let you get them fairly close to the the water to lower the spillover and still give you a good spread. I agree with Jess on the qty, 3 if you want to go SPS.

I like Mike's idea on the 4 x AIs too. You can change out the optics (can you?) on those to direct more light down than out.

I also like what Tony Vargas mentioned in his talk about the "wife factor". Take a look around and find some nice lampshades to wrap those Kessils in to dampen the spillover. Heck, since you're setting this up for your little girl you can use something like this:

images


:D

Seriously though, check Ikea or a lamp store for ideas on covering the lights. When I didn't have my canopy over my tank it was mainly the brightness directly under the A150s I had at the time that really bothered me.

~Charlie
 
How about radios ? They are he'll expensive but may be only way to light up the tank properly.
 
I don't know what you mean by properly. Assuming you meant radions? Not worth the extra money IMO.
Reading your posts before submitting it is a good thing.
 
If it were me, I'd just go the RapidLED route. You can always fabricate something to make it look very clean and presentable but if you want to just plug and play, I'd probably say Kessil's are the solution.
 
Coral reefer said:
I don't know what you mean by properly. Assuming you meant radions? Not worth the extra money IMO.
Reading your posts before submitting it is a good thing.
Click to expand...

I use iPad so it changes spells.
 
denzil said:
If it were me, I'd just go the RapidLED route. You can always fabricate something to make it look very clean and presentable but if you want to just plug and play, I'd probably say Kessil's are the solution.
Click to expand...

Denzil, my only concern will be the looks. I want slick look, I wouldn't know how to fabricate anything that would look good. :)

Also, someone who is familiar with 31" depth said that it doesn't cover full length so you see lots of shadows of fish.
 
ReefLove said:
denzil said:
If it were me, I'd just go the RapidLED route. You can always fabricate something to make it look very clean and presentable but if you want to just plug and play, I'd probably say Kessil's are the solution.
Click to expand...

Denzil, my only concern will be the looks. I want slick look, I wouldn't know how to fabricate anything that would look good. :)

Also, someone who is familiar with 31" depth said that it doesn't cover full length so you see lots of shadows of fish.
Click to expand...

Well, I guess you'll want to stick to something that's plug-and-play out of the box. However, we have some pretty handy people on BAR (including myself) that could attempt to help you out if you're still interested.

As far as the length or depth, I'm pretty sure that can be resolved by a few of the heatsink combinations that RapidLED has and I'm sure if you asked them, they could help you customize your LED light kit, that is if you still have any interest in going the DIY route.
 
denzil said:
ReefLove said:
denzil said:
If it were me, I'd just go the RapidLED route. You can always fabricate something to make it look very clean and presentable but if you want to just plug and play, I'd probably say Kessil's are the solution.
Click to expand...

Denzil, my only concern will be the looks. I want slick look, I wouldn't know how to fabricate anything that would look good. :)

Also, someone who is familiar with 31" depth said that it doesn't cover full length so you see lots of shadows of fish.
Click to expand...

Well, I guess you'll want to stick to something that's plug-and-play out of the box. However, we have some pretty handy people on BAR (including myself) that could attempt to help you out if you're still interested.

As far as the length or depth, I'm pretty sure that can be resolved by a few of the heatsink combinations that RapidLED has and I'm sure if you asked them, they could help you customize your LED light kit, that is if you still have any interest in going the DIY route.
Click to expand...

Thanks Denzil. I'm still waiting for Elos to get back to me on tank availability. And after that in planning to mature the tank for at least two months or more without lights. So we have enough time to check the DIY. Thanks for the input.
 
It will definitely be tricky lighting a wide tank like that.

A thought would be a set of 6 A150 Kessil pendants, on a 3x2 grid, which pretty exactly matches the 48x31.
But not sure that is enough light.

Another thought is using 3 x Maxpect Razor 20" version. Mounted crosswise, not lengthwise.
Again, essentially a grid of 3x2 points.
 
A150s would not be enough with the mentioned height IMO. If going Kessil, the 350w is more suitable. Other options include the AI Sols, probably 4 of them and the MaxSpect Razor, though I'm not sure about the Razor covering the depth.
 
The A150s would be OK for LPS and softies. When I had them on my tank it kept the SPS alive but growth was minimal and they were all pretty much brown. It wasn't until I put the A350s on that SPS started to color up and really start to grow. Either way with Kessils you're going to get light bleeding out if you don't put something around them.

~Charlie
 
If you are considering AI, look at the kit rapid led has. Straight ripping of the sol blue for like 60% the cost. You could do like 6 of those and have crazy coverage.
 
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