Light upgrade?

[ReefDad86]

Currently have a RS Max 170. It’s got a Gen 1 Nicrew 100 watt light. It works, corals seem happy, growth is ok… but colors don’t seem to “pop”. What would be a good light upgrade for a tank this size?

 

[L/B Block]

What’s the budget?
I have a Red Sea 250-I bought the led 90’s that came at a discount.. nice shimmer effect.

Of course there is kessil! Fortunately given the diameter/square-ness of the tank you just need one…

 

[ReefDad86]

Ive been out of this hobby for so long- Actinic PowerCompact lights were all the rage! I’m more so looking for advice on wattage/brands/models for this size tank and then I can research/hunt for a deal that way.

Kessil makes multiple models, is there one more suited for this tank?

 

[L/B Block]

Ive been out of this hobby for so long- Actinic PowerCompact lights were all the rage! I’m more so looking for advice on wattage/brands/models for this size tank and then I can research/hunt for a deal that way.

Kessil makes multiple models, is there one more suited for this tank?

Prob 1 360xe should cover entire tank..

 

[Alexander1312]

I would always go with a Reefi light for smaller tanks, and turn down the intensity accordingly.

 

[Slingfox]

In terms of value per dollar it’s hard to beat ReeFi Unos (would need to turn the light down since that unit outputs very high par). ReefBreeders are also good value per dollar.

The NiCrew you have grow coral just fine so any change would be looking to get nicer lights which costs $

 

[ReefDad86]

Thanks everyone for the input!

 

[Darkxerox]

Third for ReeFi uno 2s. They can cover 24x24 which is mostly your tank footprint. The Kessil 360XE is also a great light for that footprint and will give the best shimmer if you like that. Nicrews are great budget options, but their power supplies burn out fairly quickly.

 

[ReefDad86]

Update: I purchased a Reefi Uno 2.1 Pro. Just installed it today and can say, I’m already impressed. Very powerful light (probably overkill for my little tank…. Great excuse to buy a larger tank!). Huge thank you to Daniel for the help/support. I modified an existing STL file I found online and made a mount for my existing RedSea arm. Now I just need to mess with the settings on the web based app.

 

[Alexander1312]

Update: I purchased a Reefi Uno 2.1 Pro. Just installed it today and can say, I’m already impressed. Very powerful light (probably overkill for my little tank…. Great excuse to buy a larger tank!). Huge thank you to Daniel for the help/support. I modified an existing STL file I found online and made a mount for my existing RedSea arm. Now I just need to mess with the settings on the web based app.

Great purchase. Just make sure you measure PAR, as these are sttrong lights. The facebook group has downloadable settings to import and to this date I believe I am still using Andrew Bouma’s settings.

 

[Darkxerox]

Definitely use the acclimation feature! They push way more UV and violet than most lights and corals can burn pretty fast. Love mine.

 

[jaysway]

also a reefi uno fan, i have 6 and they've been flawless

 

[Slingfox]

Beautiful light which doesn’t get enough attention from the hobby. I am sure the tank lighting is going to look fantastic!