I'm in the process of getting ready to fire up my 240g (8'x2'x2') and need some lighting advice. I'm going to want to have a glosso field in the tank and then various stems, crypts, etc. Tank is an acrylic with the Euro bracing style on top. I got the tank about 4 months ago and the top corner of the Euro bracing popped off the back right corner about 10 days after 90 day warranty expired, and I'm just now finishing up repairs (I hope). The tank will have pressurized CO2 and will be considered high tech. I'm likely going to go with Flourite subtrate because I have used that in most tanks and like the results. Can anyone recommend good lighting for this setup? I'm going to have roughly 22" from top of substrate to top of acrylic, and then whatever distance I have above that depending on what lighting is recommended. I'm NOT going to put my wooden canopy on top, so that's another consideration. Money isn't necessarily a problem with this, so I'm open to DIY or off the shelf. It's hard for me to comment on the type of fertilzation I'll be doing. I've always gone with EI in my other tanks, but I'm skeptical of doing 50% water changes weekly due to fears of the tank being able to handle that week in and week out even though it was the top that popped off and not the side joints.
Lighting for 240g
- Thread starter Bryeman
- Start date
I use the cheap 50w led's from fleabay. My one 50w over a 2.5 foot cube is perfect.
I am having great results from this led.
I have seen three of these used over a 4x2x2 with great results
If it was me and money was not an issue I would still buy these LEDs as they are working great for me.
I am having great results from this led.
I have seen three of these used over a 4x2x2 with great results
If it was me and money was not an issue I would still buy these LEDs as they are working great for me.
fplata;91617 said:
The ATI's certainly look interesting if I want to spend the money. Looking at $1100+ if I got 2 with the dim controls. I'll have to see what others have to say but interesting for sure. I'll also be sure this 240g holds water like a pro before spending that kind of money as well. I'll have several hundred in bulbs I'd have to get too probably.
Bryeman;91629 said:
I use 2 of the ATI's on my 180.
You can dial in whatever intensity and access is easy to garden the tank.
You also have the important spread, the lights are 18" wide, whereas say a 4 bulb fix might only be 11" wide, so the spread and angles will be narrower.
You also have the option later of going high light if you chose.
So it'll cover any goal you might have, even reef.
1200$ is normal for a 8ft tank for decent lighting.
A 180 Gal rimless with starfire runs 3000$.
Big tanks= more cost.
Tom Barr;91640 said:
Yeah this tank with stand cost around $3000 so I have the cost part down! I'm probably going to go with these or the Tek lights assuming my tank repairs hold. One thing I've learned is you get what you pay for generally. I took the low cost way on the tank, and 3 months later, BAM! I like the idea of better spread with these lighting systems. I have always used a 6 ft fixture on my 125's and they were about 10-12" wide only and it obviously causes plants bending for the light. Once I know this tank looks like it's ready I'll come back and ask what a good distance above the tank would be, bulb recommendations, etc.
One question I forgot to ask is about weight. I have never had suspended lights on any of my tanks. Are these pretty light or do I have to search the ceilings for crossers, beams, etc. from which to anchor them?
Will I get enough spread over the 8' length with 2 of the ATI 36" fixtures suspended? I've never used suspended fixtures and probably being over cautious, but at over $500 each I want to make sure!
Bryeman;91696 said:
I would think so. I would space the two units say 6-8" apart and then the ends are not 12" away from the end of the light. The gap in the middle will easily be covered. The ends will thus only have 6" or so at the ends not under direct light.
Plus, when fixtures are mounted higher, the spread increases, while intensity will decrease...
I'm going to pull the trigger on this (2x 36"x6 bulb ATI dimmable fixtures). I have a couple of more questions though and then I'll hopefully be done on this topic (thanks for all the suggestions and help). 1) It doesn't appear this fixture comes with bulbs judging by a few places that sell them, and even if it did I imagine it would be geared towards coral growth. Can someone who owns these and currently has success give me an idea on bulbs? I would like to know a good spread for plant growth with looks being a close second if possible. I have some T5 Geissman midday's available already and would those work in this fixture (they are 39w) or do I specifically need ATI brand? 2) Can someone recommend a current setup that is working for them in terms of photo length, intensity, etc. (what % do you run at and for how long)? I would like to have a rough starting point that I can then adjust based on what my own tank is doing over time. My tank is 8'x2'x2', and has the acrylic Euro brace top with 4 openings that I have glass tops for, but wouldn't have to use them necessarily. I would imagine my substrate will be about 3" deep and I want to be able to achieve nice consistent growth with glosso. I think that will be the most demanding light plant in my setup given it's at the substrate level.
Hey,
Best of luck..
1. Your gman middays will work fine.You can use any t5 39w that you like. I have a mix of ATI blue/purple and gman midday and aquaflora.
2. I will post the detail later, but my max intensity is 45% mounted 14" above the surface on a 20" tall tank. The max intensity is only for approx 6 hours with a slow ramp up and down on either side.
May I suggest to spend the $ and purchase a PAR meter? It is easily worth the $. May not use it much, but for dialing in and KNOWING how much light you REALLY have is going to save you lots in the long run...Or borrow one when first setting your system up. You can play with intensity and get a low, med, and high PAR matrix fairly quickly.
Best of luck..
1. Your gman middays will work fine.You can use any t5 39w that you like. I have a mix of ATI blue/purple and gman midday and aquaflora.
2. I will post the detail later, but my max intensity is 45% mounted 14" above the surface on a 20" tall tank. The max intensity is only for approx 6 hours with a slow ramp up and down on either side.
May I suggest to spend the $ and purchase a PAR meter? It is easily worth the $. May not use it much, but for dialing in and KNOWING how much light you REALLY have is going to save you lots in the long run...Or borrow one when first setting your system up. You can play with intensity and get a low, med, and high PAR matrix fairly quickly.
Gerryd;91728 said:
I appreciate the info and any additional detail you can provide! I've thinking of a PAR meter and may pull the trigger on one. Not a bad investment with the kind of money I've already put into this. What would be a good reading with the PAR meter at substrate level?
Bryeman;91730 said:
50-60 mmoles at the substrate should grow most species....is what ADA uses in a good # of tanks Tom measured as well..
The nice thing about the ATI is the dimming feature. It allows for short/intense periods flanked by longer ramp up and down times..this allows IMO to let c02 build up while the plants are adjusting to the light. Approx 90 mins after c02 is on, my lights hit the start of the max 6 hour photoperiod. C02 turns off a few minutes after the max intensity period is over. While the light is ramping down, less c02 is needed and enough remains it seems to feed the slower growth...ramp down is quicker than ramp up time.
I totally encourage folks to get a PAR meter, esp if you will spend lots of $ on lights and other hardware. Purchasing these units and the meter will allow you to match/meet ANY light goal from low to extremely high easily. The width of the units is also a big factor that helps IME with more even growth around the edges of the tank.