Lighting a 240 gal

[cro117]

ok, so i'm definitely not new to the hobby, but i am newish to this site, or rather i haven't really ever posted on here much before, and i am new to big tanks. my specialty was small freshwater ecosystems. anyway, i might be setting up a 240 gal tank soon, 96" x 24" x 24" and i had some concerns about lighting.

usualy on my 20 gals i just use 1-2 of those double incandescent fixtures with screw-in power compact lighting, but i don't think those will work for this tank. the lighting i was thinking about going with is 2x marineland double bright LED fixture. it's on amazon for $89-$130 http://www.amazon.com/Marineland-Do...qid=1371705596&sr=8-2&keywords=marineland+led depending on the model.

has anyone out there ever used these? are they good lights?

does anyone else have any better recommendations? i'm avoiding metal halide to save on power consumption.

 

[Fat Homer]

It really depends on what you aim to do with the 240G tank?

Are you aiming for a high-tech planted tank / low tech planted tank / a hard-scape only tank etc?

Give us a little more info and i'm sure some one can chime in and give you a better idea of what lighting maybe best suited for your needs?

 

[cro117]

well i pretty much always have to do plants. thinking about it though i guess a 240 is only 4" taller then a 55, so the leds should provide enough light if they live up to their claims. i'm mostly just wondering if people out there still prefer their t5s or something.

the tank i'm considering an amazon habitat, discus, stingrays, etc.

 

[Aquaticfan]

well i pretty much always have to do plants. thinking about it though i guess a 240 is only 4" taller then a 55, so the leds should provide enough light if they live up to their claims. i'm mostly just wondering if people out there still prefer their t5s or something.

the tank i'm considering an amazon habitat, discus, stingrays, etc.

What plants are you looking to do? The big issues with led vs t5ho is great. Coverage being the biggest. While one would think 4 inches isn't much for certain lights it is. Also with the front to back width led won't cover as easy. Youd need multiple units to cover across and front and back. T5 with good output and spacing in the fixture along with quality reflectors gives way better coverage even with 2 bulbs only.

Are you looking to have dense growth or morse sparse? Fertilize? Co2? Bigger tanks will have higher light output needs. I dont personally think the marineland lights will be any better then low light at best for this tank. Maybe even less.

Also what rays are you thinking? Smaller rays like the retics or hystrix might do ok there with that width. Any other breed will need a much wider foot print. Also most all rays are preditors. You may come up missing discus or other fish. Just some thoughts anyhow.


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[cro117]

the point you make about the width is a good one. i hadn't even thought about how hard it is to cover 24" with a thin directional light source. i was only planing on having a few densely planted areas and the rest sandy bottom so i could just place them towards the back, but i hope the front isn't noticeably dim.

mostly i think i'll go with java moss which will pretty much grow anywhere there is room light, and then vals and swords which will pretty much find their own light in the tank. pennywort or money plant is one of my favorites too, but i've never had issues growing it in fairly low light in the past.

i'll use some laterite, in specific spots for the iron, but other then that i don't really use CO2 or fertilizers. i like to balance the fish and plant so the only thing lacking often times are mineral supplements. though a CO2 difuser might be beneficial in lowering the ph, but i'd worry that to do so significantly i'd be screwing up the gas levels in the tank way too much.

the stingrays are just a pipe dream right now. i live in cali and have no idea how much of a pain it would be to even get a hold of some.

 

[sexyandiknowit]

Catalina aquarium is probably your Best bet for a light. I would go with their solar line of lights. Very high quality. Individual reflectors. And if you phone or leave a comment with your order, you can ask them to change the colour of bulb, fans, no fans, legs, no legs, etc. Their really flexible.


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[Aquaticfan]

Catalina aquarium is probably your Best bet for a light. I would go with their solar line of lights. Very high quality. Individual reflectors. And if you phone or leave a comment with your order, you can ask them to change the colour of bulb, fans, no fans, legs, no legs, etc. Their really flexible.


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Agreed. They do a great job with great products

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