Marineland Reef Capable Light

[Squishie89]

I have a 90g system which just reached 8 months old. I plan on having a FOWLR with inverts, no corals. But I will have clams. I currently have the marineland light, which does just great for my tank so far (Current stock:2 clown fish, 1 blenny, shrimp, crabs, urchin, snails). What are everyones thoughts about this light? I am not opposed on upgrading, but I want the best for my clams because I do plan on getting some really nice ones. IF this light is not enough for a clam (which I will be getting this weekend) how long do I have until I need to get a new light in? (I already have the light in mind, would just need to order it). Thank you all so much!

[Matt LeBaron]

It's going to be iffy for a clam to be honest I think.

 

I have one of these and used it for about a year and a half to grow softies at all levels in my 90G. From the sand to near the top of the tank. I had decent growth and was happy with it for growing those out but for my SPS I used LED Par38 bulbs to grow them out because I just was not impressed with the coverage and intensity of the Marineland Reef LED. My general opinion on it is that it is on the low end of acceptable for SPS and from what I gather clams require similar light to SPS.

 

So my 2 cents...

[smallreef]

Both of my clams like very bright lights.. I have LEDs...but they are very bright.. You could always spotlight it with a par bulb n a gooseneck? Kinda make it the 'showpiece'....

[Guest]

Avoid the clam if you dont have a reef type tank. If you have to get the clam you will want to get powerful lights and you will want to watch your cal and alk as it grows.

[Rosco's Reefs]

You posted that you know what kind of light you want to upgrade to...what is it? Maybe someone has experience with it?

[monkiboy]

the marineland reef-ready isn't likely to cut the bill. and the coverage/spread:intensity on them is pretty bad so even running two won't work. i have three i use for my QT tanks and for random purposes. they are great for softies and perhaps for low-light demanding SPS that his higher placed in your tank. a clam that will be on the bottom more than likely won't get what it needs is my guess. PAR readings i've taken with my reef-ready units have not been close (<)to what my clams are typically in under my evergrow LED fixtures.

 

what fixtures are you looking at?

 

if you're interested in the evergrow LED lights, i'd be happy to help you out and place the order for you. i can't provide you with GB rates as the latest GB has closed a while ago now but they will still be a lot cheaper than retail. shoot me a PM, if interested!

[Squishie89]

The light I have in mind is a buildmyled.com light (14k reef spectrum with wide angle lenses). I don't want to hang any lights so using legs is a priority.

Thank you everyone for your responses and help, I really appreciate it.

Edited May 17, 2013 by Squishie89

[monkiboy]

have you had a chance to review the support forums for that particular unit for the purpose you intend to use it for? from the manufacturer's posts doesn't seem like you're doing yourself much of a favor by switching due to cost of the unit, how many units will be needed, and performance as indicated in their PAR/PFFD results of their 48" fixture.

 

i assume you don't have a canopy hence why you state you don't want to hang them but rather will be using legs. there are other solutions such as using conduit to make a light rail, wall brackets, etc.

 

if you get that clam and don't have an appropriate home for it because of lighting requirements, let me know as i have a few fixtures (LEDs and MHs) you could borrow until you get on your feet and set up appropriately to meet the needs of that specimen.

 

g'luck.

[Squishie89]

I see what you mean. And thank you very much. Can you briefly walk me through the other ways of mounting the lights?

[Squishie89]

Let me re-phrase this. I am willing to buy what is needed, although I need to put a max of about 400-500 dollars. I see that even the AI sol/vegas have a rail kit. A rail kit looks perfect for my needs. Can someone point me in the right direction of what to get in that price range?

[monkiboy]

you can use conduit and bend it to whatever shape you want. a quick search to get you going:

http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/319159-making-emtelectrical-conduit-adjustable-for-light-fixture

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2104016

 

or a wall bracket you secure to the wall behind and above the tank and hang your lights from there:

http://www.bulkreefsupply.com/catalog/product/view/id/2063/

or a shelving bracket (much cheaper) works just as well but not as nice looking.

 

lots of options.

[howaboutme]

I was thinking something similar to you but I am going the conduit route when my Evergrow lights come in from the latest GB. I currently have some cheapo light on rails but what I have found is that they end up getting in the way when doing maintenance. I would have to take them off every time. Having lights hang will be much easier as I can still have the lights on so I can see while not worrying about whether or not it will drop into the water.

 

Instead of using one long piece and then using a pipe bender, I plan on using 90 deg fittings to connect the horizontal member w/ the 2 verticals. I think that will look more elegant. Then I'll paint it all black. At least that's the plan until I get to home depot and start actually looking at what's available. Good luck!

Edited May 18, 2013 by howaboutme

[Matt LeBaron]

I used Ecoxotic Par38 bulbs hung from a rail system to spot like my SPS when I was using the Marineland Reef LED. Like was suggested above, if you don't want to get a whole new lighting system you could get a clip on fixture and use one of those.

 

I've even got a couple I could sell you if you were interested in going that route since I recently put a DIY LED fixture over my tank.