Nano lighting

[robt18]

So here I am getting the salty itch again....

I'm looking to set up a rimless 10gal I have sitting around as a nano reef. I've got most of the equipment I need already sitting around, but nothing as far as lighting goes. I'm wondering what people have had success with on nano tanks recently with all of the new fixtures coming out.

I'll be mostly looking to keep softies, LPS, not likely any SPS but who knows down the road... I might as well get something good that could support it should I choose to go that way eventually.

I've looked into several fixtures, many seem great but look like they're overkill for a small tank and I wouldn't want to cook anything right off the bat.

Price range: not looking to break the bank on a $500 fixture for a nano, but a couple hundred seems reasonable for something that's going to keep me happy and work for a while. I don't think I need something fully controllable, but a couple features (dimmable, built in timer) are always fun to play with if available.

So, who's got some experience and recommendations for nano lights?

[xenon]

Have a look at the eco pico fixture. You can customize the LED combo's and it is also dimmable.

[daworldisblack]

What about the Finnex fixtures? They look cool and affordable!

[ben_jamin]

if your handy at all and enjoy a satisfying diy i would recommend 10w multi chip leds.  there are a couple retailers on ebay you can get the bulb and the driver for like 12 bucks and youll also need a heatsink and some wires. they make one called the hybrid led its 9 emitters 1.1w each 6 blue and 3 white. i have two of these with optics(see ebay) over my 5 gallon display and i think it looks great.  they are quite powerful i have mine raised up 16 inches or so above the water and still bleach all the coralline. i would call it a 14000k look not too blue but the corals show their colours well.  theyre worth a look

[robt18]

I'm not looking to DIY my light system at this point in time. Little experience soldering and none with LED drivers, heat sinks, etc. and I don't want to mess it up; I'm really not equipped to do it at the moment. Will likely do something large and stupid in the far future But for now I'll probably go the purchase route.

[tophoo]

What about a 4 bulb t5 fixture?

[exv152]

Here's a link to what Rah was mentioning earlier. Finnex has a good reputation in the US market.
http://www.finnex.net/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=337&category_id=4&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=61

[robt18]

I had a couple issues with them from the looks, the first being they use 7k lights and I'd much rather have 10ks. Also, the super low price scares me. I'd rather pay in the $200 range for something that's going to give me fewer issues down the road. Their other product lines also seemed to be lacking in my unusual 20" size category, which isn't uncommon.

[Medym]

What about a PAR Bulb?  That is what I am using at work and I love the colour it gives. There are a handful of companies with great quality PAR Bulbs (RapidLED and BoostLED for example).  Depending on the dimensions of your tank you may need one or two, screw them into a fixture from Home Depot or Ikea and you have a good solution that will look good too.  Drawback is you lose the ability to dim and play with the colours.

[delslo]

What about an AI nano light?

[xenon]

What about an AI nano light?

I was going to suggest that one but a little out of his price range. Especially with the optional controller.

[delslo]

if he has the rkl which i think he does it can operate it

[Rybren]

You could check out fleabay for LED bulbs.  They come in a variety of colour temperatures and wattages.  It would be a minimal effort to put something together for a 10G.

The other option is to grab a couple of 6500K CFL bulbs and a blue CFL party light.  I run this (without the party light) on a 10G frag tank.  The colour stinks but in the year+ that I've been running it, the coral growth has been very good.

[robt18]

I checked out the AI nano light, I liked the look of it and so far its been my top choice. No controller right now, but still it seems like it would do the job. Slightly more than I might want to pay, but what are you doing in salt if you wanna save money?

[Rybren]

but what are you doing in salt if you wanna save money?

Exactly.  Spend, spend, spend.

Keep the economy moving.

[xenon]

I checked out the AI nano light, I liked the look of it and so far its been my top choice. No controller right now, but still it seems like it would do the job. Slightly more than I might want to pay, but what are you doing in salt if you wanna save money?

If you can afford it, you wont be disappointed.

I tried one in the past and plan to get another.

[robt18]

I saw a couple pictures online that seemed to show a low spread of the light though; in a couple shots it looked like the light was very concentrated in the centre of the tank and the outer edges weren't quite as well lit up. Is this just the picture?

[Jimbo]

An economical solution that is often overlooked by salties in favor of LEDs are the HO T5 single or dual fixtures from Home Depot. You'll need to buy your bulbs, but that's a small price to pay when you save so much on the fixture.

[NjOyRiD]

PAR38 dimmable led BULB does 14x14

[Jimbo]

Good recommendation NjOyRiD. Only $44.98 (+ tax) at Home Depot - cheapest solution yet!