# lighting 40 breeder



## nate (Oct 14, 2011)

hey all
sorry for posting another thread so soon. but having a tough time finding a suitable light setup for my 40 breeder. the corals it will need to support are rbta, montipora sps, frogspawn, torch, brain, some softies all of which will be moved over from my nano setup. the breeder is a tough tank to find lighting for. 

options

jbj 4x39w t5
tek 6x39w t5 (dont like how it has no fan)
1 x eco tech radion. would come with tr lens upgrade
2x ai sol (does one ai controller work for two units??)

as far as the t5s go. ive read 4 bulbs doesnt give good spread for a 40 breeder. and the 6 bulb is too intense for lps even in the sand bed.

any help is welcome!


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## Shoryureppa (Jul 1, 2011)

If cost is not too much of a factor go with the AI. I just ordered 2 units, lens upgrade, hanging kit and rail for $964. You only need 1 controller and it doesn't matter how many lights you daisy chain it to.


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## nate (Oct 14, 2011)

where did u order from? best price i found was 399 from modularled


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## cablemike (Jan 7, 2009)

Go led man, no point going backwards. No heat, no bulb changes, way less algae issues, and less hydro. Plus nothing makes the colours pop like led. I've had everything power compacts, t5s , halides and now led and I can never go back. I was loosing a gallon a day with my halides with heat and the fan, now I'm loosing about a cup a day with led. And my basement isn't a sauna any more either. And because the light is directed down it doesn't fill the room with light which makes watching movies in the basement much more enjoyable now.


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## Shoryureppa (Jul 1, 2011)

It's 399 everywhere, I ordered from modularled because you only pay gst and not pst . it saved me about $50. NOw I can buy more coral or fish. I bought it more for hydro issues, the extra pop from the colors is a bonus.


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## altcharacter (Jan 10, 2011)

I would say either the radeon or the AI Sol but from what I remember, the AI Sol has a width of 30" so I don't think you would need two of them unless you wanted to melt the corals. 

I'm with the other dudes...go with LED or the T5x4 and supplement with LED's


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## Shoryureppa (Jul 1, 2011)

The Sol's end to end is 24 inches, the outer optics is 70 degrees so you should be good. I bought the 70 degree extra optics so that the light intensity is even all around. If your lighting the 40 breeder I suggest you get the 6 inch rail.


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## nate (Oct 14, 2011)

i get that the outer optics are 70 deg but wouldnt that still just be a 24 inch reach. with shading at the ends. ive decided on the ai fixtures.. just cant decide on 1 or 2. you guys think 1? i just dont want alot of light spill by raising the light up while using one


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## altcharacter (Jan 10, 2011)

You need a bit of shade towards the edges for certain corals since not all corals like direct/extreme lighting. By getting two AI Sol's you're going to have a ton of light spilling out the sides that isn't being used and an area in the middle of your tank that will be over lit. Up to you though


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## Shoryureppa (Jul 1, 2011)

nate said:


> i get that the outer optics are 70 deg but wouldnt that still just be a 24 inch reach. with shading at the ends. ive decided on the ai fixtures.. just cant decide on 1 or 2. you guys think 1? i just dont want alot of light spill by raising the light up while using one


It depends on how high you want the lights up. The higher it is, the weaker the penetration. If you have plans on upgrading later on then I would get 2. It also wouldn't be a bad Idea to replace the inner optics to 70's so that it is more even light and par spread. Just lower the Intensity so you can put the lights closer. If you stick with 40's in the middle and you put the lights close to the water you may have spotlighting and cooked corals. Ideally they should be about 12 inches above the water (AI rep).


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## nate (Oct 14, 2011)

just got my 2 ai sols and i can say they were worth every penny! really enjoying them so far. and are soo quiet compared to the fan on my other t5 fixtures. really like the thunderstorm feature aswell lol


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## altcharacter (Jan 10, 2011)

pictures!!!!!


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## nate (Oct 14, 2011)

In the process of setting the tank up this weekend. Will take some pics as i make progress


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