- Simply put, a coral light
is any sort of light that can successfully grow corals
and that really means two things.
First is that it puts out enough PAR to grow your corals.
PAR or photosynthetic active radiation
is light of a certain wavelength
that photosynthetic zooxanthellae are able to use
and consume to help feed their coral hosts.
The second characteristic of a coral light is spectrum.
Corals are known to respond really positively
to light in the blue spectrum.
So obviously, it's important
that a coral light has plenty of blue.
We currently have four different types of lights available
in the saltwater aquarium hobby.
First up, you have metal halides,
the tried and true old-school light.
They will absolutely grow any type of coral out there
but they require bulky fixtures
with reflectors and large ballasts
and my goodness, do they put out a lot of heat.
Option number two out there
are T5 compact fluorescent light bulbs.
These are just smaller fluorescent light bulbs
that need to be replaced every year.
You can buy the bulbs in different colors
and I usually like to mix that blue actinic color
with some sort of daylight white color.
Compared to metal halides,
T5 fixtures are definitely more streamlined.
They consume a lot less energy
and they put off a lot less heat.
Number three are LEDs, light emitting diodes,
and these are all the rage in the hobby right now.
With a small form factor, low energy consumption
and the fact that they can last
for years without replacement,
it's easy to see why they're so popular.
Most can be paired with Wi-Fi to your phone
and you can adjust everything
from spectrum and intensity
to daily schedules
and even some really cool moonlight functions.
These are an attractive option
to a lot of beginners out there
who don't mind a slightly higher upfront cost.
And lastly, we have hybrid fixtures.
These merely combine any
of the two types we've already mentioned
with the most common being T5 fluorescents
and LEDs paired together.
These hybrid fixtures really do give hobbyists the best
of both worlds with the even spread
and coverage of the T5 bulbs
and the controllability and spectrum of the LEDs.
I went ahead and counted every single one
and there are more than 200 options on our website.
We're gonna start narrowing down your choice
by getting rid of metal halides.
BRS doesn't sell metal halides fixtures anymore
and there are better options out there.
You're gonna need to purchase a light
that aligns with the goals for your tank.
For examply, a FOWLR tank
or a fish only with live rock tank
doesn't really need any sort of special light at all
but you can bet that if you want an SPS-dominant tank,
a small polyp stony tank,
then you absolutely need to be picky
about which light you choose.
You need to choose a light or lights
that will fit on your tank.
For example, a 24-inch cube
may only need one Radion XR15
but if you go with a standard 120-gallon tank,
you might need three or four of the same fixture.
And lastly, you need to choose a light
that you can actually mount appropriately.
If you have no interest
or can't mount a light from your ceiling,
then you're gonna wanna choose an option
that comes with an available tank mount.
If you want the ultimate
in controllability and Wi-Fi options
and you also want low energy consumption
and the ability to tinker with spectrum,
then LEDs are the one for you.
EcoTech, Neptune, Aqua Illumination,
Kessil, Reef Breeders, Red Sea,
Reef Brite, I could go on,
all of these companies make great fixtures.
If you're interested in putting an LED light
on your aquarium, then check out episode 27B
in our beginner series.
We go into a lot more detail
and give you our recommendations
for best beginner LED light.
While I love LED lights
and have used them in pretty much all of my tanks
for the past eight years,
my beginner recommendations
have actually moved away from LEDs.
T5 compact fluorescents are plug and play,
have an incredible success rate
with all types of corals
and can give your tank a more representative look
that mimics sunlight on an actual coral reef.
And on top of all of that,
they are beginner mistake proof,
not allowing you to tinker with PAR levels
and spectrum levels.
Our choice for your first saltwater aquarium light
is the ATI SunPower.
There are only three decisions you're gonna have to make.
Dimmable and programmable or not dimmable.
24, 36, 48 or 60 inches in length
and four, six or eight bulbs.
I've looked around and this doesn't seem
to be the most popular recommendation for beginners
so here are the reasons I think it's the best option.
Price, it's definitely not
the least expensive option out there
but it's a good value for what you get.
Number two, you just can't screw it up.
Just follow our advice
on which bulbs to use, schedule
and how high to mount it
and trust that it will grow corals.
And the third reason we chose this fixture for beginners?
Spread.
This fixture will spread light evenly
throughout your tank.
If you're able to pay slightly more money
for the dimmer function of the ATI SunPower,
then go ahead and get that fixture.
It will allow you not only to set up
an entire daily schedule
but also ramp up and ramp down for sunrise and sunset.
The four-bulb fixture
is perfect for softies and a lot of LPS corals.
The six-bulb fixture is perfect for a mixed reef tank
and the eight-bulb fixture
is perfect for SPS-dominant tanks
or if your tank is just really deep.
Remove the acrylic shield and install the bulbs.
Plug the unit in
and if you've chosen the dimmable fixture like I did,
press the left, middle and right buttons
at the same time to initiative a fan
and light testing sequence.
Remove the protective film from the acrylic shield
and slide the shield back into place.
Install the ceiling mount kit and hang your lights.
How exactly you decide to program your lights
is up to you but here's what I'm gonna do
to keep things simple.
Number one, 0700: on.
Set point number two, 11 o'clock, 100%.
Set point number three, 1600 hours, 100%
and set point number four, 2000 hours off.
I'm gonna use this for both channel one
and channel two.
It will keep things simple
but, of course, you could get a lot more complicated.
This gives me, in total, a 13-hour day
with a total of five hours
at the highest intensity possible.
I will likely make slight adjustments
to this over time,
especially with the sunrise and sunset
but this is generally how I like to do it
with a longer day
since I'm home and I like to see it all day.
But that means that I have to have a shorter photo period
so I don't get too much light in the tank for too long.
And if you happen to have a PAR meter
or a friend who has a PAR meter,
this is a really good time
to take some PAR readings
to see if you need to either raise or lower the fixture
or you need to adjust the lights to less than 100%.
Buying the correct bulbs for your system
will ensure the best possible spectrum
as all as the best overall visual appeal of your tank.
And there is a surprisingly big difference
between a five-inch mounting height
and a nine-inch mounting height.
Get the right bulbs and choose the right mounting height
by watching this video right here
and as always, everyone, thanks for watching.
Happy reefing, be well.
We'll see ya next time.