- Previously on the beginner how-to guide
for saltwater aquariums.
Let's be honest here, nay, refusion light.
To the more expensive side from companies
such as the Light bulb, The ballast, Canopy,
they're still gonna put off more heat.
(record scratches)
(upbeat music)
Good day again everybody, Matthew here,
your BRS Beginner Guru coming at you
with Episode 27 Part B
where we're gonna finish the five types
of Aquarium lighting, LEDs, and Hybrids.
If you missed Episode 27 part A,
be sure to check it out,
because we talk about Refusion lights, Metal halides,
and T5 fluorescents, we will put a link below.
So now, let's take a journey back in time
to five days ago when I actually filmed this video
wearing a different T-shirt.
There was a lot of hesitancy at the introduction
of LED lights to this hobby 10, 15 years ago
because we just didn't know if they would work,
but we've come a long way since then
and now there is a proven track record of success.
Whether or not LED lights are the absolute best
for coral growth and coloration, still remains to be seen.
But you can rest assured, that if you buy
an appropriately sized LED light, it's gonna work
for growing corals in your tank.
That being said, just check out our website
and look at how many different LED fixtures there are.
It can be really overwhelming.
No, strike that.
It is incredibly overwhelming,
because as a beginner, how do you know which LED
light fixture to choose?
I mean, I'm actually looking at the website right now
and I can count over 16 different manufacturers
of LED lights.
How in the world is a beginner supposed to narrow
that down and find the best option for them?
And not only that, but the LEDs come in so many
different styles out there.
How are you supposed to know?
Are you supposed to get an LED fixture like Red Sea
or Kessil or Aquaillumination,
that has all of their LEDs in a small area?
Or should you go with an LED panel
that has the lights spread out over a larger area
such as the ReefBreeders, the Reef Brites,
or the Orphek fixtures.
I mean, seriously, how is a beginner
supposed to navigate this world?
You might have one fixture that looks good for $100
and another fixture that looks good for $1000
and as a beginner, you're just gonna have no idea
and you're gonna wanna rip your hair out
and walk away from this hobby because it's so confusing.
So, I'm gonna try to make this
as simple as possible for you.
The first thing I'm gonna recommend is if you buy
some sort of all in one system.
Let's say you buy a Red Sea system or any other system
that has an option to purchase lights with it,
buy those lights, because then you will know
that the lights will definitely work
for the size of your tank.
If you're building your own system,
I would honestly recommend just sticking
with the Aquaillumination lights.
They are a mill of the road light,
they're not priced too high,
and they've been shown to grow a whole bunch
different corals.
If you're curious what they look like,
this is a Hydra 32 by Aquaillumination,
and these are both Hydra 16s by Aquaillumination.
I used them myself and I really like them.
They come in different sizes from the Hydra 16,
all the way up to the 64, and really all you need to do
is purchase the correct size
and the correct number for your tank.
So, the most difficult decision
you're gonna have to make is,
if you have a slightly larger tank,
do you go with two of the 16s, or maybe instead of that,
do you go with one 32 or one 64?
And if you have any questions,
all of us here at BRS are here to help you.
So give us a call or shoot us an email,
tell us about your tank, tell us about your goals
and we can definitely recommend a product
that's gonna work for you.
The first pro of LED lights is they're probably,
gonna be cheaper to use in the long run.
If you buy LED lights from a reputable Manufacturer
and all of them on our side are reputable Manufacturers,
you can expect these fixtures to last for five to ten years,
maybe even longer than that.
The second pro is, heat.
Compare to T5s and Metal halides,
LEDs put a lot less heat.
Another pro, especially when compared
to some other light fixtures, is their noise.
They have really quiet fans,
or don't even have any fans at all.
So run virtually silently.
And the final pro is,
most LED lights are controllable to some degree.
So, you can fine tune the spectrum and the intensity
to dial them in just how you want them.
The first con is, they can often have a higher upfront cost.
The second con is actually the exact same thing as the pro,
is that they are programmable.
As a beginner, your worst enemy when it comes to lighting,
is gonna be tinkering and changing things.
Corals need consistency.
I'm not talking consistency over the span
of a week or over a month, but I'm talking about setting
your lights and not touching them for nine months to a year.
So, if you have the ability to mess around with your lights,
I know as a beginner, personally,
I messed around with them constantly,
which in the end, killed my corals.
And the final con is, that there are just
way too many LED fixtures out there,
that it's super overwhelming for beginners.
So again, reach out to us here at BRS,
we're here to help you find the right one.
And we are finally on to our last and fifth
type of salt water aquarium light.
A Hybrid light.
Hybrid lighting seems to be all the new rage in the hobby,
and for a lot of good reasons.
And it refers to either combining together
LED lights with Metal halides, or more commonly,
LED light with T5s.
You really get the best of both worlds,
when using a Hybrid fixture that combines
LED lights and T5s.
Firstly, you don't have to use nearly as many T5s bulbs,
which is gonna cut down on the
longterm cost of a T5 fixture.
Not only that, but using less T5s and more LEDs
is gonna use a lot less energy, and on top of that,
the long bulb of the T5 fixture is gonna help prevent
shadowing in your tank.
And then on the LED side,
you can get a lot more PAR intensity,
for less energy when compared to T5s alone.
So basically, the benefits of putting together
a Hybrid LED T5 fixture, less heat, less waterage,
less money, better spread, more PAR
and virtually no shadowing.
And this lighting option has become so popular,
that we have an entire page dedicated to
Hybrid lighting options.
You can either go a more DIY option
and buy a fixture that you put together yourself.
Something like this Aquatic Life T5 fixture
and then you just have to choose compatible LED lights
and install them yourself.
Or you can go with something like this ATI Hybrid light.
It's a little more expensive,
but it already has the LEDs and the T5s
put together for you.
While I think the Hybrid lighting fixture
is a really good option, I don't think it's a
great option for beginners.
Primarily, because if you go with something
that is already put together for you,
like the ATI hybrid light,
it has a really large upfront cost.
Or, if you go with something like the Aquatic Life system,
you need to have a little DIY know-how,
and be able to choose the correct size,
and the correct LED lights that will fit in that system.
And as a beginner, I am always trying to keep things
less expensive and more simple.
So why not go with a fully formed T5 fixture
or an LED fixture that's just easier to set up.
The first major pro of Hybrid fixtures is,
it combines the best of T5s and LEDs.
Secondly, a Hybrid system uses less heat and less energy
than a T5 system by itself.
And lastly, you will get a much more
consistent spread of light throughout your tank,
when you combine LEDs with T5s fluorescents.
The first con is that, it typically does have
a higher upfront cost,
than just going with the stand alone fixture.
The second con, unless you go with
a fixture that already combines the two.
It's going to require a little DIY knowledge
and it's just gonna be more confusing to set up,
than a T5 or a LED fixture by itself.
And lastly, a Hybrid fixture still does have T5 bulbs,
which means you're gonna have to replace them every year,
they're gonna consume more energy,
and they're gonna put out a little bit more heat.
So for all you true beginners out there.
What would we recommend
in terms of your first light fixture?
Well first off, we would recommend getting a LED fixture.
There are a lot to choose from,
and it can be a little bit overwhelming.
So feel free to contact us, anytime,
and we can help you find the right
fixture or fixtures for your tank.
As far as my personal recommendations for LED lights,
I have two.
And I'm thinking of beginners, who really need
to balance cost, control ability with
the ability to grow corals.
Firstly, I would recommend the Aquaillumination fixtures.
You can go with the 16, the 32 or the 64,
just depending on the size of your tank
and what your needs are.
I've used them for a long time
and I recommended them to others.
They have a sleek form factor, they're moderately priced,
and they put out a decent amount of PAR, and not only that,
but they come with their own mounting arm,
so you know exactly the height to mount them at.
And the second LED fixture that I think straddles
that middle ground is a reasonable price and can
successfully grow corals, is the Maxspect Razor light.
It comes with controls build-in,
so you can set it up right out of the box.
Let me stress to you again,
by recommending Aquailluminations and Maxspect Razor lights,
I am by no means saying other lights aren't as good.
I've just personally used these, and had a lot of success
and think they're good middle options
for beginners out there.
If for whatever reason, you don't want to go
with an LED light fixture,
we would recommend you go with a T5 fixture.
The company ATI really seems to have cornered the market
right now on T5 fixtures.
They come in lengths from 24 inches to over 60 inches,
and they come with more affordable options that aren't
programmable, to more expensive options that allow you to
set a program and dim them to stimulate sunrise and sunset.
Our third and final recommendation,
if your up for a challenge and have a little bit
more money to spend, would be a Hybrid T5 LED fixture.
You really do get the best of both worlds from T5s to LEDs,
and if you can spend a little bit of money.
Why not go with the ATI Hybrid lighting
that's already set up for you?
But honestly, if you think they conversation is way too
complicated and you just want one recommendation,
buy LED light, if you need help, contact us,
we will help you choose the right one for you.
That was so much information, and honestly I was just
browsing VSR videos about lighting.
And Ryan and Randy have made so many out there,
so if you want to nerd out and learn a ton more.
You can just browse all the videos they've made,
but we will put a link to some of our favorite series below.
Well, that completes the second of three episodes
all about lighting, so stay tune for next week, episode 28.
I can never remember which episode I'm on.
Episode 28, where we are gonna tell you how to set up
and program your lights for success.
As always everybody, thanks for watching,
happy reefing, be well.
We'll see you next time.
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