Maybe already done, but anyone running the Nicrew Reef lights?
- Thread starter OldReefGuy
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I got the nicrew 150w to replace two xr 15s that died on me. I have had it for about 6 months now over my 50 gallon and I would say that it is definitely good for the price. The mounting kit feels kind of flimsy but everything is pretty nice. I have added two led strips lights to get better coverage because there were some pretty dark spots with just the 150w nicrew. Dimensions of tank are 24x24x20 I believe. To give an idea about the amount of light it puts out, I have an acro encrusting and doing pretty well in the bottom 1/3 of the tank. Also, fishofhex on youtube has some videos on them which includes a par reading.
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I have a 100 and a 50 with a light controller. Effective, reliable lights for the price. Controller has basic settings to mimic sunrise and sunset and even with a 24" deep tank, corals are loving it.
If you have a rim on the tank and planning on using the arm mount, you will have to cut some of the trim to get it over the rim. Also the coverage is not that wide compared to other similar LED fixtures.
If you have a rim on the tank and planning on using the arm mount, you will have to cut some of the trim to get it over the rim. Also the coverage is not that wide compared to other similar LED fixtures.
Thats a really big tank and as tripinin mentioned the coverage isnt very wide. I think it all comes down to what corals you are going to try to keep. If you just go with only the 3 150watt fixtures I think you will have quite of bit of shaded areas. Adding some cheap ali express led strips on both sides of the light made all of the difference for me.
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I only had two. I wanted full coverage WITH shimmer and I was lucky enough to get the ati fixture for $100 with bulbs. I picked that over another nicrew. Setting up a 100 gallon and the plan for that was 3 150watts nicrew, but I found another ati fixture for another $100. So ima do the same set up, ati fixture and two 100 watt nicrews.
A lot of these cheaper lights lack a certain spectrum, so people will add some LED bars that only have one or two diodes in them. I have the Amazon SmatFarm light, which is pretty good for QT or temp tanks. It's a 90w fixture, so it isn't too bad and has a nice subtle shimmer. I think one of the best LED fixtures out there for the money is the Reefi Uno Pro 2.0. It's the size of an XR15, but has more power and coverage than an XR30, plus the spectrum is better and comes with 2 different lenses (stock 90 and 120).
Also, if you're growing acropora with LEDs, then you better double the fixtures or you're going to be disappointed down the road.
Also, if you're growing acropora with LEDs, then you better double the fixtures or you're going to be disappointed down the road.
