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LIGHTING CHART: CHART FOR CHOOSING THE BEST LIGHTING HOOD FOR A REEF AQUARIUM

Below is a chart to help determine the best aquarium light for your tank based on the dimensions of your tank and the types of corals in the tank. We separate reef tanks into three categories based on the lighting needs of the organisms in the tank:

Reef tanks with soft corals and live rock (low wattage)
Reef tanks with soft corals, LPS corals and live rock (medium wattage)
Reef tanks with soft corals, LPS & SPS corals and live rock (high wattage)

Basically, soft corals and live rock need the least amount of light. LPS corals need more light that live rock and soft corals. And SPS corals need more light than live rock, soft corals and LPS corals.

This Reef Chart is limited to lighting reef tanks with lighting hoods. Hoods are complete lighting systems in a housing that sit on top of the tank, or are raised up from the tank using mounting legs (that come with some lights and do not come with others). For those with existing canopies, you should look at the Chart For Choosing the Best Retrofit Lighting for a Reef Aquarium. We also have a Chart For Choosing the Best Lighting For Planted Tanks & Fish-Only Aquariums.

CF = compact fluorescent (aka power compact)
MH = metal halide
T5 = T5 fluorescent
LED=light-emitting diode

READ: About the Kessil LED Aquarium Lights

About the Kessil LED Aquarium Lights
You'll notice that we're recommending the Kessil A150W & A350 in many situations. When considering these recommendation please the following in mind.

1. The Kessil Light Is Not A Fixture. This lighting chart ostensibly features lighting fixtures and the Kessil light is not a lighting fixture. However, using the Gooseneck Clamp/Mount it is easy to attach to any tank. It is not necessary to attach the light to the underside of a canopy or hang the light from the ceiling. And an advantage of using the Kessil over a fixture is the scalability. You might start out with two Kessils on a 48" tank. Not enough light? Add one or two more. You can't do this with lighting fixtures.
2. LED Lights Will Save You Money. Although LED lights are comparatively expensive, they should save you money in the long run. You won't need to replace the bulbs and your electricity costs will be much, much lower. Your tank will run cooler and there are many situations when using an LED lighting system will be the difference between needing a chiller and not needing a chiller. Because of these factors we're recommending Kessil lights in a number of situations where they may provide more light than you absolutely need.
2. Watts Don't Tell The Whole Story. The Kessil lights are relatively low wattage, but LED watts are not the same as T5, compact fluorescent and metal halide watts. We're hesitant to come up with a number to compare the watts because there are many, many factors that determine how much effective light will reach your corals. But we can say that the Kessil (32 watt) A150W will provide as much effective light as a 150 watt metal halide and the A350 (90 watt) will provide more light than a 250 watt metal halide.
4. The Kessil Lights Are Very Focused. The Kessil LED Lights are extremely focused. They are even more direct and focused than metal halide lights. Because of this you may want to pair your Kessil lights with a low wattage fill light (a thin strip light) to fill in the outlying areas.
5. The Green Alternative. LED lighting is green. They use less electricity, and every year you won't be disposing a set of old lamps (that may contain mercury).

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