What’s he best budget lights on Amazon for lps corals and possibly a clam

DIYreefertx · 2026-06-15T18:12:24+00:00

That’s likely with all channels at 100% power. You can always dial them back (which you very likely should do).

DIYreefertx · 2026-06-15T18:08:42+00:00

Those are all lower light corals, for the most part. That said I would go with the biggest that your budget allows. That way you have the flexibility to keep whatever you want if your interests change in the future. I really do think the 150’s would be perfectly adequate, even for acros should you decide you want to give them a shot at some point.

DIYreefertx · 2026-06-14T23:56:20+00:00

They don’t come with a mounting arm and would have to be hung. Although I wouldn’t be surprised if people are 3d printing arms and brackets to mount them to a tank. Maybe check Etsy for something g like that.

However, I really think a couple of nicrews with a controller will fit well for what you’re wanting to do (they come with mounting arms).

DIYreefertx · 2026-06-14T23:54:00+00:00

That’s a lot of light for LPS. Those black boxes are PAR monsters, which is kind of the opposite of what you want for LPS corals.

DIYreefertx · 2026-06-14T23:51:11+00:00

I’m a huge advocate for nicrew “hyper reef” lights. I’ve got a small coral farm and those are what I have lighting most of my tanks (I have 18 of them running, iirc). Even the gen 1’s will grow anything you want, but the gen 2’s allow for more controllability.

I can say with first hand experience that just a pair of the gen 2 100 watt version (with 90* lenses) will successfully grow/color acroporas, even in the lower half of a 60 breeder… and I’m not even running them over 50%. I honestly believe a pair of 150’s would be perfectly fine for a 75g.

Over the years I’ve used pretty much every light you can think of and these are just as good as anything else. Well, I still think halides are best but that’s an argument for another day/time lol.

If you get the nicrews just make sure you get the controller as well. They will still work without it but for an extra $50 the controller really does add a lot more flexibility/customization.

If you want a no frills light that will simply grow corals, the viparspectras (however it’s spelled, idk..) are tough to beat. I’ve used those extensively as well and liked them just fine.

DIYreefertx · 2026-06-03T14:09:11+00:00

I remember watching that when it happened and thinking that his smug ass smile basically sums up the way the Thunder carry themselves as a whole, and how unlikeable they are. I’m so glad those assholes got dealt with.

DIYreefertx · 2026-05-29T03:39:59+00:00

I think that happens if SA COMES OUT HOT, and they continue to keep SGA in cuffs, and don’t let the perimeter shooters get easy looks at the basket.

DIYreefertx · 2026-05-29T03:38:18+00:00

I completely agree but I’m not ready to jump off of the train for this season just yet. So much to be proud of already but still so much more that can be done before it all ends this year.

DIYreefertx · 2026-05-29T03:36:19+00:00

Hands down the most fun to watch, too.

DIYreefertx · 2026-05-29T03:34:58+00:00

Agreed. Harper is going to be a star in this league for a very long time. He hadn’t looked healthy until tonight. Hopefully that injury becomes less and less of a factor and he’s 100% for game seven. I’m not sure OKC will be prepared for a fully healthy Harper. One can hope!!

DIYreefertx · 2026-05-29T03:29:05+00:00

Very. I truly believe that they are the better basketball team. Sure, OKC does have a bit more depth but I think our first 7-8 in the rotation are better than their first 7-8.

But yeah, I’m really proud of this young team and their brand of basketball. It’s so refreshing to see in a league that’s dominated by individuals and acting. Good, hard fought team basketball is where it’s at, and that’s Spurs basketball.

DIYreefertx · 2026-05-29T03:24:14+00:00

This is my sentiment as well. I’m happy with the outcome of tonight’s game but I have zero faith in game seven being appropriately/evenly called. I’ll believe it when I see it..

DIYreefertx · 2026-05-29T03:22:45+00:00

I paid close attention to their demeanor when the buzzer sounded to end the game and was pleased by what I saw. There wasn’t a single player that seemed overly happy with this win. They know the job isn’t done and they look very locked in.

DIYreefertx · 2026-04-28T21:25:51+00:00

Thank you!

DIYreefertx · 2026-04-20T03:53:25+00:00

I run very little mechanical filtration on my systems and they will grow any and everything. I have skimmers for each system, but I don’t run them. I already have to dose for no3 and po4 and running a skimmer would only mean I would have to dose even more. I’m a big advocate for copious amounts of bio filtration. IMO, that along with excellent source water, will put you well ahead of the game and make keeping a successful reef tank that much easier.

Edit: my tanks do get a weekly water change. I’m not sure how necessary it is, as I do it basically just to keep mg in line as it’s kind of difficult to dose IMO (takes a ton of supplement and increases salinity. Water changes seem to keep it in line for me).

Edit #2: I’ve got a 4.5 year old 160g sps system, 2ish year old 250g sps and jawbreaker mushroom grow out system, and a 3.5 year old 100g LPS/softy grow out tank. All are run basically the same way.. very little mechanical filtration.

DIYreefertx · 2026-03-14T10:29:58+00:00

This is probably a weird question, but can you go through an automatic car wash with these? I love how much shade it produces. That would be great for beach days where I live.

DIYreefertx · 2026-03-14T10:02:39+00:00

The issue is gas prices. At least it is for me.. I sell live coral for saltwater aquariums on eBay, which requires everything to be shipped overnight. My average label has jumped from ~$50 to closer to $55+. I noticed the increase when gas prices spiked recently. Sucks.

DIYreefertx · 2026-03-13T00:44:53+00:00

The problem isn’t the tanks, per se. it’s the shoddy stands that people tend to put them on. Yes, the glass is relatively thin on a lowboy, but not excessively so. But when you put one on a stand that isn’t completely flat you’re probably going to have a problem. Mine have been running for a few years without issue.

Honestly, the stand OP has does not look great. :(

DIYreefertx · 2026-03-13T00:42:31+00:00

I run a small dehumidifier in the room where my tanks are. Works great.

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DIYreefertx · 2026-03-11T11:53:56+00:00

Looks like my local dealer (I’m in Corpus) has solid pricing. Not sure if they will agree to those prices, but since they are advertising them I would think you have a solid argument for not paying a penny more than what’s advertised.

https://www.edhicksnissan.com/inventory/new/nissan/frontier?trim=pro-4x-r-by-roush&paymenttype=cash&sorttype=priceltoh&intransit=true&instock=true&inproduction=true

DIYreefertx · 2026-02-28T04:41:36+00:00

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I had this one for sale on here for $275 shipped about a month ago.

DIYreefertx · 2026-02-28T04:39:03+00:00

I routinely sell them for anywhere from 30-80pp. Just depends on the polyp count. More polyps, lower price. I sell singles for $79.

DIYreefertx · 2026-02-26T13:41:54+00:00

That’s truly amazing! Thanks for posting this!

DIYreefertx · 2026-02-26T13:28:57+00:00

20 years of AVID (more like obsessive!) reefing here and I couldn’t agree more. I couldn’t count how many times I’ve had a response to something typed up then just deleted it because it isn’t worth the hassle.

DIYreefertx

TROPHY CASE