(Aqualight or Satellite?) Lighting for an AGA 5.5g (and possibly a 10g in the future)

[L33T]

I'm trying to decide between these two choices:

1. Coralife Aqualight 20" 28W
Model Coralife Aqualight
Lighting Power 28W
Moonlighting? NO
Dimensions 20 x 5 x 2.5
Total Cost: 52.06
- Price of Light: 39.95
- Price of Mounts: 6.95
- Discount on Price: -2.345
- Shipping: 7.5
- Reference Store: HELLOLIGHTS

2. Current Satellite 20" 40W
Current Satellite
Total Cost: 64.69
- Price of Light: 55.19
- Price of Mounts: 7.99
- Discount on Price: -9.477
- Shipping: 10.99
- Reference Store: drsfostersmith

I'll be keeping the following:
- (flat) Mushrooms (without stingers on the outside)
- Scarlet Reef Hermit Crab
- Pulsing Xenia
- Yellow Polyps
- Finger Leather
- Dwarf Seahorses
- Linckia Sea Star, Blue
- Purple Monti Cap, &c

According to tons of research I've done with some cross referencing, all of those items are safe with seahorses (only the yellow polyps I can't seem to find information regarding compatibility with seahorses).

I'd like to keep the option of getting other corals open, however. At the same time, I realize that simply getting something extreme is self-defeating, as it will not only cause the temperature of the water to rise uncontrollably, but will also not be good for the mushrooms. Also, better lighting is expensive.

Finally, I'd like to keep the option of upgrading from a 5.5g to a 10g aquarium. Both lights will fit both aquariums.

It seems that both lights have their pros/cons. The Aqualight looks to be higher quality overall, and sturdier, with its metallic body, whereas the Satellite fails to share that same aesthetic appeal. Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

On the other hand, the Satellite has a higher power output at 40W instead of 28W. For a 5.5g, the Aqualight has an output of 5.09W/g, whereas the Satellite outputs 7.27W/g. If I were to upgrade to a 10g however, the Aqualight would output 2.8W/g as opposed to 4W/g from the Satellite. At the same time, power per volume isn't quite so important for small tanks such as a 5.5g or 10g; it is the total power per-se that matters most, according to some. From that perspective, 28W seems sufficient for the corals I picked, though I am not sure for the case of a 10g aquarium. 40W seems definitely sufficient for either scenario.

The Satellite does come with the cool feature of a moonlight; if I were to get a moonlight for the Aqualight, it might cost about $15, which would even the cost difference between the two models.

Given these considerations, which of the two lights would you recommend?

[LockeOak]

As an owner of a Coralife Aqualight 2x65W fixture on my 10G tank, the only problem I have is that sometimes the built-in moonlights are very dim (almost off) and cannot be made to turn on brightly. The casing itself is high quality and sturdy, doesn't run terribly hot. I would be very cautious about 28W on a 10G tank, especially with the montipora. Even though I think the coralife products (while far from high-end) are good entry-level fixtures, I would have to go with the higher wattage. If you do go with the coralife, definitely get the legs with the hinges, it would be practically impossible to get anything into my 10G without the leg hinges.

[L33T]

The tiny 20" one actually doesn't even come with a moonlight =|

With that type of a hinge then, the price goes up by a bit.

Why does the Satellite have to be made out of plastic? O.o

[naturebatslast]

You should post a wanted to buy thread in the for sale forum, someone probably has one that they want to part with.

[L33T]

Alrighty I took your advice and made a WTB thread =D

[reefinghabit]

more is always better

[L33T]

Does anyone suppose 40W is yet still insufficient, and would say that I need to go with the next model up (Coralife: 96W, Satellite: 80W)?

[MisFit]

The tiny 20" one actually doesn't even come with a moonlight =|

With that type of a hinge then, the price goes up by a bit.

Why does the Satellite have to be made out of plastic? O.o

The satellite is made out of black powder coated aluminum. only the ends are plastic. I have both and I actually kind of prefer the satellite. The addition of the moonlight is nice, although I dont use it that much. The coralife casing is probably still sturdier and the legs are stronger, but you have to buy the legs separate and they way they attach to the side of the tank Id be afraid of cracking a 10gal if you bumped it, but lockeoak doesnt seem to have that problem. I just like the back compared to the brass color of the coralife. I think the two fixtures are pretty much equal, It just comes down on the wattage you need and your asthetic prefences. I would go with at least the 80W and you could probably do more.

[L33T]

I guess I gotta ask what the reasoning is for the higher power (80W)... I don't really understand the entire lighting thing as you see =D

[Sean Irwin]

After 1 am I can't sum up lighting (or any other topic) without sounding like a total jerk so some excellent reading can be found here:
www.wetwebmedia.com and Eric Borneman's Corals book both have some really good information.
You can also post in the other reed topics section too. There are a number of lighting experts in the BRS.
Not to be mean, but you probably don't want to try the seastar in something so small. People can hardly get them to live in large tanks. They very sensitive to changes in water chemistry and have large mostly unknown appetites.

[LockeOak]

I would say that with PCs of low wattage (80W or less) you really shouldn't worry too much about the heat they would put into the tank unless your living situation is one where heat is hard to control, like a third story apartment or no air conditioning. Mine (130W on a 10G) doesn't seem to have much effect on the water temperature, maybe 1.5 degrees F tops. Mushrooms do ok in my tank, though I think the ones higher up in direct light get blasted a bit more than they would like. I don't think 80W would be too strong for anything in your tank, just my opinion. Definitely read up on it from the above links.

[mr.gaboozlebag]

Satellite!!!!!!!!!