Hi there everyone. I'm getting ready to under take a 15 gallon nano reef. My first question is what would you guys recommend for a cheap affordable lighting for the tank? I want the option to do any species of coral so I'm looking for a good all around lighting. Here's what I'm look at right now. http://m.ebay.ca/itm/54W-E27-18LED-Coral-Reef-Grow-Light-12White-6Blue-PAR38-Fish-Tank-Aquarium-Lamp-/371324845185?nav=SEARCH
For this size of tank you don't need a huge light. The link you posted looks good, I'd say try it and upgrade when you are ready. The Kessil A160 is also a fantastic light, but might be out of your price range.
Do you think I need one or two of these because I'm not sure if one will give an even spread over the whole 2ft tank. Thanks for your response.
I suspect you would be fine with one over 2ft. I know the Kessils will cover 2ftx2ft - I would suspect these would be similar. Also you are only going through 1ft of water so I wouldn't worry about the power too much. Heads up that the watts per gallon with LED's is no longer a useful metric. Too much light will cause algae growth, start with one.
That's a great price for a reef fixture, but I guess it's really just a socket with an LED lamp.
Okay thank you guys. I'm buying two 36 watt led bulbs to make sure I have enough lighting and to get an even spread. Thank you. I will post updates as it progresses.