Reef Casa Halo LED Light Review

Reef Casa Halo LED Light Review

When I planned my Reef Casa Studio 12 tank I was looking to set up a tank that would be both beautiful and simple.  With that in mind, when it came to pick the light I chose the Reef Casa Halo light without any hesitation.  I was looking for a light that offered some degree of controllability without being overwhelming and also one that produced enough PAR to grow a wide variety of corals.  The Halo light fit this description perfectly.  In terms of cost, I felt that this light was a budget conscious option that offered features, such as three independent programmable channels, that are usually found on more expensive models.

I found the light to be very easy to set up and within minutes it was mounted to the back of my tank with the included mounting arm.  The integrated cord management helped to preserve the uncluttered look of the Studio 12.  Programming the light was very straightforward and I settled on the following schedule:

 

4pm                 Royal Blue 49%            Cool White 8%      Cool Blue 25%

11:50pm          Royal Blue 49%            Cool White 0%      Cool Blue 25%

11:59pm           All 0

 

I found the whiter color spectrum during the day followed by a heavily blue blend in the evening to be the perfect combination, and the corals have been loving it.  The tank is in our basement where we tend to spend time in the evening, so I designed the lighting schedule to maximize viewing time in the late evening.  My LPS corals and mushrooms really pop under this light and the SPS corals that I am growing look great as well.

 

In terms of corals, the Halo light has done a great job coloring up and growing a wide variety of corals including:

Hammer Corals

Torch Corals (which I have never had success with until this tank)

Alveopora

Leptastrea

Zoas

Mushrooms

Open Brain Coral

Favia

Green Goddess Birdsnest

Green Goblin Anacropora

Blue Montipora

Red Digitata Montipora

 

All of these corals are currently doing great under the Halo light and growing well.  I haven’t tried growing any difficult SPS corals, such as acropora.  However, in previous tanks I haven’t been able to grow them successfully under much more expensive lights so I think a more experienced hobbyist would be able to grow them under the Halo.

All in all, I have been very happy with the Halo light and when we decided to set up a Flat 6 in our kitchen it was a no-brainer to run a Halo light on that tank as well.  That tank is a softie lagoon style tank, so it isn’t particularly light demanding but the corals in that tank are also doing great under a reduced intensity schedule.