48" T5 lighting in 55..?

clownfanatic55

clownfanatic55

Member
I have one 48" T5 bulb lighting on my 55 gallon (directly on top of tank). Is this enough for my 55 gallon to have coral? Do you think I need more? MY LFS has 3 on there 150..so I was just wondering if this will be fine...not sure the wattage though.
 
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dragonzim

Active Member
A single T5 bulb will not be enough to support corals long term. You're gonna want a fixture with 4 bulbs with individual reflectors. That will let you keep anything you want.
 
big

big

Active Member
In one word, no..........One T-5 is about 55 watts, Even three like the local store has one their larger tank would be less than needed for a 55......
Many would say for your tank the Nova Extreme Pro would be the light of choice money wise with it's 6 refected T-5's.
 
big

big

Active Member
Originally Posted by Clownfanatic55
http:///forum/post/3153678
Man! lol okay, thanks...guess its gonna be on my christmas list then!
Good move, Lighting is one of the biggest and most important investments we make in this obsession.......
 
bill109

bill109

Active Member
look at sunlight supply, TEK has a nice 4 t-5 fixture. i have the 8 bulb. its awesome.
with this light, i can keep anything i want as long as my parameters are ok.
 
btldreef

btldreef

Moderator
I love my Current Nova Extreme Pro's. I had one 36" set over my 40G and now I have two sets on my 155G.
Are you sure that your fish store is using T5's? Some times the halide/T5 combos looks similar but are completely different inside, that's what my LFS uses.
 
jigga w00t

jigga w00t

Member
Originally Posted by Clownfanatic55
http:///forum/post/3154341
Whew! that's going to be a BIG Christmas present! $400 smackers! lol
Not necessarily, I got a 36" Nova Extreme 4x39W t5 from a seller on ----. It was being sold as "refurbished" for less than half the retail price. It was still in great condition, looked new to me... The unit has worked great for the 40g breeder I set up 4 months ago.
If you're setting up a 55 gal with 48" t5's, save up to get the 6x54W unit. I know its expensive, but it will be well worth it. The corals will look great, and you can put just about any coral/clam you want in there...
 
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