Help with lighting please

[acrid]

Hello,
So I set up my first tank about a month ago. When we picked out our set-up we pretty much got what the store owner told us to. I now question our lighting. Our tank dimensions are roughly 36"L x 20"W X 24"H at 65 gallons.
We got a "Coralife Aqualight Single Compact Fluorescent Strip Light." The description for it (since I can't link to it) is: "Saltwater compact fluorescent strip lights include 50/50 lamp(s) that combine 10,000°K and True Actinic 03 blue phosphors to provide the proper lighting for saltwater aquariums." It is 36" long and 96 watts.
Currently, we only have a recently acquired green bubble tip anemone & a maroon clownfish. And a plethora of crabbies & snails. I have a Galaxea coral on the way.
Is this light good/strong enough? I keep reading that you need 3-5 watts per gallon, so in that case this is clearly not going to cut it... I keep reading about Metal Halides & T5. But I don't know what a T5 is, and google searching has not helped.
I would like to have clams. And the light definately needs to be strong enough for some corals. If this light completely sucks, I'll have to replace it. If it is actually pretty decent, could someone please tell me what I could keep with this lighting?
Thanks so much for your help!

 

[wattsupdoc]

Well, not much with that one, I'd take it back to the store owner and whack 'em over the head with it. That'll hurt!

T5HO is what your after if interested in those.They work great, IF everything is just right. these are just simply 5/8 in diameter florescent high output tubes. Skinny and POWERFUL. But to get the most out of them, it takes several bulbs. They last longer than all other sources, so replacement cost is down the road, a little less. There are other factors to consider such as reflectors. Good reflectors individual to each bulb is important. As well as is bulb manufacturer and color temp. The best bulbs are pretty much, ATI, Giesemann, and UVL. Generally speaking a temperature close to 10,000 kelvin is the best choice, though up to 20,000 kelvin and as low as 6500K is acceptable. T5HO's( be sure they're HO's) don't generate the heat MH's do so that's a plus. But you wont get the flicker either. Generally speaking for most standard tanks, a 4 bulb T5HO with individual reflectors will let you keep most everything. And a 6 bulb T5HO with individual reflectors will let you have 'em all, lighting wise.
Metal halides are the tried and true method of keeping anything you want. They are a HID fixture that creates a lot of light. Generally the hobby see these in 175, 250, and 400 watt versions. However they can be bought in other flavors as well. Color ranges generally the same as with the T5's. But you have to supplement with actinics if you want the blue look and fluorescence of the corals. They don't make a strictly actinic MH lamps, so you can opt for using these along side another type, like T5HO's or PC, or VHO. Some just run the halides though.
They burn hotter and may cause you to need a chiller. The bulbs need to be replaced much more frequently than T5HO's and aren't inexpensive. Wattage is usually dictated by tank depth as well as personal preferences. 175 watt for 24in deep tanks, 250 for up to 30 I believe it is, 400 for deeper.
So you know, If it were me, I'd do at least a nova extreme pro 6x39 watt jobber on that 65. You'll be good to go!

Or you can look at the other options like the Tek lights of the same flavor. Avoid the no names and ask here before you buy!

Likewise, 2 175 watt MH's would be good, the only brand to really stay away from there would be odyessea. Though some have had good results from those.
BTW Welcome to the boards!

HTH!

Charlie

 

[coralreefer]

if you want a reef with sps, clams, etc. get MH because your tank is deep

 

[perfectdark]

At 24" deep you can still get away with HO-t5 lights IMO. Anything deeper and MH are necessary to reach the bottom of the tank to support clams and sps. Even at a 30" tank if the clams and sps corals were placed high you can still do HO t5 lighting, its just past 24 inches down the lights loose their intensity significantly.

 

[camanuch]

what if you went with an increased wattage on the hoT5. Also what if you went with VHO? I'm still trying to get my tank all together for my new project I'm going to start in like 2 or 3 weeks.

 

[perfectdark]

Originally Posted by camanuch
http:///forum/post/2532748
what if you went with an increased wattage on the hoT5. Also what if you went with VHO? I'm still trying to get my tank all together for my new project I'm going to start in like 2 or 3 weeks.
Its not the wattage its the intensity of the bulbs that enable them to reach certain depths. Individually reflected HO T5's tend to lose their intensity to reach depths past 24". VHO's are a light of the past IMO and will be difficult to find the diversity in product that you can with HO-T5's. I still think a 6 to 8 bulb HO T5 fixture would suit you just fine IMO.
But MH lights would leave no question and skys the limit no matter where you put things in your tank.