Lighting Confusion

[tinatina5]

Hi all,
First time posting long time watching. Fairly new to the hobby about a year. My question is: We are going to upgrade our lighting to t5 how do you figure out what size fixture to get? We have a 55 gal it measures 48"L. So do we get a 48" fixture or a 36" any help would be great. Thanks in advance.

 

[perfectdark]

Originally Posted by tinatina5
http:///forum/post/2737980
Hi all,
First time posting long time watching. Fairly new to the hobby about a year. My question is: We are going to upgrade our lighting to t5 how do you figure out what size fixture to get? We have a 55 gal it measures 48"L. So do we get a 48" fixture or a 36" any help would be great. Thanks in advance.
Typically you get the fixture that reaches the end of your tank. A 36" fixture will leave 6" either side of your tank unlit. If this look is appealing to you, and I am not being sarcastic, then finding a way to suspend the light would be your challenge but it can work. However the typical fixture would be one that utilizes the entire length of your tank and it has legs that rest on the sides to hold the fixture up. HTH..

 

[tinatina5]

Thank you