Lighting...help Me!
- Thread starter jay02483
- Start date
nigerbang
Active Member
Originally Posted by jay02483
http:///forum/post/2942614
is a t6 dual day/actinic light with 11000k ultra daylight and actinic 03...my lfs said its a good light? im kinda new to the hobby...so can this support corals? if so what kind
T6??? Is this one of those crazy Jebo lights?
Does it have indivdual reflectors? Whats the wattage? What kinda corals are you wanting to keep?
http:///forum/post/2942614
is a t6 dual day/actinic light with 11000k ultra daylight and actinic 03...my lfs said its a good light? im kinda new to the hobby...so can this support corals? if so what kind
T6??? Is this one of those crazy Jebo lights?
Does it have indivdual reflectors? Whats the wattage? What kinda corals are you wanting to keep?
scsinet
Active Member
If it's 20 watts, then it's a normal "strip light" that they sell as basic lighting for aquariums. The size of the lamp is probably T8, not T6. It is completely unsuitable for corals. The other possibility is that they just "rounded" up to 20 watts. The reason I say that is normal output lamps are the only thing available in 20w. The better lamps, T5, come in 18w, then 39w, no 20w.
If you are new the the hobby, I am going to assume you want to keep things as simple as possible and you have no current plans to keep anything more advanced such as SPS corals, clams, etc. The corals you mentioned do not fall into these categories so you are fine there.
I'd suggest looking at a T5 lighting system, using 39w HO (High Output) lamps. A system that uses (4) of these lamps should allow you to keep anything you want. 39W lamps are 36" long and should fit over your tank. If your tank is only 24" wide, you may want something that uses 18w T5 lamps. I know CurrentUSA makes one that uses (6) 18W lamps that is about $300.
BE VERY careful about what LFSs tell you. I generally do not trust any LFS. They tend to promote only what they stock or only what they think they can convince you to buy, so they can sell you on both equipment and livestock. Lighting is one of the worst. I can't count how many times I've heard of LFSs giving bad advice about lighting. Some of the things I was told early in the hobby are downright disgusting.
Instead, stick to the advice of message boards like this one. We aren't in it for the profit!
There are a lot of members here who have lots of experience with these T5 lighting systems, who will likely chime in with specific recommendations. You may want to go ahead and post your budget. Expect to pay between $200 and $400 for a decent lighting system.
If you are new the the hobby, I am going to assume you want to keep things as simple as possible and you have no current plans to keep anything more advanced such as SPS corals, clams, etc. The corals you mentioned do not fall into these categories so you are fine there.
I'd suggest looking at a T5 lighting system, using 39w HO (High Output) lamps. A system that uses (4) of these lamps should allow you to keep anything you want. 39W lamps are 36" long and should fit over your tank. If your tank is only 24" wide, you may want something that uses 18w T5 lamps. I know CurrentUSA makes one that uses (6) 18W lamps that is about $300.
BE VERY careful about what LFSs tell you. I generally do not trust any LFS. They tend to promote only what they stock or only what they think they can convince you to buy, so they can sell you on both equipment and livestock. Lighting is one of the worst. I can't count how many times I've heard of LFSs giving bad advice about lighting. Some of the things I was told early in the hobby are downright disgusting.
Instead, stick to the advice of message boards like this one. We aren't in it for the profit!
There are a lot of members here who have lots of experience with these T5 lighting systems, who will likely chime in with specific recommendations. You may want to go ahead and post your budget. Expect to pay between $200 and $400 for a decent lighting system.