Lighting help?

[jpardi]

I'm new to this hobby, and I have been thinking about investing in some lights. My tank is a 55 gal. tall 36" wide x 18" tall. Not 100% sure of what kind of corals I want to get, i know I want to have a fairly easy to maintain tank. Any ideas or helpful tips on lights. I currently have a wooden canopy of it and am concerned about heat issues. Like I said I know nothing about lights, please help.
Thanks

 

[rushprop]

Guess it depends on what you want to spend. This is a great place to find lights, as there is someone always trying to sell some lights in the classified forum. If you were just going to do soft you could probably just get T5 and not have to modify your hood, but if you wanted to get MH you may have to do some adjustments uptop. But then again, you will be able to grow anything. kinda seems like you can find more deals on MH from what i have seen. maybe that says something about T5. idk. anways good luck.

 

[ajroc31]

I think 1 20 MH, with maybe actinic pc, or T5, I would suggest T5, would be very nice. T5 actinics burn really blue in comparison to pc, which I would strongly advise against.

 

[mr_x]

i would choose two 150 watt halides, or a 6x 39 watt t-5 setup with individual reflectors. it's your choice. will you be looking for a fixture to fit under the canopy, or will this be a retro kit for sure?