Lighting, how much is good?
- Thread starter jeeperrs
- Start date
ifirefight
Active Member
I believe its 3-5 watts per gallon, but Im new at this.......... we shall leave it to the experts. :notsure:
aztec reef
Active Member
6-8 wpg i got 10 in mine
mandarin w
Member
To try to put lights in watts per gallon doesn't really work anymore. If you put 400 watts of pc over your tank, you will not equal the light of 250 Metal Halide. And thinking that 250 watts of pc would be more light or better light than 150watt of T-5, you would be wrong. There has been so many new lighting advances that that "old" saying doesn't mean anything anymore.
If your tank is a 55 gallon, and you want to keep softies, mushrooms, star polyps, toad stools, your pc will work fine. If you want to keep anemones and harder corals then you need to look at T-5's or Metal Halides. Two 175watt Halides or a T-5 unit with 6 bulbs would work great on your tank.
If your tank is a 55 gallon, and you want to keep softies, mushrooms, star polyps, toad stools, your pc will work fine. If you want to keep anemones and harder corals then you need to look at T-5's or Metal Halides. Two 175watt Halides or a T-5 unit with 6 bulbs would work great on your tank.
jeeperrs
New Member
I haven't put anything in it yet. I am still running a freshwater tank and getting everything I need to change it over to a saltwater tank. My freshwater tank only needed 2-2.5 watts per gallon so I had a light strip that fit the circumstances. I wasn't sure how much lighting I would need to start with for a marine tank, that is why I asked. What light strip is big enough to put 8-10 watts per gallon? The biggest 48 inch I have seen is 260 watts total. Thanks for the input so far!
J
jaybird101
Guest
Here is the best thread I found for lighting requirements.
Reef lighting requirments
Reef lighting requirments
ifirefight
Active Member
Originally Posted by mandarin w
To try to put lights in watts per gallon doesn't really work anymore. If you put 400 watts of pc over your tank, you will not equal the light of 250 Metal Halide. And thinking that 250 watts of pc would be more light or better light than 150watt of T-5, you would be wrong. There has been so many new lighting advances that that "old" saying doesn't mean anything anymore.
If your tank is a 55 gallon, and you want to keep softies, mushrooms, star polyps, toad stools, your pc will work fine. If you want to keep anemones and harder corals then you need to look at T-5's or Metal Halides. Two 175watt Halides or a T-5 unit with 6 bulbs would work great on your tank.
See I told ya the experts will surface. :jumping:
To try to put lights in watts per gallon doesn't really work anymore. If you put 400 watts of pc over your tank, you will not equal the light of 250 Metal Halide. And thinking that 250 watts of pc would be more light or better light than 150watt of T-5, you would be wrong. There has been so many new lighting advances that that "old" saying doesn't mean anything anymore.
If your tank is a 55 gallon, and you want to keep softies, mushrooms, star polyps, toad stools, your pc will work fine. If you want to keep anemones and harder corals then you need to look at T-5's or Metal Halides. Two 175watt Halides or a T-5 unit with 6 bulbs would work great on your tank.
See I told ya the experts will surface. :jumping:
aztec reef
Active Member
yes it has to do with intensity but depends what you want to keep, in my case i'm a sucker for sps so i wastalking about mh witch is nothing next to pc.
jeeperrs
New Member
Ok, I understand most of what was said. I am confused by the initials pc, and the initials that went with the corals. I currently have a light fixture made by current called a satellite 2x65 watt with lunar lights. It has the actinic and the 10,000 k bulbs. I would like to have anemones at some point but have heard they are tough so I probably won't start with them. I will look into the t5 and the other light systems if I upgrade. So do you think to start my tank and do the cycle what I have will be fine? If you use an initial can you spell it out the first time so I know what they all mean lol. I have read a lot but this is my first saltwater forum so I am not only learning how to set up the aquarium but understand the lingo lol. Thanks again!
mandarin w
Member
PC is power Compact. That is what you have currently. Those are fine to start off with. But just for softies. mushroom, starpolyps, and things like that. They don't photosynthesize for nutrition as much as pull their nutrition from the water. But some corals use light for their food. Those are the one that will need the stronger lights.
