Satellite Lighting for my 55gal, Good Choice?

arkey.d

arkey.d

Member
My 55gal is still cycling, but I'm looking for lighting that will be good for a beginner reef setup. This is what I am planning to get. Please provide any information of pro's and con's and if it's adaquette for beginner corals.
48" Dual Satellite 4x65 watt SunPaq with Lunar Lights & Fan
Aligns a Dual Daylight and Dual Actinic together with a Lunar Light™ to create an energy-efficient, 24-hour lighting system that's packed with value. Configured with a state-of-the-art, SunPaq Lamps, which produces 3-times the light output of standard fluorescents with double the life (12 months).
PC aluminum hood with 2 Dual Daylight, and 2 Dual actinic lamp. Includes ballast, lamps, endcaps, fan, reflector, & 2 Lunar Lights. Independent controls for dusk/dawn effect.
Thanks,
Dan
 
sammiefish

sammiefish

Member
Sounds great! Im using 4x65W PC bulbs over my 75. The light intensity has been great for zoo's, brain, mushrooms, and even Montipora caporcornis.
My fixture was manufacured by Coralife and sells for about $230 new. There is a version with a lunar led's but i dont know the price.
 
elchoryla

elchoryla

Member
hi there, how are u cycling your tank?? i am currently cycling a 80 gallon tank and was wondering if u put any live bacteria etc, in or damsels or something, let me know what u did, thanks.
I have l;ive rock inside, and live sand
 
hagfish

hagfish

Active Member
Just put a cocktail shrimp (dead) in there for a few days, or feed the tank as if you were feeding fish. Bacteria will show up if there is waste in the tank. Also, there is likely some bacteria on your live rock/sand already.
 
greatfullreefer

greatfullreefer

Active Member

Originally posted by elchoryla
i am currently cycling a 80 gallon tank and was wondering if u put any live bacteria etc, in or damsels or something
I have l;ive rock inside, and live sand
Just toss in a raw coctail shrimp and let it decompose to kick the cycle into gear. This will produce ammonia as it rotts which will cause the beneficial bacteria to reproduce, check Ammonia, NitrItes and Nitrates every few days and once levels reach zero your cycle is complete (The cycle can take anywhere from 3 weeks to 2 months so be patient):D
 
arkey.d

arkey.d

Member
Hi,
I started my 55gal with 40lbs of playsand then 30lbs of livesand on top, with 50lbs of live rock popped in after that. I then added a cocktail shrimp and I left it to rot/ or it got eaten by the BristleWorms and other little critters that came with the live rock :) It was gone in 2-3 days.
The tank is on it's 4th week with levels at: NH3 -.25, NO2 is -.05 and NO3 -0. So got some time yet before able to add a cleanup crew.
I have a 29gal fish only tank, that I cycled with fish, but I then found out about the cocktail shrimp method {1 med size shrimp/50gals of water} and went with that on the 55gal. so the fish wouldn't get thier gills burned by the ammonia and nitrite build up.
I've priced the 48" Dual Satellite at $195 online and $218 at my LFS.
 
smarls

smarls

Member
Arkey,
I run 4x65 JBJ lights over my 55, and I like the set up, so I think you will be just fine.
I changed the bulbs out, 2x10k coral lifes, and then 2xActinic 03s (which I think made the biggest difference).
The lighting is great for most everything except clams and SPS (I keep mainly LPS and zoos). I would really suggest going to the true actinic 03 bulbs though, that really helped my corals.
I would also let your tank stabalize after cycling is complete for a few months, maybe 2-3 months, before you add any corals.
Good luck,
Stewart
 
arkey.d

arkey.d

Member
Thanks for the info on the lighting and yes I plan on taking my time with the coral additions. One thing that this hobby teaches ya is patience:)
Dan
 
smarls

smarls

Member
It sure does!
Anyways, check out the Actinic 03s for your PC set-up...there is a thread on here by Kip about them, and it has a lot of good info in it.
 
new2u

new2u

Member
i looked into all the lighting options for my 55 and found the TEK t-5 sunlight supply to be the far best, get the 4 55 watt bulb fixture but order the tek unit from reef geek not the ---- knock off, check out the thread on -- in new hobbiests t5 lighting may be for you. Oh and added bonus, new bulbs every year and a half as well as nearly no heat issues as well as insane penitration
 
dacia

dacia

Active Member
Personally, I think that rather than buying the satellite plus new lamps, you might be able to save money by getting the comparable orbit fixture from the start. Orbits have higher quality lamps so you don't have to buy new ones at first. I have an orbit over my 30 and love it. The satellite is great, too, just trying to weigh out the cost measures.
 
arkey.d

arkey.d

Member
So New2u your suggesting a unit like this for $249:
48" x 4.75" x 2.75"
This unit is run by (2) 5 year warranty electronic ballasts, and runs ultra cool.
The finest german polished reflective material is used to increase reflectivity 99% to make units output even more powerful.
Unit has 2 chords and 2 switchs that can be added to timers to implement the dawn and dusk effect.
This unit is equipped with fans for a cool running light
Comes equipped with an acrylic lens cover to keep the splash out.
6 T-5 bulbs included. 3 Actinic Blue and 3 10000K
Aluminum hood
 
arkey.d

arkey.d

Member
Dacia you suggesting a unit like this for $255:
Create the ultimate dawn to dusk effect with the pro-grade, Orbit. It packs the SunPaq Dual Daylight (10,000K & 6,700K), our Dual Actinic (460nm & 420nm) and Lunar Light™ together in one sleek, fan-cooled fixture. Offering the leading technologies in one 24-hour lighting system that gives you one small step to take for a gigantic leap in performance.
48" Orbit 4x65w SunPaq with 4 Lunar Lights
Total 260 PC Watts
PC aluminum hood with 2 Dual Daylight, and 2 Dual actinic lamp. Includes ballast, lamps, endcaps, fan, reflector, legs, & 4 Lunar Light. Independent controls for dusk/dawn effect
 
dacia

dacia

Active Member
That's the one I was thinking of. :D
I have a smaller version of it over my 30 gallon reef, and it has done wonders...my star polyps and pulsing anthelia are growing so fast I might have to share them with other reef tanks pretty soon.
 
new2u

new2u

Member
no not that unit that ones a pos and will kill the bulbs after 3 months look for the TEK hood, its the second best thing to halides and it would be a little bit more initial investment BUT the when it comes time to replace bulbs every 1.5 years you'll thank your self as well as when you get your electricity bill!
 
arkey.d

arkey.d

Member
Is this the TEK Hood your talking about?
48" Tek Light: 4-54W T5 HO Fluorescents (Silver)
Manufacturer: Sunlight Supply
Dimensions: 47" x 12" x 2.5" (L x W x H)
Price: $249.00
Shipping Cost: Flat Rate: $30.00
Shipping Discount: $15.00
Description: Silver Tek Light T5 fluorescent lighting system complete with two built-in Triad T5 electronic ballasts, two power-cords and two switches allowing for dawn and dusk control, individual parabolic reflectors for each bulb made from German Tek 95% reflective aluminum and I-bolts with V-Hooks to suspend the unit over the tank (GripLock Cable Suspension System available for an additional $29.95). (Bracket/Leg Support System and Acrylic Shield also available.) For a limited time, receive 2 free 6500K Daylight bulbs (GE or Philips) with the purchase of any unit. (No substitutions allowed.) Additional bulbs sold separately. View T5 bulb options. Recommended bulb combinations: 2:2 Sun to Blue Plus/Actinic 03 or 1:1:2 Sun to Aquablue to Blue Plus/Actinic 03. This fixture is not recommended for installation inside a canopy or other enclosure. If you wish to install T5 lighting inside a canopy or enclosure we recommend using a Retrofit Kit which comes standard with moisture proof end-caps.
Notes: T5 fluorescent bulbs are simply 5/8” diameter fluorescent tubes. (Less than ½ the diameter of a standard output fluorescent or VHO bulb which measures 1-1/2” in diameter.) The slim profile makes T5’s much more efficient than other types of fluorescent lighting. In fact, on a watt per watt basis they put out more light per X amount of energy consumed than standard fluorescents, VHO’s or powercompacts. Also because of their slim profile it is much easier to create a highly effective parabolic reflector that directs more light down on the tank than reflectors for oddly shaped powercompacts or bulky VHO’s. Normally driven T5 bulbs also last longer than VHO’s or powercompacts.
 
arkey.d

arkey.d

Member
OK, Looks like I would have to buy bulbs seperatly, except for the 2 free 6500K Daylight bulbs, what would you recommend for Bulbs?
Dan
 
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