Tank Lighting

a&m aggie 04'

a&m aggie 04'

Active Member
Im about to start a 55 gallon Hexagon REEF aquarium. Ive read on this sites Tank Setup that unless i have an aquarium over 180 Gallons, Florescent lighting should be my choice. Since the Tank is only 24-25 inches wide i decided on getting 2 Florescent lights- 1 actinic blue, 1 white. Is this unreasonable and if not what should i do. Also how much live sand should i have at the bottom of my aquarium, ive heard 4" would be a good depth, and how much rock?????
Thanks
 
G

glazer

Guest
hmmmmm, not sure about that notion that a tank less than 180 gallons should use florescent lighting, I have been breaking the law then for ages...lol
I am not sure about the dimensions of a 55 hex but I did have a 60 hex for awhile, so must assume they are very similiar in size. With that depth of tank you will be very limited in what you can keep in way of corals if you go with florescents... I had a 400 watt MH over my tank.
Not sure what kind of aquascaping you are planning either, big pile in the center?
I placed all my rock against the back three sides, took some creative stacking but it looked really really awesome and to give you an idea I had about 90 lbs of it.
 
demosthenes

demosthenes

Active Member
If you get a really dense LR you will need about 60-75 lbs of LR, and if it is not very dense, I would go with 50-60 lbs. A depth of 4-5" of sand is a good depth for a DSB, make sure to make a mix of LS and PlaySand. For lighting I would go with VHO, or PowerCompacts, though I do not particularly suggest PCs. I was told, when I was clueless, to get them by a salesperson as Uncle Bill's Pet Store, and have regretted it since I made the realization that I should have gotten VHO bulbs. HTH
 
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