what color lights do most of yall prefer ?

[bbreaux1]

okay i think im gonna put off a reef tank for a hwile i just put some snails crabs and a green brittle star i want to upgrade my lighting somewhat and i was wondering what color bubls most people go with for fish only i think im gonna go with 2x55w pc on my 55gal long would just 10k bulbs look good or should i still go with the 50/50 i just want something that will make my fish and tank look good. thing that turned me off of the wanting to go reef is i was at a lfs today and thier prices on corals were just too much for my wallet to handle so if i started a reef it be very skimpy so ill wait till my wallet get better and i think pc would be the lowest up front cost and easiest for me to just add on another set when or if i decide to switch
thanks for any help

 

[brian'sreef]

One of the beauties of owning a reef tank is that you can buy very small inexpensive things like coral frags and small starts of soft corals and they will eventually grow.. one of the biggest problems that people have is that they want the awesome tank that they saw in their LFS and they want it as soon as possible.. more than likely that tank has been set up for years.. reefs take time but that's what makes them so great. no one sets up a reef tank just knowing that they are going to tear it down a year from now. ...it's a hobby (and an addiction) that can last a lifetime. so sure while the prices may be expensive.. you're payng for life and a beautiful addition to yours.. and to answer you q. i would always go with an actinic and an ultradaylight bulb.. think it over about the reef tank..
Brian

 

[bbreaux1]

well im transfering next semester and dont know if ill be taking my tank or not so i dont wanna put too much money into corals that i might not be able to take care of

 

[brian'sreef]

WEll i understand that.. i can't wait till i have to move my 125 from where i'm at when i get a place of my own..(sarcasm)
Brian

 

[drummerboy]

I would definitely go with 50/50. I just got 2 55 power compact myself. I put them on two different switches, and two different cords. When I have only the 10000k on it looks kinda yellow and dull. The actinic just brings out a lot more of the fishes color when it's paired with the daylight. It kinda makes the fish glow. But that's just my opinion.

 

[chainsaw5vent]

you should definitely look at adding actinics w/ any daylight bulb. i'm currently running 4x40 6500k bulbs ($5/ea. at Lowe's) and w/o the 2x40 actinics the tank looks very yellow. the actinics help the tank lean towards the "white look" soon i will purchase some 10,000 k or Tritons.