pinkydinky1
New Member
Hey I was just wondering what type of lighting i would need for a 55 gallon sw tank with some coral and frogspawn in the future
What Lighting
- Thread starter pinkydinky1
- Start date
marchingbandjs
Member
Depends on what corals i think for you maby some Halides 48" Aqualight Elite - 250W - Designer Black that would work and give u just a lil more that 5 watts per gallon
C
cmaxwell39
Guest
I really like T5's. With the proper fixture you will be able to keep anything you want in the tank. Individual reflectors are important if you want to get into things like SPS or clams. If you are going to be sticking with softies and LPS for the most part, then you could look at some of the fixtures with one reflector, or for that matter even PC would work.
marchingbandjs
Member
wow i feel stupid scratch that i would go with t-5 l... halides will cook tank
marchingbandjs
Member
Alot of people have success with PC
posiden
Active Member
Please don't follow a watt per gallon rule when looking at lighting your tank.
I would also say to go with T-5's for your tank. A lot less headach then MH. While halides are nice and they will give the water a shimmer affect the T-5's will last longer and wont heat up the water as much. They will also cost you less each month.
I would also say to go with T-5's for your tank. A lot less headach then MH. While halides are nice and they will give the water a shimmer affect the T-5's will last longer and wont heat up the water as much. They will also cost you less each month.
big
Active Member
Originally Posted by Posiden
http:///forum/post/3132114
Please don't follow a watt per gallon rule when looking at lighting your tank.
I would also say to go with T-5's for your tank. A lot less headach then MH. While halides are nice and they will give the water a shimmer affect the T-5's will last longer and wont heat up the water as much. They will also cost you less each month.
Yes my vote would be the T-5's all the way.............
MH lighting is nice for reflections and shadowing due to their point source properties. The shimmer is nice...BUT...The heat , continual need for bulb replacement and power cost over time are making them the second choice for many these days.....
With the quality of reflector fitted T-5' out there today the MH just does not match up anymore..(I have the Nova Extreme Pro on my 72 and can keep just about anything)... It has a low initial cost, and has all you need in the box. Two decent fans, a decent electronic ballast, legs and bulb shield all included..I did change some color combination with the first bulb replacements last year....The original bulbs provide a very bright "white light" appearance.This is the same 48 inch wide size light as you will need.
Times are changing. If you had ask this question 5 years back MH would have been my choice, but not today......
Someone also mentioned PC lighting........ I like Dinosaurs too but this is the 21st century. they are the next thing to obsolete. They should already be "extinct" ..........Also the old "watts per gallon" statements are somewhat misleading in figuring out what one needs....... PAR light reflective values are better at determining depth penetration, which is far more important than total wattage........
Maybe the old "watts per gallon" ideas and PC lights can share the same grave ..........
Remember that your lighting is probably the single most important investment in having a quality Reef Tank...... Good Luck....Warren
http:///forum/post/3132114
Please don't follow a watt per gallon rule when looking at lighting your tank.
I would also say to go with T-5's for your tank. A lot less headach then MH. While halides are nice and they will give the water a shimmer affect the T-5's will last longer and wont heat up the water as much. They will also cost you less each month.
Yes my vote would be the T-5's all the way.............
MH lighting is nice for reflections and shadowing due to their point source properties. The shimmer is nice...BUT...The heat , continual need for bulb replacement and power cost over time are making them the second choice for many these days.....
With the quality of reflector fitted T-5' out there today the MH just does not match up anymore..(I have the Nova Extreme Pro on my 72 and can keep just about anything)... It has a low initial cost, and has all you need in the box. Two decent fans, a decent electronic ballast, legs and bulb shield all included..I did change some color combination with the first bulb replacements last year....The original bulbs provide a very bright "white light" appearance.This is the same 48 inch wide size light as you will need.
Times are changing. If you had ask this question 5 years back MH would have been my choice, but not today......
Someone also mentioned PC lighting........ I like Dinosaurs too but this is the 21st century. they are the next thing to obsolete. They should already be "extinct" ..........Also the old "watts per gallon" statements are somewhat misleading in figuring out what one needs....... PAR light reflective values are better at determining depth penetration, which is far more important than total wattage........
Maybe the old "watts per gallon" ideas and PC lights can share the same grave ..........
Remember that your lighting is probably the single most important investment in having a quality Reef Tank...... Good Luck....Warren