Will this work for reef setup?

[plop9025]

I am looking to setup a reef tank and was wondering if this light would be sufficent for a 75 gallon tank.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/48-216W-4x54-T5-HO-Aquarium-Light-Marine-Reef-Fish-Tank-Fluorescent-Actinic-LED-/290675687972?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43ad9f0224
It is alot cheaper then the one from a LFS.

 

[mr. limpid]

it depends what you are trying to keep, this light is good for LPS & softies, but not enough for SPS & claims. You would need 6 bulbs with individual reflectors. Plus the bulbs that come with it will only be good for 6 months, then you need to up grade to better bulbs.

 

[siptang]

If you are determined to try sps then put them up WAY high so that they will have more chance of surviving.

 

[1guydude]

theres other bulbs on the market that will give u a nice color selection and better PAR.
The ones it comes with arent prob the best but would work...
+1 about the individual bulb reflectors and 4-6bulb system!

 

[plop9025]

Any suggestions on a light for a 48 inch aquarium that is roughly 75-100 gallons? I am trying to not spend no more then $200.
I want to keep anything that I think looks nice in the tank. Im not familiar with the aberivations used here. I am new to this hobby so any help would be nice.

 

[siptang]

If you are on a budget, odyssea fixtures are great for the price.
You can wait until April when they come out with 3w LED fixture for 160.
or
go with 6-8 bulb t5 fixtures like you found on ebay and change out the bulbs.

 

[1guydude]

Wat he said......lol. PAR is light penetration of color spectrum and intensity. I can't think of the actual words it stands for but a quick Google search will help.

 

[mr. limpid]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Plop9025 http:///t/390817/will-this-work-for-reef-setup#post_3463062
Any suggestions on a light for a 48 inch aquarium that is roughly 75-100 gallons? I am trying to not spend no more then $200.
I want to keep anything that I think looks nice in the tank. Im not familiar with the aberivations used here. I am new to this hobby so any help would be nice.
If you want to keep corals the lighting is the most important and most expensive piece of equipment. The only thing other than your wallet that will suffer will be the coral.

 

[acrylic51]

Lighting is just a small key to keeping coral. Possibly a DIY T5 fixture......

 

[flower]

A small list of the other things to consider for a reef tank. The expensive lights, you already know about....

• 
  Only certain fish are reef safe, and don't add too many to keep bioload down.
• 
  It takes different test kits
• 
  It takes a different salt mix (for best results)
  Regular water changes become super important.(nitrates must be kept low)
  Extra cost in coral food.

If you are willing to put in the effort, a reef tank looks 100% better than a fish only tank.
Happy reefing...and Welcome to the site!