Yet another Lighting question

crustymonk

crustymonk

Member
I am extremley new to saltwater tanks. I have a 80 gal that I set up 4 days ago. I will be putting in LR on Sat. What you all recommend for lighting. I know I need 400 watts. I would like the LR to have what it needs to grow and show its colors. I am getting cross eyed when looking for lamps and would like some recommendations.
Thanks
 
volcom69

volcom69

Member
If u are keeping corals sps and lps u need stronger lighting and for softies u dont need as much light. When ur cycling the tank u dont need that much light it will just cause algea blooms like crazy.
 
tropills

tropills

Member
What do you plan to have? FOWLR or REEF ? power compacts are fine for a FOWLR around
180-360 watts.. REEF you will want at least 2 halides of nothing less than 150 each plus some sort of PC, VHO or standard flo. of 10k , also actinic 03. ***)
 
crustymonk

crustymonk

Member
right now I have a cheap 32w 'All Glass Aquarium Lamp'. I dont think that will do it. Recomend any lighting systems for?
 
tropills

tropills

Member
Originally Posted by crustymonk
right now I have a cheap 32w 'All Glass Aquarium Lamp'. I dont think that will do it. Recomend any lighting systems for?
JEBO,ORBIT,CORALIFE are all good fairly inexpencive pc lights.
 
dfox

dfox

Member
I am also new to saltwater, and I am definitely not an expert, but here are a couple thoughts on this.
You can grow coraline algae on LR with fairly minimal lighting, if that's all your looking to do. I'm not suggesting this is the way to go, but budget constraints in the beginning forced me into a little experiment. I was able to pick up one of those 48" dual strip flourescent lights for real cheap. I put in one 40w actinic and one 40w 10,000 bulb. So, I have 80w on a 55 gallon tank. After 2 months, my 50 lbs of LR is about 1/2 covered with purple, red, green, and blue. It's great. I just made sure there was good calcium levels.
Very soon, I hope to replace those lights with a little better like the Satellite SunPaq power compact which will give me 130w and give me some more options. These appear to be only about $100 from different vendors. Not bad. I welcome any feedback/reviews on those lights.
It sounds like you may be in the market for something better, but I throw this out there for the other folks like me on a tight budget.
 
crustymonk

crustymonk

Member
Like you I am also on a budget. But I just want to make sure I have the right equip. I was looking at this setup.....
Nova Extreme T-5 Fixtures w/Lunar Lights
* Brilliant High Output T5 fluorescent bulbs PLUS LED lunar lights
* Provides complete 24-hour lighting
* Slim space-saving design
Brilliant high output T-5 fluorescent bulbs paired with the nocturnal glow of LED lunar lights. 2 leading edge advances in lighting technology contained in a compact energy-efficient fixture for complete 24-hour lighting. Features microprocessor controlled internal electronic ballast, integrated cooling fans, parabolic reflector, protective splash lens, and two 72" power cords. Includes docking mounts and Slimpaq 460nm Actinic and 10000°K T-5 HO lamps. 7-1/4" x 2-1/2" high. 48", 54 watt unit measures 14" x 2-1/2" high. Replacement tubes are available.
Any good?
 
volcom69

volcom69

Member
I have a satallite on mine but i have 300 watts on my 55 gal but i like them nice 24 hour lighting system. If u can spend the money get the satallite with the double lights much more light and im not sure if its much more expensive im not sure. I have my lights on timers so they make a great 24 hour lighting system.
 
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