Lighting question

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binaryterror

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Nov 13, 2005
Messages
247
Location
Akron, Ohio
Hey, I was looking into lights since I am getting coral soon. I was looking at the T5-HO fixutes like this http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=12772&N=2004+113175 I also saw the Metal Halide Fixtures and want one but they are way too much. Here is my question...which lighting is best for my 50 gallon: compact flourecent, T5-HO flourecent, or Metal Halide? Give some links to some good, but not exspensive lighting if posible. Is the link I gave above good for my tank (48 in.-216 watts)? Thanks!
 
The wattage on MH lights are insane. If you want one with low upkeep costs, go CF. CF vary from 26-55watt and still put out a very nice amount of light. The fixtures may cost a lot, but the bulbs are $5-10 and last around 12-14 months from what I gather.

Much cheaper in the long run, and put out a lot of light.
http://www.thatpetplace.com/Product...res/T1/F38AB+0446+0009/EDP/9129/Itemdy00.aspx I'm personally going with one of those. I've not chosen whether to do a 10,000k light or a 50/50 light yet.
 
It is best to get your daylights and actinic in a seperate bulb since the blues tend to lose effectiveness faster than daylight. Most bulbs need to be changed at about 8 to 10 months. They lose their effectiveness for coral with no visible loss to the human eyes. You'll know it's time to change when your glass starts growing algae on a daily basis, but I'd say definitely not longer than a year. Metal halide is nice, but unless you are going to go with clams or some of the more difficult stony corals, the cf's are great. 3 to 5 wpg the more the better.
 
I agree with kat. I have CF's running on my 29 gallon tank, and it's perfect. I replace them about every 9 months or so...and they cost about $25 a piece. CF are a bit easier to buy and care for, it seems as well.
 
You'd have good luck with either T5 or CF. T5 is popular since you have a very high bulb density over a tank. Look into the long-term replacement costs too, since each bulb only has a useable life of 9-12 months.
 
If you want to go into the "new thing in fluorescents" T-5 is the way to go. Some people like it better than CF.
 
Ok, well the T5 is around the same price, so I think I am going to go with T5.


Now so I dont have to make a new thread, is a digital or glass thermometer better? I was looking at the Coralife and one of the classic glass ones. Which would you suggest?
 
How deep is your tank? What corals do you want to keep? This will make a big difference in the amount and type of light recommended. Keep in mind, it is not a watts/gal thing, its a penetration thing. If you are interested in anemones, clams and SPS corals then MH is a better choice. It will give you the best penetrating light for these highly light-dependant animals. www.aquatraders.com has some pretty decent and inexspensive MH/CF combo fixtures. If you intend to only keep softies with some LPS corals then CF or T5 should be just fine. Bottom line...figure out what you want to keep and build lighting around that. Reef lighting is one of the most exspensive parts of a reef tank so you only want to do it once.
 
The tank is 17-18 inches deep. I can live without SPS corals, so I may not get any of those. I wanted an Anemone. Also, I wanted the other types of corals like LPS, maybe some Mushrooms. Will T5 be OK?
 
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