Questions about lighting..

[Riley]

I got my brother into saltwater tanks ! But we werw talking about lighting he wants corals and im doing FOWLR..question is how many watts are in a lumen ? And he has a 55 gl and whats to do SPS and maybe LPS.. what would anyone suggest lumen/watts for a 55?? I know google would be a refremce but who better to ask than other salty divers?!?!?

 

[2Reefnutz]

I got my brother into saltwater tanks ! But we werw talking about lighting he wants corals and im doing FOWLR..question is how many watts are in a lumen ? And he has a 55 gl and whats to do SPS and maybe LPS.. what would anyone suggest lumen/watts for a 55?? I know google would be a refremce but who better to ask than other salty divers?!?!?

Lumen is total amount if visible light and watt is a unit of power. But your question was what light to go with for a 55g? Depends on budget, metal halide will work but you pay over and over again on the electric bill and bulbs, T5's again bulb cost, so in my opinion, LED is the way to go now. They are cooler, cheaper to run and have advanced significantly.... I have clams, SPS and LPS all under LED. Started with T5's and wasn't impressed with coral selection for my tank. Will cost upfront but it's worth it congrats to your brother!!