What light is what??

[MYTY1705]

Ok I know nothing on the types of light I need.
Right now I don't even know what light I have on the tank.

How do I find out what I have??
What is actinic, metal halide and the other forms of lighting?
If I want a anemone for a clow fish down the road when my tank is mature enough, what do I need and how much of it? Also for coraline growth??

I would like to know how much$$$ I need to save for the lights.

 

[MYTY1705]

By the way... my tank is 65 gallon 2 ft. deep
I don't have any corals or inverts yet, but with my evil trigger gone now I may try my hand at a few

 

[Anemoneman]

NO (normal output) flourescent will be a tube 3/4"-1" in diameter at 30-40W. A PC (power compact flourescent) will be a much skinnier tube usually making a U-turn at around 50-90W. An actinic bulb is one of these that outputs far into the blue spectrum. Should look blue when lit and cause things to flouresce like a black light. MH (metal halide) look like giant light bulbs and screw into the fixture. These are the best for reef keeping IMO and will run you $250-$500 for a tank your size.

 

[MYTY1705]

not planning on a reef at this time with a heni in the tank. Just anemone, will this still require mh lighting or will pc actinic light be ok??

How many bulbs/watts/ what ever would I need?