Lighting

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Amicus

Aquarium Advice FINatic
Joined
Feb 28, 2011
Messages
822
Location
Chicago, Illinois
I am going to setting up my lighting for a 55g and I am not sure if I am going to plant or not. If I do plant should I go with t5s? If I do not plant are LEDs worth the money? The prices vary but all are expensive. Please help.
 
What do you want to do with your tank? Do you want to start slow with some easy plants and a low-tech tank, or do you want to dive right in and try a high-light tank with injected CO2 and a fert regimen?

For a tank in the low to medium light range, a two-bulb T8 shop light or a Marineland Double Bright LED fixture would be good. The shop light is cheap to start. The LEDs shouldn't need to be replaced and use less electricity. Pick your poison.

If you want to step up to a high-light tank and you've got some DIY skills, I'd strongly recommend that you consider building an LED fixture. I built one for my 20H and I'm growing high-light plants while using 30W of juice.

If you're not the DIY type, a four-bulb T5HO fixture or a Marineland Reef Bright LED fixture should do the job for a high-light tank.
 
It is possible to ramp up. Certain 4-bulb T5HO fixtures operate with two bulbs per circuit so you can shut off one circuit for med-light tank and turn it on when you want to try a high-tech tank. LEDs can be dimmed. I put a dimmer on my LED fixture and limited light while I looked for cheap CO2 equipment.
 
My 4 bulb T5HO's from fishneedt.com have two cords so you can run either sets of 2 bulbs or both... or neither. So you could start with 2x54w and do low-medium light stuff, then up it if you decide to go high tech and run either 3x54w daylight and one actinic or 4x54w (though that would be some super high light).
 
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