josh's 29 gallon first ever reef build.

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In a 30" tank all you will be getting is 24watt bulbs I believe. The next bulb size up are 39watts and they are 36" long. :-(

I would think two fixtures should be enough for now, if you ever want clams or nems then it might be worth looking into.

I hate the fact that 30" fixtures are so darn hard to find, kinda part of the reason I went with the odyssea fixture when I had my 29g tank.

They do make a 30" Metal halide over at aquatraders, just another thought...
 
The metal halides produce a crazy amount of light but also draw alot more electricity and can generate ALOT of heat. With a 250w halide fixture you could grow anything you wanted in that tank. I;m not even sure if the 250w is TOO much light for a system like yours. I am thinking about buying the odyssea 24" 250 halide for my coral tank and was gonna post a thread on it at some point cause I'm not sure if its too much. I have a 150w halide over my 20g now and it seems a tad bit on the weak side if thats possible. lol

Theres also the heat issue, my fixture is beyond too hot to even go near when it's running, I've been burnt by it before. It also raises the temp of my water about 3 degrees. :-( But thats all good cause the tank is open top and doesnt run that hot to begin with. I haven't noticed a surge in my electric bill yet, but I've read that it can cost extra $$ as well.

Also the upkeep on a MH is a bit more money, the bulb itself can cost over $50. BUT if buying quality T5's they can add up pretty quick too at an average of $20 a bulb.
 
Yeah so I did some research on the odysea 30" and that's a sweet fixture for an even sweeter price! I went to go order one and everywhere I can find them they are sold out!! I even tried a local wholesaler that does stufff out of his house and he can't get them! So either I wait it out or just go back to the t5 idea. I'm not sure what to do. But I do like the idea of the metal halide you don't have to worry if you have enough light with one of those! Do you know of any other inexpensive hm fixtures?
 
I need recomendations for good quality inexpensive 30" fixtures. I would prefferably like one without a timer/timers. Its just one more thing to go bad, ill add my own. I would like a mh fixture but the options don't look good. I might just have to stick to the t5 route. I am kind of leaning toward the coralife lunar 4bulb fixture if I have to go t5 because its got pretty much everything you could want and it has ffull 30" bulbs not just 24" bulbs in a 30" housing that's 31 watts instead of 24. I judt am confused at this point I have been researching for the last 2 weeks straight and can't figure this out. Any recomendations would be appreciated
 
Unless they are just higher Watt 24's but it looks like they go all the way to the end of the fixture in the picture. I saw it on marine depot talked a look if you get a minute and let me know what you think. Another thing the guy at my lfs said was to get a 36 if I'm planning on ever doing a 6 foot tank and just live with the overhang. Idk about this any suggestions on this? I think it would look bad
 
jwalsh said:
Awesome!!! Great price!!!! Thanks a ton!! Now what bulbs do I want? 10k or 20k?

No problem! Honestly I have no idea about the kelvins... What do you think Carey?
 
Perfect! Thanks a ton! Does anyone know anything about these figi purple bulbs I keep hearing so much about? And what makes them so great?
 
The purple bulbs will give your tank a purple hue. You can use them in place of a blue bulb. I have 2 purple bulbs in my 12 bulb fixture. :)
 
One more thing... Someone here said the bulbs it comes with are crap... So it might be a good idea to replace them with quality 24watts?
 
hey carey!! I just found out coralife makes a special 30" bulb for their 30" fixture. It is 31 watts. So I know I want more watts but then I can only use coralife bulbs right? And it doesn't seem worth it. What do you guys think? Should I go with the 30" with the 24" bulbs? Or the 30" with the 30" bulbs? Less flexability but more light. Hmmmmm..... let me know what you think
 
Thanks for the tip on replacing the bulbs. But I guess at that point aren't you right back to the same price as a better fixture? I guess I don't know how good that fixture is... have you heard anything?
 
jwalsh said:
Thanks for the tip on replacing the bulbs. But I guess at that point aren't you right back to the same price as a better fixture? I guess I don't know how good that fixture is... have you heard anything?

I've heard only good things about the fixture but I heard the bulbs weren't great... I'll be getting one for my 29 gallon reef in a few weeks:)
 
Yeah I think I will order one too and add some led moon lights. I think I will stick with the 24" bulbs due to more bulb options/availability obverse the coralife 30" fixture that actually has 30" bulbs. Problem with that is that the only 30" bulb I can find is made by coralife themselves. They don't have any options except for 10k and 430nm actinic bulbs. I would like to add a purple bulb so the fixture you recommended looks like a Beyer option. Is this enough light to grow hard corals and anemones?
 
jwalsh said:
Yeah I think I will order one too and add some led moon lights. I think I will stick with the 24" bulbs due to more bulb options/availability obverse the coralife 30" fixture that actually has 30" bulbs. Problem with that is that the only 30" bulb I can find is made by coralife themselves. They don't have any options except for 10k and 430nm actinic bulbs. I would like to add a purple bulb so the fixture you recommended looks like a Beyer option. Is this enough light to grow hard corals and anemones?
it can just low to medium light corals like Lps and soft
 
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