Lighting for 100g?

[Fishking22]

I will be switching my 100 gallon freshwater into a reef tank once I make the money. I am confused about lighting. I have been looking for answers to my questions but I can't find any. Everyone says a different answer. How many watts would I need for my tank? I want a bubble tip anenome and some hard corals within the same lighting requirements. My tank is a 60' long tank. 20' deep. I want to know if someone can direct me to a specific lighting setup. With the right amount of watts required. It looks as if I need MH but I can't find 60" long thats under 400$. I'm on a budget because I'm only 14. Going to mow for money. Also, I have a 50g tank for sale. It's tall, 2 piece. Like 25 gallon sides with 2 small tubes connecting them. Plexiglass tank. Selling it with 2 shelve stand. Also has filter,gravel, and decor. Email me if you might be interested. Thanks for all help

 

[Gti_Leo]

i'd go with T5HOs the die hard MH fans will say MH but at the end of the day the par rating on a T5 is higher then those of the MH.

anyways you cant go wrong with 8 54watt T5s, you can get glow fixtures fairly cheap all you need are 4 daylight bulbs (my recommendation is 10 000k or higher) and 4 actinic bulbs. total wattage of 432 watts giving you 4.32 watts/gallon.

another idea is a DIY LED fixture Rapid LED Home Page has kits you can buy that will put out just as much light at about a quarter of the wattage


the whole watts per gallon thing is an old school rule and now means nothing with the new advances in lighting fixtures. what you should be looking at is lumens and PAR

 

[Fishking22]

I'm all ip for something with that many bulbs and decent lighting. But I don't want to pay 1000$ for a decent lighting system. If you look a lot than you can find great lighting for like 200$. The 8 light t5 sounds good. But where can I find a 60" one of these? I have spent days looking for great lighting. I know you don't have a direct site for something that you don't need. But anything close will help a ton. Thanks-

 

[Gti_Leo]

look on ebay or search grow lights, plus i doubt youll be able to find 60" bulbs at most LFS

http://www.plantlightinghydroponics...mens-4ft-t5-fluorescent-grow-light-p-519.html

comes with bulbs but you won't be using them so you could ask if they will sell them without

 

[mr_X]

you can't get "great" lighting for 200 dollars for a tank your size.

here is an excellent fixture-
TEK LIGHT T-5, 60" Light Fixture 6 x 80W lamps by Sunlight Supply* - AquaCave

 

[Fishking22]

I have found a lighting system that is 12 in short but it looks real good! Would this be enought to grow anenome under the main light?

T5 HO Fluorescent 4ft - 8 Lamp Grow Light x hydrofarm - eBay (item 160517285882 end time Apr-08-11 10:59:12 PDT)

It looks as if you hang it down? can I put something under to hold it up?

 

[Fishking22]

Better lighting

Actually, I found a great deal. tell me what you think?

60'' Aquarium Light 322 watts Power Compact Reef Lunars - eBay (item 170593238434 end time Apr-20-11 11:21:29 PDT)


It looks a little low on watts but I can buy some more lights from a lfs. has 3 diff switches. looks nice. cheap but not a rip off. What do you guys think?
Could i just buy better output lights for it?

 

[iDream]

I would definitely not waste money on PC lights, they're not too powerful and bulb replacement isn't cheap. T5's are the cheapest and most effective for you. Trust me I have PCs, the color isn't very nice. And like I said, replacement bulbs aren't cheap.

For an anemone I'd suggest 4-6 bulbs. If anything save up for a more pricey fixture, it'll be worth the purchase

 

[Fishking22]

What about the 4 ft one?

 

[iDream]

I suppose you can, but you'll have noticeable dark spots on either end of the tank where you really couldn't put coral.

 

[mr_X]

the 4' fixture is 26.5" wide. how wide is your tank? btw, with the hydroponics fixtures, you'll need to purchase new lamps at about 20 dollars a piece. figure that into your price.

trust me when i tell you that many have tried, and none have succeeded to put good lighting over a tank for next to nothing. not unless you are some DIY type or get something used. btw, most of the DIY stuff i see is downright ugly.
check your local craigslist and local reef clubs for people breaking down tanks or upgrading lighting.

 

[iDream]

If you have a full canopy you could retrofit some T5s into it instead of buying a fixture

 

[neastil]

I just bought a 48' unit on ebay for the same tank also switching from FW to reef :

48'' Metal Halide 2x 150 Compact Aquarium Light 560watt - eBay (item 250791929408 end time Mar-27-11 16:18:23 PDT)

 

[iDream]

He needs a 60" fixture

 

[Gti_Leo]

why would he need a 60" fixture, all he really needs is brackets to hold the fixture he can use a 24" fixture if he really wanted to

 

[iDream]

To cover the entire tank, he's planning on a reef

 

[Gti_Leo]

yes but even wit ha reef tank you don't need the entire tank lite, if the center is lite then the corals can be placed only in the center.

if he put a 4 foot light in there will be 6 inches on each side that doesn't have a light over it, but it also doesn't mean it won't get lite up. you will still get light floodign there just not the same PAR as directly under the lights. thus, makign it a good spot for anything low light

 

[iDream]

I'm just saying it's worthless IMO to get a fixture not the full size of the tank to utilize all of it. I know he'll get overflow from the fixture, but having that extra space IMO will look ugly, those spots will be darker than you're thinking they will be.

 

[Gti_Leo]

i beg to differ on that, i have a 24" long aquarium and have a single T8 that came with my tank kit, and if i'm not mistaken is a 16" and the sides are just as bright as the center

 

[mr_X]

in some cases you can get away wit that, but i would want my lighting to reach the entire tank with the same intensity. you will run out of real estate quickly, and will be glad you have the corners lit up.