lighting for 55g tank

[scottayy]

Hey,

I know I will want to eventually get into reef keeping, so I need some suggestions on lighting.

I have a light strip that is 48" inches in length. It takes two fluorescent bulbs. My tank is 48"x13"x19" approximately.

I currently have:

Coralife 10,000K F28-T5-BP
Coralife ColorMax F28-T5-BP (says a 20/10 on the other side of the bulb), no idea the K.

One bulb is much brighter than the other.

Can I keep one of these bulbs and get an actinic bulb? Or what should I get?

 

[Jereli]

Well if you plan on getting into reef keeping you should probably upgrade the whole light fixture.. to a higher output fixture...

 

[Gti_Leo]

i'd say go with atleast a 4 lamp unit if you eventually plan on going reef

 

[scottayy]

Well if you plan on getting into reef keeping you should probably upgrade the whole light fixture.. to a higher output fixture...

Like what?

 

[Jereli]

well it all depends on what type of corals your trying to keep... You can keep many corals with a simple 4 bulb t5 fixture... t5 fixtures are nice and produce little heat..

 

[scottayy]

well it all depends on what type of corals your trying to keep... You can keep many corals with a simple 4 bulb t5 fixture... t5 fixtures are nice and produce little heat..

I will look into that then. I will not try anything extreme or anything with high intensity lighting. You know, just the beginner corals. Been looking at the beginner pack on liveaquaria.com.

This will be a while off from now but it is nice to know and to research things.

So a 4 bulb T5 unit.
NO, HO, or VHO?
What kind of wattage or K and do I need actinic lights, too?

Tank is 19-20" deep

 

[scottayy]

Would this be sufficient?
Aquarium Lighting: Marineland T5-48 Deluxe 48" Deluxe T5 Daylight/Actinic Light

I hate to waste the dual bulb fixture I already have though.

 

[Jereli]

definately better to do the research before buying, it will save you money. I say t5 HO....normally a 4 bulb would be 216watts (54w x 4) and will come with 2 daylight bulbs and 2 actinic bulb.

 

[Sarcothelia]

Yea, that's a good one. When I upgrade to a 55 gallon I'm going with metal halides right from the beginning, but only because my electricity bill is super cheap. And 14k 250 watt plus rite metal halides are 12 dollars a piece .

Acitinics are definitely needed though so that fixture you're looking at is the way to go. About 4 watts per gallon is very nice. You could see if they have another good 2 bulb fixture, but then you'd need another ballast.

 

[scottayy]

Yeah, I think I'll buy new bulbs for my existing 2 bulb fixture, and then get another 2 bulb fixture with the same bulbs, so I would end up with:

2 x 54W Sun Wave Super Daylight 12,000°K
2 x 54W Blue Wave Super Blue Actinic 460

That would be 216 watts and save me money by using the fixture I already have

 

[Jereli]

that would work too.. And you could probably put the daylights and actinics on seperate timers.. To try and replicate sun light

 

[scottayy]

Sorry for all of the posts
and thanks muchly for your help!

NEW 48

This is cheap compared to what I've been looking at and appears to be the same bulbs.

 

[Jereli]

The only thing is that you wouldn't get the same intensidy even though its same wattage

 

[scottayy]

What do you think about the link posted above? The numbers are the same so I assume they are the same thing but I cannot be sure because I don't know much.

 

[Sarcothelia]

Wow that is really cheap. Down side is if you don't like what you get you can't return it

 

[carey]

Heya Scott. That's a pretty cheap light in that link. Looks awesome but I have never heard of the brand before.

I would def suggest at least a 4 bulb T5 fixture. If you can get individual reflectors for each bulb all the better. I have a setup like that and I am keeping every coral including some sps.

Fishneedit.com has some cheap fixtures too, no moonlights though lol. Keep in mind you might have to replace crappy ebay bulbs with good ones if you go the cheap route. I spent $90 on my ATI bulbs, but they are worth every penny.

 

[iDream]

Look here, very legit fixtures for great prices: T5-HO Light

4ft 4-bulb is $150, go for 2 white 2 blue and either 10K or 14K for the white color

 

[Jereli]

The only thing is that you wouldn't get the same intensidy even though its same wattage

I meant If you kept the compact florescents and add another 2 bulb fixture. Better off with t5

 

[scottayy]

sweet link
I'm attracted to the ebay one because of the led moonlights
but i will go for quality when i get ready to buy
with you guys recommending the fishneedit.com ones i'll be hardpressed to buy anything else

i now know a little bit about lighting

 

[scottayy]

sweet, got a 4 HO t5 fixture on the way!
2 12000k whites, 2 actinic

can't wait to hook it up even though I don't need it yet!