Need help

[Beau_123]

I have a 55gl aquarium and I was wondering what lights I should get.

 

[daney90]

To answer your question.. That depends on what you want to keep.

 

[Beau_123]

I want to keep corals.

 

[Beau_123]

What kind of lighting should I use.

 

[Sniperhank]

That depends on the type of corals you are wanting to keep. There are soft, LPS, and SPS corals. Soft corals are the easiest to keep and require the least light. SPS are the hardest to keep, requiring pristine water conditions and high lighting conditions.

 

[Earlgrey23]

That is still a bit of a open question. But with corals in mind you have to account for the height of the tank and what type of corals.

My tank is 14 inches deep to the sand and I figure the quad T5 HO fixture I have with 2 10k bulbs and 2 actinics is enough for most corals.

There is also compact florescents although my sense is that people are moving away from them for the T5s. I see a lot of people using LEDs but they are pricey up front.

 

[Schism]

This questions is unanswerable with out clear knowledge of what you wish to keep in this tank and what size tank. Corals have different lighting requirements. Depth of tank also plays a large factor.

 

[MacDracor]

I would hazard to say that a four lamp T5HO fixture will meet most of your needs, if not all. With the exception of very high light corals such as acropora, seriatopora, stylophora, etc. four bulbs should be fine. I'm actually keeping more than a couple LPS under two bulbs. I'm sure they'd like more light, but I also feed them more than most do.