What Lights to Use

[Gonzo82]

I am setting up my first reef aquarium and there are so many different types of lights out there. Which one do i use. It is 29g with a 24in high output flourescent light w/ 2 bulbs in it. One is a plant bulb and the other is a daylight spectrum bulb. Will this need to be upgraded to a PC or MH or will this do fine. Also what bulb (how many K) would work for housing some beginner corals and maybe and anemone.

 

[jackdp]

It sounds like you have normal output bulbs now, most corals and photosynthetic inverts will need at least PC lighting. With a 2x55 watt PC setup you could keep most leathers, mushrooms and some LPS corals. If you want anemones and more options, an upgrade to MH would give you a lot more light and let you keep more light needy critters. K or Kelvin is the color temperature of the lamp, if you have 2 lamps, get a 10,000K bulb and an actinic bulb or you could get 2 50/50 lamps. HTH

 

[Gonzo82]

What watt MH would i need for my 29g tank?

 

[lando]

it depends on what you want to keep in your reef tank. If you want some polyps, mushrooms, zoos and LSP corals then CF will do just fine. If you plan on keeping anenomes, SPS corals and clams you will need MH.

 

[jackdp]

Yes, only if you want the more light need inverts should you go with MH lights. They can cause heat issues in small tanks like ours. If you do decide on MH 's then you could go with either 175 watt or maybe even 250 watt. I've got a 175 over my 20 gallon long tank and I'm very happy with it. I built it into a DIY pendant type fixture with 2x 55 watt PC's from my old setup. With the AC on in summer the temp isn't really a problem. But definitely think about what you want to keep before taking the plunge.

 

[Gonzo82]

Are there no anenomes that can live in under PC lighting. If there are can someone tell me what they would be.

 

[lando]

BTA are considered a lower-light species. They should do fine under CF. I have one for months with no problems.