what to look for when buying light for your reef aquarium

[alex787]

When you buy bulb for your aquarium what do you look for the? the °K or the watt

 

[joy13]

What type of light are you looking for? For my t5 lights I only use ATI I have found they give better color to the tank and also my corals grow very well I use one special blue, one purple and 2 whites. My MH I use 150w phoenix 14k.

I am rather particular about the brand I want what looks good and works with the ballast.

 

[rdnelson99]

You have to match the wattage of the lamp to the wattage of the fixture or it will not work. The degrees kelvin refers to the color temperature of the lamp (what color light if puts out). If you are going to do corals, you also need to consider the par value. Having been in the electrical industry for 30+ years, par to me is a lamp shape but in the aquarium world, it has to do with usable light for corals. I haven't got a good grasp on that yet.

 

[alex787]

i want to do a reef tank. here is the fixture i am using T-5 High Output Aquarium Lighting: Hagen GLO T5 HO Electronic Fluorescent Lighting System
i use the 2 x 54W Electronic Ballast

 

[Rutrag]

I have the single tube version of the 24" version of that fixture as a supplement to my metal halides. How deep is your tank? On most shallow tanks, I would think a dual bulb is good for mushrooms, zoas, many soft corals, and maybe some hardier LPS. The link you sent was for like a DIY canopy or retrofit I think. If you double it up, you'll have more options as to what you can keep. Triple it up and I bet you're golden!

 

[alex787]

96 x 24 x 25 Tall
i have 2 of those light fixture right now