Lighting - 6ft x 2ft x 2ft assistance needed.

[Tomiam]

Long time reader, few time poster here.
I require some help with lighting up my 6ft x 2ft x 2ft tank. It currently has a couple of flourescent tubes in it (no idea on make as they came with the tank). The hood is not in good condition and Im going to be building up a new hood in the next few weeks.
Id like to get everything straight in my mind first, so that when I come to build the hood Im not going to be missing anything (ie: lighting fixtures).

So, can someone/s please advise on the lighting requirements my tank would need. All Im really after is a set up that would help make the tank & fish look nice.

Basic info would be.
Plants: None & no plans for plants.
Fish: SA Chiclids.
Tank Size: 6ft x 2ft x 2ft.

I've done a few searches and come up with a rough idea on what I need, but I must admit that lighting isnt an area which I know a lot about.
Any help greatly appreciated.

 

[Purrbox]

If you measure the diameter and length of your bulbs we can give you a good estimate of how much light you currently have. Since you have no plans for plants, you'll probably want to stick to the same amount of light as you have no. Adding too much light will just encourage algae without plants.

 

[Tomiam]

I currently have 2 No. 4ft tubes - both of which appear to be 3/4 inch thick.

I guess what Im asking, as well, is if there is a particular type of light which shows off the fishes colours better than others. Ive read about MH lights, T5, T6 etc and tbh.. its lost be a bit.

 

[neilanh]

If you're not planning on going planted or SW, there's really no need for "fancy" or lots of light. It will just encourage algae growth, as purrbox said.

 

[Tomiam]

Thanks for the replies.
I think I may have been over complicating it with the extra (and in my case unneeded) information about plants light requirements. I will go with a simple set up of 2 No. 5ft tubes using something like this Juwel T5 Hi-Lite Day Tubes

Thanks again.

 

[Purrbox]

I believe that your current bulbs are T12's from the descriptions, and at 4' would be about 40 watts each. I'd stick to either T12's or T8's for your new fixture. Going to the more powerfull bulbs will just be more costly.

When it comes to bringing out fish colors, you want to look at the Kelvin ratings. A higher K rating (10,000K +) will have a lot more blue and tend really bring out the fish colors. Actinics are extremely blue and will do the same. I would recommend using one bulb in the blue range and one that's more of a Cool White to Daylight (about 5000-6700K). The mix will pop the fish colors but keep the aquarium as a whole from looking too blue.