what lighting is right for me?

[copi]

I have 29 gallons, currently fish only, with a premanufactured hood (the glass type that covers most of the surface) and NO fluorescent.

I will be adding live rock and would like the coraline to thrive. I would like the possibility to slowly move my tank from FO to reef. MH is almost certainly out of my price range.

I've been trying to learn about lighting but can't find any good resources -- I've found PC 50/50 (not sure what that means), actinic (not sure what that means), and VHO. I thought the blue lighting from actinic was important, but I'm kind of confused.

Any recommendations for my setup and goals?

 

[austinsdad]

Power Compact/PC lighting will be fine IMO. Actinic is the blue which makes the colors in your tank look nicer. Also simulates morning and dusk for the inhabitants and usually left on an hour before, an hour after, and during the time the other half of the 50/50 - the daylights, plain old whites are on, which are brighter than the blues of course.

I like to use the watts per gallon measuring stick, and if you eventually want reef, might as well get the lighting now and not have to buy more later. I've got about 3.4 watts per gallon in a 75g and have a decent lineup of coral. If you were to shoot for, say 4 to 5 watts per gallon, that might work well too. But a little less than that would be OK too IMO.