1 400w halide or 1 250w halide over 55 gallon

[herpboyben]

which should i get for a 55 gallon reef with medium light sps, lps, zoos, and maybe a clam? i cant afford 2 fixtures.

 

[herpboyben]

bump

 

[jcollins]

Either will work but you need to buy more when you can because of your tank length. I like 400s but my tanks are much deeper. Tons of people have 250s over tanks much deeper than yours.

It depends on the look you want. If you are going to stick with only one light I would do the 400. In the future you can buy/DIY a luminbright reflector. With this, you can move the light higher up and and get better coverage.

 

[painkiller1009]

400w no way.
250w wont be able to cover the hole tank.

T5HO would be the way to go IMO

 

[fittiger]

I have a 250w DE Phoenix with a Luminarc Stealth Mini Reflector over a 55. I keep my sps in the center of the tank for higher PAR, but the rest of the tank gets plenty of light, with just a little bit of shading in the back corners. I am happy with this set up and only wish I had room to add one or 2 t5 bulbs for actinics.

 

[qfrisco]

As fittiger mentioned, you might be able to get away with just one 250w MH fixture, but the reflector will be crucial. Most MH reflectors are good for only a 2'x2' area, so for your tank (which I'm guessing is either 36" or 48" long), you'll really need two.

The Lumenarc reflectors will give you better coverage, but you'll still have some low par areas in the extreme corners of your tank. They are also not cheap.

Another thing - does your tank have a middle brace? If so, going with a single light fixture won't work - the brace will melt, block the light, or both.

You might also consider 2x150w MH (or 2x175w MH but the selection of bulbs is limited) or T5s.

 

[herpboyben]

what about using a lumenarc reflector set up as a pendant for bettter coverage?

 

[fittiger]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12867237#post12867237 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by herpboyben
what about using a lumenarc reflector set up as a pendant for bettter coverage?

Thats how mine is set up. The lumenarc is somewhat large and takes up most of the space in my canopy. I think its somewhere in the range of 16.5" x 16.5". I can't imagine having 400w on my tank as I have a box fan blowing behind the tank to help keep it cool in the summer; keep in mind it's hot (95 average and humid here). I also have to be careful where I place my LPS as not to bleach them, especially towards the center of the tank. I'll try to remember to take and post some pictures of my display and canopy set up and post them later on.

 

[fittiger]

double post

 

[shelburn61]

Not really what you asked, but with the narrow width of a 55 T5 would cover the tank much more efficiently...

 

[Horace]

I wouldnt use 400w on a 55g, I would go with 2x250w. I dont think one will be enough no matter what reflector you use.

 

[tkeracer619]

If its a standard 55 then I would go t5.

 

[nativecracker32]

I think along the line of tkeracer619 t5s would be the best. you can mix up the lights to get the color you want. a big plus! and you'll get a lot of unused light from mh 400. the only thing you'll lack with t5s is the shimmer but you can get leds for that

 

[qfrisco]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12872729#post12872729 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by nativecracker32
I think along the line of tkeracer619 t5s would be the best. you can mix up the lights to get the color you want. a big plus! and you'll get a lot of unused light from mh 400. the only thing you'll lack with t5s is the shimmer but you can get leds for that

I agree with everything here, except the LEDs. I went down the LED supplementation route, but they just aren't bright enough yet. There are the PowerBrite LEDs, but you need a bunch of them or they get drowned out by the T5s. I loved my T5s, but lack of the shimmer is what finally got me to switch to MHs.

 

[Newreeflady]

2 x 250w if you're going halide. I had a 65g, basically a taller 55g, that had a 400w over it. It was fine, but the lighting dropped off at the sides. If you plan to keep softies or whatever on the sides that'll be fine for you, but the look is not full coverage.

I'd put two 250w if I were going halide. I have never done T5 so cannot comment.

-A