Best lighting for a 29g?

[NeveSSL]

Hi all!

My little brothers birthday was yesterday and he's getting new lights for his aquarium (yep, I created this monster, but his tank looks better than mine! ).

What do you guys think would be best?

We need to keep it around $200, which limits quite a bit, but I'm thinking maybe a 150w HQI retro (he has a canopy) with actinic supplementation (possibly T5s or LEDs... check out the Cree royal blue LEDs ) or maybe VHOs for Rick's sake.

I thought about a 250w HQI, but I fear that would probably be too much and would cause heat issues. But I'm a bit concerned with the 30" width that a 150w wouldn't be enough. Or maybe most corals could/should be in the center.

What do you guys think?

Brandon

 

[ai-reefer]

150 would be perfect. You can probably get a 20,000k bulb to make the colors pop and keep algae problems down.

 

[NeveSSL]

Thanks, ai.

I'm thinking either a Radium 20k or a Phoenix 14k. I have a Phoenix 14k over my office tank and its a great looking bulb! The Radiums are nice, too, but almost twice as expensive.

My first thought is a Viper as that's what I have over my tank at work, but I'm thinking maybe something with a better reflector and electronic ballast may fill the bill a bit better... hmmm... gotta do some research.

Brandon

 

[andywe]

the 30" length is a little much for a 150 imo. You could go with the current 30" 130w PC or 96w t5 hood for within that price range.

 

[mikemartinez]

150w halide works great for a 29. I had a 150w Viper on mine with a 14K Phoenix bulb and had no complaints at all..

 

[NeveSSL]

That was a concern of mine, too, Andy. I believe it will be fine, though. He mainly just wants a clam so I'll make sure he puts it in the middle.

Thanks, Mike! That's good to know!

Brandon

 

[james3370]

some very inexpensive t5 & mh fixtures here:

http://www.aquatraders.com/ & http://www.fishneedit.com/

 

[NeveSSL]

Wow... those are pretty sweet... thanks for the links, James.

Brandon

 

[james3370]

i considered this one for my tank before - http://shop.aquatraders.com/Odyssea-30in-Metal-Halide-with-Power-Compact-p/54202.htm

30" fixture w/ 250w mh + (2) pc supplementals + (4) LED moonlights for $189 shipped :eek2:

 

[NeveSSL]

Yeah, that one is nice but I think 250w would probably cause heat issues, so I'm going to go with a 150.

I'm not sure about the PC supplementals, though... not real crazy about that.

Brandon