Can someone help me with advice for Cheaper, but efficient lighting for my 55 gallon?

ChitownBrickie

ChitownBrickie

New member
Hello, I'm new to the Hobby and I'm in the process of setting up a 55 gallon reef tank with fish. Can someone help me with advice for Cheaper, but efficient lighting for my tank? I see that lighting can get very expensive, such as kessil, are there some cheaper brands out there that will be sufficient enough? I'm definitely open to DIY Ideas too! Thanks for your help
 
it depends on what corals you want. LPS and Hard Corals can grow well under medium light. If you want SPS than MH or T5/LED Combo.

T5's and MH are the easiest to setup but the most expensive in the long run. With LED it's expensive at first but cheaper in he long run. However, LED can be tricky to setup as per say the ramping and brightness. For a newbie I would suggest a 4 bulb t5 light with a mixture of API bulbs for color.
 
I would suggest though to get rid of the 55 gallon and go with either a 40 gallon breeder or 75. The 55 is very hard to aquascape because of the width.
 
drillsar said:
I would suggest though to get rid of the 55 gallon and go with either a 40 gallon breeder or 75. The 55 is very hard to aquascape because of the width.
Click to expand...

+1 on this. You will quickly find out that the 55 is extremely narrow. Reefbreeder lights are amazing.
 
Mars Aqua on ebay. Cheap Chinese knockoffs. Everyone that is using them likes them. Just purchased a set for my new build.
 
You can also get metal halides for not-very-much at some fish stores which are selling for clients. The downside is the amount of power they take and the replacement bulbs, ca. 60.00.
 
drillsar said:
it depends on what corals you want. LPS and Hard Corals can grow well under medium light. If you want SPS than MH or T5/LED Combo.

T5's and MH are the easiest to setup but the most expensive in the long run. With LED it's expensive at first but cheaper in he long run. However, LED can be tricky to setup as per say the ramping and brightness. For a newbie I would suggest a 4 bulb t5 light with a mixture of API bulbs for color.
Click to expand...

thank you, I appreciate your advice. yes I'm leaning towards LPS and Hard Corals. I think I will go Led then
 
drillsar said:
I would suggest though to get rid of the 55 gallon and go with either a 40 gallon breeder or 75. The 55 is very hard to aquascape because of the width.
Click to expand...

I can see that, it was a pain just re-sealing it. I already made a stand for it though. This tank is just a beginner tank for me. I will be moving in 1-2 years and then start over
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

E
What's Old is New Again
Replies
2
Views
421
Uncle99
Uncle99
G
Can someone help me identify these red spots in my tank? Are they algae? If so, how can I get rid of them?
Replies
11
Views
1K
DjPhato
DjPhato
Mel-E-Mel
Time to retire the hobby
Replies
6
Views
1K
Mel-E-Mel
Mel-E-Mel
Anemone
Power Outages
Replies
3
Views
1K
alton
alton
E
Need some help with two clowns swimming unusually as I’m doing a fish cycle.
2
Replies
24
Views
3K
kfisc
kfisc
Back
Top