Fishboy9227
New member
I need some recommendations for lighting. Right now I have a 10,000K bulb and a 50/50 bulb. Both 15 Watts. I want to do anemones like bubble tips and sebaes and some soft corals. The tank is 20tall, 16inches.
Lighting for reef tank
- Thread starter Fishboy9227
- Start date
Fishboy9227
New member
so i need to have a extremely high wattage bulb? can i put multiple bulbs of lower wattage to create enough light?
joshkennedy07
New member
More than likely you will need at least one halide. Whats your tank size and depth?
joshkennedy07
New member
Just saw the info on the bottom. You could also use T5 lighting. You will definitely need much more light than you have.
Fishboy9227
New member
Its 20 tall. 16inche. What is halide and how many whats is that? How many whats is the T5?
alextheromanian
New member
Re: Lighting for reef tank
fishboy the light you have is most likely the light your tank.
If it wasnt whoever and someone sold it to you telling you its what you need for ANYTHING else than fish, they misled you and sold it to you to get money but i hope thats not the case.
using more than one low wattage bulb to "get enough light" wont do it. you also cant overhaul the fixture you have since its not built to do anything else but power up the kind of bulb it was made.
what you need is a new fixture.
there aremany different types of lights to chose from depending on what you want to keep...thats established by the watts and lumens they put out
some will tell you metal halides are the way to go...they ARE the ULTIMATE lighting that can keep anything however they are expensive and run very hot sometimes heating your tank water to much unless you have the right setup
there are power compacts...they look like double tubes...and they got pretty hot as well however not as hot and they also dont put out as much light as halides but they do work on some soft corals
there is also T5 and T5HO...DO NOT BUY T5 ...unless its HO (high output)
many pick T5HO fixtures because they run relatively colder than halides and power compacts...but they put out ALOT of light if they have INDIVIDUAL REFLECTORS...those individual reflectors increase the bulbs power by 300%
how long is your tank? and how many gallons ?
the problem with reefs is that they dont come cheap...besides lighting issues what else do you have on and IN the tank?
oh and also what is your budget? as in what can you spend on light?
knowing how much you can spend can help you decide better on this lighting issue since it can be THE MOST expensive part f your aquarium
fishboy the light you have is most likely the light your tank.
If it wasnt whoever and someone sold it to you telling you its what you need for ANYTHING else than fish, they misled you and sold it to you to get money but i hope thats not the case.
using more than one low wattage bulb to "get enough light" wont do it. you also cant overhaul the fixture you have since its not built to do anything else but power up the kind of bulb it was made.
what you need is a new fixture.
there aremany different types of lights to chose from depending on what you want to keep...thats established by the watts and lumens they put out
some will tell you metal halides are the way to go...they ARE the ULTIMATE lighting that can keep anything however they are expensive and run very hot sometimes heating your tank water to much unless you have the right setup
there are power compacts...they look like double tubes...and they got pretty hot as well however not as hot and they also dont put out as much light as halides but they do work on some soft corals
there is also T5 and T5HO...DO NOT BUY T5 ...unless its HO (high output)
many pick T5HO fixtures because they run relatively colder than halides and power compacts...but they put out ALOT of light if they have INDIVIDUAL REFLECTORS...those individual reflectors increase the bulbs power by 300%
how long is your tank? and how many gallons ?
the problem with reefs is that they dont come cheap...besides lighting issues what else do you have on and IN the tank?
oh and also what is your budget? as in what can you spend on light?
knowing how much you can spend can help you decide better on this lighting issue since it can be THE MOST expensive part f your aquarium
Reefun
New member
I don’t think metal halides are what you’re looking for. They are pricey and will heat up your little tank. I would go with T5s they should be a little more cost affective and you get way more bang for you buck. I don’t remember how many watts a 24in T5 is but with the right reflectors you only need about half the wattage.
cornhusker85
New member
Hey If I was you I would get a tec T5 6 bulb fixture. Thats what alot of us in or fish club run on 90 gallon tanks and we get tons of light. You can pick up the fixture and bulbs for about $475, try artistikaquariums.com call him he'll ship direct to you and he has great pricing.
Fishboy9227
New member
Hey guys, thanks. I dont want to spend more than $150 on a light set-up, if at all possible. I found this:
Current USA Satellite Dual Compact Fluorescent, 2X65 Watt, 24 inchDimensions: 24.50" X 7.50" X 2.75"
One 65 Watt Dual Actinic (420nm/460nm) and one 65 Watt Dual Daylight (6,700K/10,000K) bulb
One lunar light
Cooling fan
Two on/off switches
Docking mounts: mounting legs to lift the Satellite light above the top of the aquarium
How does this sound? Good or Bad?
Current USA Satellite Dual Compact Fluorescent, 2X65 Watt, 24 inchDimensions: 24.50" X 7.50" X 2.75"
One 65 Watt Dual Actinic (420nm/460nm) and one 65 Watt Dual Daylight (6,700K/10,000K) bulb
One lunar light
Cooling fan
Two on/off switches
Docking mounts: mounting legs to lift the Satellite light above the top of the aquarium
How does this sound? Good or Bad?
oceanparadise1
In Memoriam
Yea how many gallon is your tank, i think 2 t5hos with slrs depending on your tank size would be enough. T5hos are awsome.
livingstone
New member
He's got a 20 gallon tank, guys. See the original post.
oceanparadise1
In Memoriam
2 t5hos with single light reflectors would be fine to keep almost anything.
WinnipegDragon
Canuckian
Yeah, don't get hung up on watts. A watt of PC is not the same as a watt of T5HO.
Get a retro kit of 2 or 4 (preferably 4) 24" T5HO bulbs, TEK or IceCap. You will be fine.
Get a retro kit of 2 or 4 (preferably 4) 24" T5HO bulbs, TEK or IceCap. You will be fine.
oceanparadise1
In Memoriam
Thats totally wrong. A watt is a watt, doesnt matter if its t5s or MH or pc, a watt is a watt. What you care about is the par rating of each bulb. And the par rating for t5 is much higher then pcs and some t5hos with the individual reflectors beat our Hms.
WinnipegDragon
Canuckian
That's what I meant. A watt of T5 lighting is not the same as a watt of PC lighting if you are looking at actual PAR in the tank.
oceanparadise1
In Memoriam
True 
