What Coral I want, and the Light I Need?

B

BioMarine

New member
I have a standard 55 ga tank and am currently getting set up to start adding coral. I plan on having hammer coral, frog spawns, some Zoas, possibly a couple mushrooms, possibly a BTA, and maybe some other LPS's depending on what the wife and I can agree on from there. I am looking into getting a light fixture for my tank and i am overwhelmed with the choices. I don't really want to go MH, and have seen a lot of VHO/T5 lights that are 4 or 6 bulb and not sure what to go with. Would a 6 bulb even fit on top of my tank? I want to have enough light so my tank can grow as necessary and keep all the coral as healthy as possible but don't want to "over do" the lights. Hope yo guys can help!
Thanks!
Eddie
 
I have everything you want plus more under 4 T5 lights. Everything is blooming and they are all growing like crazy so, IMO, T5 is fine :)
 
zukharla said:
I have everything you want plus more under 4 T5 lights. Everything is blooming and they are all growing like crazy so, IMO, T5 is fine :)
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in the same size tank? I'm pretty much certain i'm getting T5, I'm just wondering with the depth, if 4 bulbs is considered "moderate" lighting in this size of a tank. From what I've read i don't think I am considering at this time keeping anything with "high" lighting requirements. But I've also read that more is better is almost any case. I did a BUNCH of searching for lights last night and i ended up finding one that will fit my tank and is a 6 bulb, so depending on what everyone says, i can always go that route. P.S. what do you guys think about this light? Current USA Nova Extreme Pro T5 Aquarium Lighting Fixture, 6X54 Watt, 48 inch
 
I also have a std 55g with a TEK 4x54w t5 growing all kinds of LPS, Zoas, and shrooms, even a couple of SPS...everything is growing like wild fire. 6 bulbs might be a bit much unless you plan on having it pretty far off the water, then you have to think about how much light will escape into your room. Also 6 bulbs may heat up the water a bit much depending on the temp of your house.
 
A good 4 bulb with quality bulbs is more than enough for LPS and softies. Some LPS may need to be placed higher but I don;t think you will have any issues with placement. You could also add some SPS up top depending on which species and the height of your rocks.
 
I also have a standard 55g and 4 X 54w T5's. I can pretty much keep any LPS and softy that I want. If you are going to keep any SPS's you might want to go with a 6 bulb.
 
I have 4x54w t5 on my standard 55 also. I'm keeping zoas, rics, chalices, frogspawn, hammer, bird of paradise, red planet, tri color bonsai, Acropora sarmentosa, etc. All are doing well in this lighting.
 
Hey guys thanks for the info and your knowledge experience! I am going to go with the 4 bulb! I can't wait till everything is set up and i can start putting life in my tank (well besides the fish n other inverts)!!!
Thanks!!
 
israel.kendall said:
I have 4x54w t5 on my standard 55 also. I'm keeping zoas, rics, chalices, frogspawn, hammer, bird of paradise, red planet, tri color bonsai, Acropora sarmentosa, etc. All are doing well in this lighting.
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I'm curious, what fish do you have in your tank? It seems quite limited with zoas in the tank... most fish that are kinda reef safe seem to pick at the zoas! any experience with that happening?
 
BioMarine said:
I'm curious, what fish do you have in your tank? It seems quite limited with zoas in the tank... most fish that are kinda reef safe seem to pick at the zoas! any experience with that happening?
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I have one pink spot goby, one scooter blenny, two ocellaris clowns, and a fire fish. Used to have a McCosker's Wrasse, beautiful fish. None of these pick at any of my corals.

Is there a particular fish you are interested in that you're worried about picking at zoas?
 
Well most angels aren't reef safe, so that includes the dwarfs such as coral beautys and flame angels, foxfaces, and some other of the long, narrow bodied fish that are very elegant looking. As far as i've read, they're reef compatability ratings are "with care" and from what i've read they always seem to pick at the zoas. And, i want zoas in my tank, so i'm a little torn! lol maybe I'll get the zoas first and let them populate pretty well, then if i have a problem with a fish i won't have to worry about it killing the entire coral? hmmm....
 
if your just planning to keep roughly what you mention then yes t5 is more then enough ive kept the majoirty of those corals under t5's and they bloomed to their max ive even seen those under a simple cheap diy led light keep these alive but id go with t5 over mh just simply for the cost factor
 
there are a few on ebay for $109 with free shipping. they are 4x54 t5s.
hth. post pics when you get your lights!!!
 
freetareef said:
there are a few on ebay for $109 with free shipping. they are 4x54 t5s.
hth. post pics when you get your lights!!!
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And post pictures after the firefighters put out the blaze! :D

Careful what you get on ebay. There are a lot of really bad products out there. It's best to go with a reputable dealer unless you know exactly what you're getting.
 
I have a 60g sps and lps tank with a 4 bulb t5 and its plenty of light for the lps. Skip mh because the footprint is just a bad match and other issues. For fish stay away from angels, they eat acans, rabbitfish eat zoas, and tangs can irritate acans but shouldn't be in a 55 anyway. Butterflys are a gamble with some lps but ive had copper bands without much trouble
 
hey guys tanks for all the info! I've started picking up a few corals from a couple local people and i'm really enjoying them so far! I ended up buying a catalina aquariums t5 4x54w fixture, but i'm having a little bit of trouble with the shipper since one of the end caps was broke on arrival. So it may be going back, but not before i get another light to keep my corals alive! I have a pinkish zoanthid, a purple tip ultra green frogspawn, and pulsing xenia so far with a hammer coral in my sights for the near future! I'll post up some pics here real soon! And the catalina aquarium light seems to be a decent fixture, but i'm just getting ****ed with the shipper. So i may just buy a nova from a guy who's selling me the hammer! We shall see though!
 
And ya I intend to pretty much stick with what i already listed, possibly a brain or scolymia in the future, along with acans. I also had a hitch hiker on my zoanthid rock, its an acropora, not sure which one however as it is still really small!
 
My vote would have been for a 4x54w Tek fixture. I would avoid Catalina and Current USA stuff. Also the Ebay specials are NEVER worth it in the end. Lighting is one place you don't want to skimp when it comes to your tank(s).

The Tek is $320 and you get good bulbs from the get go if you buy from Reefgeek. Then add in another $25-50 depending on how you mount the light over the tank. Reefgeek is probably the most reputable vendor I have ever dealt with.

The Catalina bulbs aren't any good and need to be replaced within the first couple months. That adds another $100 to the total cost.

Hope that helps
 
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