Suggest best lighting for 55 reef tank

[wojo]

Hi,

I have a 55G FO right now, but in the near future i plan to add live rock. What lighting would you guys suggest to support rock, fish and corals...

thanks.

[theop]

A direct answer is difficult...

It all depends on what corals you are looking for and what your budget is.

On cheap solution would be a 55/65W x 4 or a 96W x 2 hood. This would let you keep many soft corals and some LPS as well, and probably some SPS.

I know someone who has 4 x 110W VHO over a 55gal and can keep most stuff.

[boxfishpooalot]

imo, any tank will do well with t5 lighting. And the color is amazing. I have metal halide and now i want t5 to supplement the colors.


Some people can even grow sps with t5 lighting. Go with t5 imo.

[fancyfish]

It really depends on what you plan to keep. I am partial to metal halides. I keep softies, mushrooms, leathers and zoos and they all thrive under these. your budget and the type of tank you plan will dictate what lights you buy.

[theatrus]

Easy: 2x 175 or 250W MH, T5/VHO/PC actinic.

But that costs a fair bit (initial and electric costs)

[wojo]

Thanks guys, i dont wanna go crazy with this. Anything decent but inexpensive that would do the trick? Links are greatly appreciated, some of you use acronyms i have no idea what they mean. thanks.

[theop]

Do you have a wooden canopy on your tank? If so, then you can look for "retrofit" kits which will attach inside the canopy.

If not, then you should be looking for hoods which include the lights in a metal enclosure.

I've PM'ed you a couple of links.

[moprint]

t5 highoutput lights, you can get hoods from 2 bulbs up 8 bulbs.

[wojo]

No, i dont have a cannopy. Im checking the links you've sent me...

Thanks for pointers guys ;)

[fastjunkie]

I'm hearing alot of good things about T5 lighting!!!

[chrisbenavides]

I recommend the Odyssea 260W PC lights from ebay for only $100. They work very well, and my corals are doing great. I also like the moonlights it comes with. I too have a 55g tank.

Check it out.

[wojo]

Wow, thats a nice price, does anybody else think this light is any good?

Originally posted by chrisbenavides
I recommend the Odyssea 260W PC lights from ebay for only $100. They work very well, and my corals are doing great. I also like the moonlights it comes with. I too have a 55g tank.
Check it out.

[yodawagon]

well i can speak from personal experience, ive seen pictures on here of odyssea / jebo fixtures that caught fire. dont cut corners on lights. your dealing with alot of electricity and heat.buy quality units.

[wojo]

Originally posted by yodawagon
well i can speak from personal experience, ive seen pictures on here of odyssea / jebo fixtures that caught fire. dont cut corners on lights. your dealing with alot of electricity and heat.buy quality units.

Thanks for the tip... so is there any middle ground, decent lights for 55G (48 inch) you would recommend? I dont wanna run out and spend $300-500 as of yet....

[yodawagon]

spend some time in the sponsors page. hellolights, customaquatic, premiumaquatic, and many more have links. your tank is 48 inches long if i remember right. you have countless options to choose from. try and do you research of days not hours, all the info will fry your brain. im still trying to figure out what im going to do for mine, which is 6 feet long. you could also build a canopy and use a retro kit, to save a little moneywhat im trying to figure out now for my tank, is what am i going to keep in it, now, and in the future. the only thing worse then having to pay for lighting, is having to pay for it twice. think it through, plan it out, get a list going on your favorites menu, and think of the long term goal. have fun! this isnt suppose to be a chore.although it feels like it some time.

[moprint]

look for a thread on here started by horace he put three odyseea 2 bulb t5 ho fixtures on his 75 gallon. you could start with one and then add another when u move up to keeping corals. i think 2 is the most you could fit over a 55. he did change out the bulbs that came with the lights to good bulbs. i have the 24 inch odyseea pc light 2 x 65 watt on my 15 gallon, no problems with it. the old 55 watt x 4 jebo fixture is on ebay right now for $80 shipped those do not have any legs or moonlights, just a couple ideas

[Blakperl21]

I would recommend T5's as well. I currently have VHO's and they are fine but I would like to upgrade to T5's. There's a great post right now under the lighting forum about t5's. I think that it is called T5's Q & A's...or something like that. It has tons of useful info.