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Kiefer ... while I agree that halide isnt the best solution for the 55, you can still run halides effectively on your tank. The 55 isnt very deep and a pair of 150 watt halides would do the trick. But better yet, a combination of halides and T5 either in a ready made combo fixture or a DIY set-up would work. Not sure what your budget is but Current USA and Aquamedic both make combination HQI + T5 fixtures that are relatively affordable.
The halide reflectors are small in these fixtures as they are in most combo fixtures but with the narrow width of the tank, coverage will be no probelm at all. There is a recent thread on the Current USA Outer Orbit with T5 fixture. Should be on page 1 or 2. It may be worth a look to see how users like the fixture. I used one myself for a while and coverage was good on my 90 gallon. It's a nice "entry level" combo fixture. Also has white and blue LED moonlighting (seperately switchable) which is a cool extra.
I have nothing against T5's and lots of successful reef tanks are kept under T5 very successfully. But, I just think that the sharpness or crispness of the light emitted by halides is a characteristic that flourescents just doesnt have. That and the shimmer. Flourescents dont have the halide shimmer. Those two characteristics arent necessary to lighting a reef, they are just subjective preferences. But I couldnt go back to all T5 or any flourescent after having halides. Hopefully LED's, which are the future of lighting, will reproduce these two traits atleast as well as halide.
Anyway, if you were liking the idea of halides, check into them further. Even though it may not be the most efficient way to light the 55, they are still a viable option if efficiency isnt a top priority and the attributes of halides are appealing to you.
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