[Dustin1300]

I'm new to the whole saltater thing and I was wondering what lighting system I should be using...I'll be having a tank with a mixed tank of fish/coral and am wondering what kind of wattage I should be going with and if this light would make a good choice for my system to be able to support my 55 gallon aquarium...Thanks for your time and responses...
eBay: CORALIFE 50/50 POWER COMPACT 48 INCH LIGHT FIXTURE (item 220131327991 end time Jul-16-07 16:57:26 PDT)

[Dustin1300]

I've also come across this system and was wondering if the wattage would be fine...If this wattage is not alright for me the seller seems to have other sizes and was wondering again if this system would be alright...

[NATIVEVAMAN]

Dustin, are you sure you need a 48 inch fixture?

[msbdiving]

It's a little low. You can use it for mushrooms and leathers, maybe some polyps. However, anything else you are going yo want to boost it up some. If you have a deep tank, you might want to go with the metal halide or t-5. Try a ball park of 4-5 watts per gallon and you should be able to keep softies. It would be better to spend a little more now than pay later when you are going to want to upgrade anyway.

[Dustin1300]

My dimensions on the tank are 48X12X20....I've got a cabinet/book shelf built around the aquarium and have a little more than a foot of clearance above the aquarium. If you recommend a T-5 or Metal Halide what do you recommend for my set up at a reasonable price????

[Dustin1300]

Oh also on my second post I had made mention of another system I was looking at and asking about the wattage...Heres the link to it:
eBay: VHO 36" 442W Metal Halide Reef light Aquarium Lighting (item 120142268975 end time Jul-22-07 01:45:14 PDT)

[e_baer]

i would go with the 36" one, and get the hanging kit. that way you can have the high light demanding corals in the center and middle and the lower light needing corals such as mushrooms near the sides.

[Dustin1300]

Since this system is metal halide...do you believe heat would be an issue or not???

[msbdiving]

You might want to run some fans across the water to cool it down. Start taking temp reading before and after you set it up at various times throughout the day. to see where you stand on how much you need to cool. You will need to top off more, but it is cheaper than a chiller.

[NATIVEVAMAN]

Metal halide over that shallow tank is the first part of a recipe for fish soup.Not to mention the a total waste of good electricity.Have a look at the t 5 4 bulb tek lite systems on this page.With this unit there is no limit to what you can keep in a 20 inch tank.T5HO Retro Kits - DIYReef

[NATIVEVAMAN]

How would you mount a 36 inch fixture on a 48 inch tank?Do you really want to spend 120$'s + on bulbs every 6 months?By the time you get that fixture up and running with fans and bulbs you will have spent more money than the t 5 unit will cost and it still wont be right.

[Dustin1300]

That's exactly why I'm here asking questions...I don't want to spend money on something I don't have a clue on what to buy...So, basically if it was your tank and you had performance/cost in mind what fixture would you buy for my setup that would provide around 5 watts/gallon???

[NATIVEVAMAN]

Watts per gallon is a very soft rule especially when it comes to t5 lighting.T5's are very thin bulbs with extremely efficient reflectors that can increase your light value up to 300%.If you put 275 watts of t 5 over your tank you would need a very good pair of raybans lol.156 watts of t 5 is plenty but if you dont feel comforable with that look at the Ice cap units on the same page I sent you.Those are vho t 5's and you can get 240 watts from a 4 bulb unit. In your case water depth is the real issue and how far light can penatrate it.A standard t 5 tek lite will reach a sufficient depth in your tank and the Ice Cap unit will have no problem reaching 29 inch's.

[msbdiving]

I agree with the NATIVE on the depth of the aquarium and the amount of heat for that shallow of a tank. Sorry, I didn't notice it was only 20" minus whatever your sand bed is going to be. Too much powere that close unless you were to have it as a hanging fixture. Even then, you wouldn't need any lights in the room, your aquarium would take care of that. I will only be running 150w halide and my tank is 40g. I found this on ebay last night, cheaper and will produce less heat.

Marineland T5 Aquarium light 48" HO *Brand New* $189.99 free shipping

[glampka]

Dustin,
Given the fact that your tank is set in an entertainment unit with limited space, you're better off with the T-5 light as suggested above. You don't have room to raise the lights if need be & putting a fan in there will be no small chore.
Be sure to get the fixture that has individual reflectors for each bulb instead of 1 large reflector. They put much more light into the tank.

[Dustin1300]

After listening to your comments and my LFS which I have really gained an appreciation for since I've bought about 30 lbs of live rock in the past week from I think the T5 fixtures are going to be the best given my current setup...Does anyone have any recommendations on what light that gives the best performance for the price since I really don't want to be burning down my house anytime soon...

[Dustin1300]

Also I'm wanting something that I'll be able to provide a moon appearance at night and many of the fixtures I've been pricing have this and to give you a rough estimate on cost I am really not looking to spend more than 300 on a good fixture. Thanks again for all your help here!!!

[Dustin1300]

I ended up getting a unit on ebay for 400 shipped that had a combo of Metal Halides, PCs, and LEDs for night lighting...Heres the link if anyones interested in a good light for a great price...VHO 48" 760W Metal Halide Reef light Aquarium Lighting - (item 120146537890 end time Jul-30-07 11:39:31 PDT)