[bigteddyp84]

I am new to the hobby and I always stated that I would put off any lighting or corals until I got my tank stocked. I was wondering what kind of wattage I would use for a normal 48 in long 55 gallon aquarium. I hear between 3-5 watts per gallon is the norm. I was considering metal halide with a combination of compact. could anyone pleease tell me what kind of exact wattage i would want to llok for in a system like two 150 watt mh and 46 watt compacts just for example. Thank you.

[RyanG]

Two 150wat Mh and PC are plenty.

There is no exact "wattage"...depending if your tank is tall, you might need stronger lighting. Ignore the "wattage per gallon" rule. I don't know who originally came up with that, but it is incorrect when determining lighting requirements for your aquarium.

[bigteddyp84]

if i got two 175 watt mh and 2 96 watt compact would that be good enough to grow "all" coral or would 2 250 watt mh be better? also wat would u recommend for bulbs

[bigteddyp84]

also my tanks is 21 inches tall

[volitan_fa]

Sounds like you have a standard 55 gal tank. I think you would be fine with 2 x 150 watt MH. I would go with either a 10,000K MH or a 13,000K MH and then 2 x actinic blue power compacts.

The watt/gallon rule is not so much a rule as a starting estimate. It's been in use for a very very long time and people have been trying to come up with a better guide for how many watts should be used, but the truth is there is no set guide.