Fluval Marine and Reef LED lighting.... anyone have any reviews....ideas?

[vwrock]

Pet Supplies - Pet Products - Pet Food | Petco.com

Hi all.. I have a 55 gallon and want to upgrade the lighting to have an anemone, Zoas,polyps, and mushrooms. Right now I have just two bulb t5 coralife light equalling 56 watts. I don't have tons of money and trying to get decent lighting for my 55 to be able to handle the corals. PETCO just got these in a month or two ago and they actually surprisingly look half decent. I was wondering if anyone sees any issues with this and their opinions on if I would be able to keep the corals happy and growing in my tank with this light. Being that its a 55 I don't have the room for HO t5 and don't have the money and not too much of a fan of MH lighting. I have a pigmy angel, 2 clowns, and a sixline wrasse. And will be adding a zebra lionfish sometime in July. Will this lighting be too bright for the lion and blind him? I have done tons of research on lions and have heard this might be an issue. Please any feedback would be great. I thank you in advance. If u have one and can give personal experience that would be awesome!

 

[Derbird]

First I know nothing of that light. But why can't you do T-5 lighting on a 55? A good 4 bulb 48" T-5 HO would fit perfectly and rock your tank. You could grow SPS and clams with it.

Your current light is suffecent for mushrooms, low light zoanthid's, Euphyllia (hammer heads and torch) corals, and GSP. When I first started I had a two buld T-5 HO and kept all these with great success in my 125.

What type of pigmy angle do you have. This fish may nip at or even flat out eat your corals.

With the lion you most likely know but I'll write it anyway lol. They will eat any fish that can fit in their mouths. The zebra is a dwarf but still your clowns and six line may end up being lunch. They also will decimate any inverts you may wish to keep. Just a warning

Good luck with the light upgrade

 

[vwrock]

You are correct on a t5 ho fixture fits perfectly on top off the tank. But I have a hood that it won't fit under and the ones that do fit will just barely fit under the hood. I like the hood and don't wanna lose the visual aspect of the hood. Nor do I wanna take the hood off everytime I need to feed the fish. I work outta town alot and my wife takes care of the feedings while I'm gone and I know she will not take the hood off to feed the fish. Which is why I was looking at leds because they have a much thinner profile.

I also have mushrooms and xenias in the tank already. Although they are sustaining and not dying off the aren't really growing. So if u have any thought on that I'd appreciate it. Maybe I'm doing something wrong ..

For the lion . Yes I have done tons and tons of research on these guys. And know that when my other fish can fit in his mouth they will fit in his mouth. I am going to make sure I get a little guy to start. And by the time he grows to the size to be able to eat the other fish they will be in another tank. I am designing and gonna build a stand that houses both the 55 and the 29 that I have in my garage that is not being used. so the clowns, angel, and sixline will be in that when the lion grows up.

The pygmy is a cherub angel. beautiful little guy and very fun to watch. He nipped at my xenias once when my wife forgot a feeding.. but as long as we keep him fat and happy I'm hoping to not have an issue with him. But if we do then he will definitely be put in the 29 where I will be growing my macro algae. My plan is to have corals and lion in my 55 and other small fish and macro algae in the 29 for nitrate export. Basically have a large coral tank and a small planted tank with a 10-20 gallon fuge all looped together in one system.

Anyways thank u for your reply. Much much appreciated ... like I said if u have any idea why my shrooms and xenias aren't growing I would appreciate any feed back. Thanks for ur time

 

[vwrock]

Anybody ....anything?