Lighting question

[olsenshouse]

I am new to setting up a saltwater tank. I'm slowly getting it reef ready. Any suggestions on where to purchase some good lighting for a good price?

Thanks,

Bry

 

[lvsuckerfish]

with more info on what you want to keep Ie corals inverts and what not. myself and some others will be able to chime in on what we pefer for lighting. to help make the decision a little easier on you. when I say corals i mean soft zoas palys mushrooms leathers or lps and SPS corals some Lps and most all SPS will need High intense lighting. to thrive. let us know more of what route you want to take and also tank size and filtration and we can go from there.

 

[pblutang]

Im new to reef too. I bought a sent of power compacts for my 55 gallon and found that T5's are more efficient for me. Bulb replacement is a lot cheaper with the t5 vs pc's and it still gives me the ability to grow what I want in my tank. I found this site to me very useful. Lots of great advice..

 

[olsenshouse]

I have a

55 gallon tank. I plan on keeping soft corals, reef safe crabs, shrimps and anemones.

 

[lvsuckerfish]

I would go with a 4 bulb t5 and that depends on the anemone you want to keep!

 

[olsenshouse]

Anemone

I have to Pecula Clowns so I would be getting an anemone that goes with them.

 

[lvsuckerfish]

there are alot of different ones.

 

[olsenshouse]

anemone

any recommendations?

 

[returnofsid]

For an anemone, I'd recommend Entacmaea quadricolor. It's one of the most hardy, and less light demanding than some of the others. That being said, I wouldn't get any anemone, at all, until your tank is not only completely cycled, but "mature." I'd give your tank 6-12 months, before I'd even think about adding an anemone. Your clownfish will be just fine, without one.

As for lighting, I'd recommend a 4 bulb T5HO fixture. Make sure you get a quality fixture. Stay away from any fixture with a single parabolic reflector, over all 4 bulbs. Make sure that the fixture has individual or individually contoured reflectors, over each bulb. This could include a single reflector, that's been bent, in a gull wing shape, over and around each bulb. These types of reflectors are the most important aspect of T5HO lighting.

The only 4 fixtures I'd recommend, IMO, are:

Sunlight Supply Tek5
Sunlight Supply Elite

ATI Sunpower
ATI Power Module

Or, a quality T5HO retrofit kit, by Sunlight Supply or Ice Cap.