My First Aquarium.. Need Lights.. Suggestions?

[billaweed]

I have a 48", 50 gallon tank and just started growing coral. I have some real cheap lighting pushing about 150 watts so all I can grow are low light coral. I would like to upgrade and need some suggestions. My budget is $250-$300.

suggestions will be greatly appreciated

thanks

 

[Cwazy Clown]

holy smokes. 250-300$ isnt even enough for a 10g nano!!. first off, you will need a sump for means of filtration. also a proteinskimmer. and some good lighting. mh/vho. 150watts of "cheap lighting" isnt gonna cut it for many softies! and if you want to "grow" coral. then you are screwed. very slow growth at that light. so 250-300 is JUST enough for either lighting or a sump/proteinskimmer.

 

[Cwazy Clown]

wait....so if you just want lights, then go buy some retros. or just build yourself. 2-250watts should be enough.

 

[class clown]

Hey Billaweed,

Welcome to Reeffrontiers. I know Steve has a nice MH setup he just posted: http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22309

I have a 55 gallon and have 2 250w mh's over mine so can recomend this as a good configuration for growing corals. MH is definately the way to go for growth and color.

 

[Cwazy Clown]

hey ben, what type of bulbs do you have??

 

[twilliard]

It depends on what you want to raise. I had a 55 and started with softies with a fixture I got off Ebay for around 275. It was 6-65W PC did great but the corals just didnt color up. I went to a 110G (125G total) with 2-250W MH and 3-110W VHO and it is perfect.
SOOO
It all depends on what you want to raise.
Think ahead
It will save you money.


Of course this is all IMO- "MH is the way to go"
Look at the picture to the left- think pale orrange with PC and that pic is with MH 10 months later.

 

[billaweed]

is the Nova Extreme T-5 With Lunar Lights a good setup? Its 216Watts and for only 199.99 at http://www.drsfostersmith.com

 

[Cwazy Clown]

depends. you could get a 250watt mh for that price.

 

[billaweed]

for a 48" tank?

 

[twilliard]

Not to bash t-5's but it is fairly new and would wait to see the performance versus lamp replacement costs.
Sure you may have 80$ for a new MH lamp but what if you had a fixture that had 8-t-5's at $20 a pop.??

So a 50G I can see 2-150W MH fixture on that.

 

[billaweed]

well would a 216 watt setup work for now. I know absolutly nothing about lights. All I know from what I read is that soft coral needs intense light in order for them to grow properly. Another problem that I'm starting to face is algae on the bottom of the tank.

I looked at my lights again and here is what I'm facing with them. I'm actually only pumping 130watts total. The lights were given to me from my buddy and they are 1 yr old, so I'm guessing that the spectrum is a little low.. lol

so if I were to buy that t-5 216 watt setup, would it work for at least a year do you think?

 

[diablo]

http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merc...oduct_Code=ICE-4X48R&Category_Code=Icecapvhor
ice cap vho retro fit. 4 bulbs at 110 watts each total 440 watts vho is the longest lived lighting source for saltwater tank. IMO (not bulb life, but overall use over saltwater tanks)

http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merc...oduct_Code=SL-960045&Category_Code=SunlightT5
a nice T-5 setup with 8 bulbs at 54 watts a peice.

http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merc...ct_Code=ESU-5340&Category_Code=Lunaraqualight
260 watt power compacts + luner lights will work nicely for what you are trying to do on a 55.

http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merc...t_Code=ESU-53206&Category_Code=Aqualightretro
same thing but a retrofit no moon lights

http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merc...D&Product_Code=PFO175DW55R&Category_Code=PFOr
duel metal halides 175 watts.

But keep in mind with metal halides you WILL NEED A CHILLER!!!


the break down...
power compacts are good but lack the penetration power of other lighting meaning tough but not impossible to keep sps corals. keep a fan blowing accross your water to blow away the heat.

metal halides the absolute best when it comes down to penetration of the water + gives a beautifull shimmmer effect. Need a chller to cool the tank!

VHO is what people have used for 30 years and will continue to use for 30 more years. keep a fan blowing accross your water to blow away the heat.

T-5 is a (IMO) just a vho just half the diameter a 4 foot T-5 is 54 watts where a 4 foot vho is 110 watts. T-5 does have different spectrems than vho offers. that could be the difference. keep a fan blowing accross your water to blow away the heat.

I am not a scientist nor claim to be one. this is just my personal opinion.

oh and PS welcome to Reeeeeeeeeeeeef Frontieeeeeers!

 

[diablo]

so if I were to buy that t-5 216 watt setup, would it work for at least a year do you think?

bad thought!! when setting up a reef tank never ever ever buy something with plans to upgrade. buy the best now. save your money for something else later.. that way your reef tank costs about 3-5 grand instead of 30 grand. I learned the hard way and I am shure alot of others have done the same thing.

buy something that you will be happy with for the life of your tank!

 

[Krish]

Welcome to RF!!! As for the lighting, you said the tank was 48 inches long, but how deep is it? I know the a standard all-glass 55 gal is 48 in long and 20 deep, but their 50gal is only 36 inches long. In any event, depth plays a major role in what lighting will be sufficient. If you go with metal halides, you will definately need to run "duals" as one bulb is technically only good for a 2ft by 2ft space (although it can be used up to 36 inches with the outer edges not as intense) but the depth will determine if you can get away with dual 175's or will need dual 250's. Let us know...

 

[reef_lover]

EBAY! I got my 250x2 metal hallides off ebay brand new for 200+ shipping

 

[redrooster]

I run 2x250W MH on my 75G tank and do not need a chiller. After my lights have been on a while the heater doesn't kick on anymore, but I have never seen my temp go more than 1 degree over what the heater is set for. If you place your lights of your tank 6-8" off the water it won't really heat them up much, especially if you buy the splashguard which I have. I traps the heat in the hood which is then pushed out the side via the fans. Get a good hood setup and stay away from the chillers. One more thing that can go wrong.

 

[billaweed]

bad thought!! when setting up a reef tank never ever ever buy something with plans to upgrade. buy the best now. save your money for something else later.. that way your reef tank costs about 3-5 grand instead of 30 grand. I learned the hard way and I am shure alot of others have done the same thing.

buy something that you will be happy with for the life of your tank!

Hey thanks for the advice.. the problem with buying something like MH lights is that I dont have the funds for them right now.. I will however have money for them later down the road then I can sell the ones i buy now.. I already have my tank set up and running. I have a ton of brown algae on the bottom of my tank now that is covered in bubbles. I don't know if that will be lethal to my coral I curently have growing in there, but I believe its growing because of the poor 180Watt worth of lighting I have. The bulbs I currently have are over a year old too so I need something quick. I went ahead and bought the Nova Extreme T-5 setup with (4) 54 watt bulbs and moon lights

P.S!!!!! If anyone can help me out with the agae problem and give me advice id appreciate it greatly. I have one filter and one powerhead creating the current in my tank. I think I may have also overfed my coral too.. lol whoops

 

[diablo]

do a search for cyano bacteria. that may be your algae issues.