Perspective Coral and Lighting Needs

[BioMarine]

I have a standard 55 ga tank and am currently getting set up to start adding coral. I plan on having hammer coral, frog spawns, some Zoas, possibly a couple mushrooms, possibly a BTA, and maybe some other LPS's depending on what the wife and I can agree on from there. I am looking into getting a light fixture for my tank and i am overwhelmed with the choices. I don't really want to go MH, and have seen a lot of VHO/T5 lights that are 4 or 6 bulb and not sure what to go with. Would a 6 bulb even fit on top of my tank? I want to have enough light so my tank can grow as necessary and keep all the coral as healthy as possible but don't want to "over do" the lights. Hope yo guys can help!
Thanks!
Eddie

 

[DaveK]

For what your interested in keeping, and considering the size of your tank, a 4 bulb T5 fixture will be just fine. Make sure it's one that takes HO bulbs. There are some low end fixtures out there that take NO bulbs, which you don't want.

 

[BioMarine]

HO? or VHO? HO as in 54 watt at 48 inches? or as in 64 watt at 48 inches? or is there something i haven't come across yet? Also i did a bunch of searching last night and found a 6bulb fixture (Current USA Nova Extreme Pro T5 Aquarium Lighting Fixture, 6X54 Watt, 48 inch) and was wondering if i should go this route? or go with something a little less expensive 4 bulb and pocket the extra 150? this was the only 6 bulb fixture i could find that would not hang over my tank. From what i've noticed most of what i want to keep only requires moderate lighting...

 

[DaveK]

T5 bulbs come in high output and normal output. For reef applications you want high output bulbs.

A 6 bulb fixture will give you more light, OTOH it will cost you more to run and put out more heat, although this is usually not too big an issue with T5's. You'll also need to get 6 bulbs, rather than 4 when you replace them.

For what you want to keep a 4 bulb or 6 bulb fixture will work just fine. It's really a question of what you want out of the system.

 

[rdwilson91]

Benefit of the 4-bulb:
It's adequate for coral, will run slightly cooler, and is most likely less expensive.
Benefit of the 6-bulb:
It's more than enough, and would allow you to have the same amount of growing light but with extra actinics and sweet bulbs like purples and pinks.
If you don't mind the extra cost and running a fan over the surface, I say go with the 6-bulb. Your coral may be a tiny bit healthier but you have more options to make them look cooler.

 

[GrendelPrime]

if i was buying the lights i would opt for the 6 bulb set-up, it will open up more options as stated above and give u a wider range of bulb color configurations

 

[BigAl07]

HO? or VHO? HO as in 54 watt at 48 inches? or as in 64 watt at 48 inches? or is there something i haven't come across yet? Also i did a bunch of searching last night and found a 6bulb fixture (Current USA Nova Extreme Pro T5 Aquarium Lighting Fixture, 6X54 Watt, 48 inch) and was wondering if i should go this route? or go with something a little less expensive 4 bulb and pocket the extra 150? this was the only 6 bulb fixture i could find that would not hang over my tank. From what i've noticed most of what i want to keep only requires moderate lighting...

Re: Current USA Nova Extreme Pro T5 Aquarium Lighting Fixture, 6X54 Watt, 48 inch
IMHO I'd say keep looking for another fixture. Yes that one has SIX bulbs but it's not the most bang for you buck. Is it a "good" fixture yes but I feel like you can do more for the same or less money.

Re: 4 vs 6 Bulbs
Be careful because the 55g is fairly narrow and unless you are lucky & crafty you'll have a fair amount of Light Spill into the room. I'm not saying ALL 6-bulbs fixtures will do this over a 55g but many do. It's not a big deal initially but over time it gets annoying having the light spilling into the room and on top of that it's a huge WASTE of your $$ and electricity.

Here are a couple of options from another company... keep in mind these aren't the most powerful T5 fixtures out there but I feel like they give a lot of

48 inch BLACK SOLAR T5 HO AQUARIUM LIGHT FIXTURE $209.99

or

48 inch BLACK SOLAR T5 HO AQUARIUM LIGHT FIXTURE $375.00

 

[BioMarine]

I actually ended up going with a 4 bulb i found on amazon that's a catalina aquariums fixure, 48" with the legs splash guard and moonlights for 179! Thanks for everyone's input! i had a few people tell me that catalina was a decent fixture for the price and i happened to find one with everything i wanted on it for a good price! hope i made the right choice!!