marinesnake03
New Member
I'm looking to get a better lighting set up for my 55g reef tank. Right now i have two 40watt flourescent bulbs on it. Any ideas?
lighting upgrade
- Thread starter marinesnake03
- Start date
do you have fish only? i see your using 2 t12 bulbs, are you tyring to go cheap or all out? your choice is based on what you want in your tank, if your just doing fish then switch to T8s for cheap or a pair of t5ho and fixture for 150$ but if oyu want to add corals then be more specific cuz it gets expensive
marinesnake03
New Member
I have fish, multiple polyps and a small rose anemone and i would like to get some corals. I'm wantin to go all out. i was looking into the 48" sundial t5ho 4x54w. Im not sure if it's the best choice though
4x54 is good for sps in a 55g, id go 6x for optimal growth. halides would be out of the question, ide go led but wait a couple of month. summers coming up and theres gonna be some break throughs with led. for temporary, switch in t8s on your current fixture, theres more lumens in t8s. id lose the canister filter,
You can try Catalina aquiriums they have a 4 bulb t5 48" for 209$ right now or you can upgrade to the 6 bulb for 375$.They make a decent fixture for the price but if price doesnt matter and you want good the look at the ati powermodule.More expensive but excellent product.Just a couple more choices for ya.
PIMPALA
Well-Known Member
oops. i missed his second post.
i agree on getting the 6 bulb if you are growing SPS and keeping a RBTA. the price difference isnt much. Also keep in mind that your "small rose anemone" will only be small for a short time. they grow very quickly, and can easily cover 1/3rd of that tank.
i agree on getting the 6 bulb if you are growing SPS and keeping a RBTA. the price difference isnt much. Also keep in mind that your "small rose anemone" will only be small for a short time. they grow very quickly, and can easily cover 1/3rd of that tank.
marinesnake03
New Member
the small rose anemone is one of the main reasons i want to upgrade because i have had it for about 8 months and its only grown about a 1/4 inch so i figured there wasn't enogh light for it. Thanks for all the suggestions! i'm going to look into the 6 bulb fixture