What type of lighting do i need?

b.morrison2010 · Jan 5, 2011

Hi im new at all this my lighting fixture burnt up 2 days ago i have a 30 gallon tank with 2 clowns some mushrooms,zoos,and kenya tree,3 serpent starfish i havent been able to add anything else in a while how do i know what type of lightin to get?

KingRicky · Jan 5, 2011

With the coral that you listed, I would say go with a T-5 fixture. I ran T-5's on my old tank before I started keeping SPS. I had a 10,000K and a Tru Actinic.

Raggamuffin · Jan 6, 2011

with those even a CF would be ok, nothing in there requires much light at all. As always get the best you can afford though so you don't have to upgrade later!

skinz78 · Jan 6, 2011

KingRicky said:
With the coral that you listed, I would say go with a T-5 fixture. I ran T-5's on my old tank before I started keeping SPS. I had a 10,000K and a Tru Actinic.

I agree go with the T5's so you don't have to upgrade later.

arnaldo · Jan 6, 2011

A+ on t-5 s!!!

46gReef · Jan 11, 2011

What typw of corals you intend to keep not only now but down the road will have an impact on your lighting decision....I would agree T5's are the way to go but there are many choices as far as how many bulbs in the fixture so if you plan on keeping more light demandng corals down the road you may want to go with more bulbs.......HTH......

Xcali1985 · Jan 18, 2011

Go with LEDs do a DIY and you can actually save money. For the price of a T5 structure you can build your own High End LED fixture. All it takes is basic soldering knowledge. There are plenty of DIY videos on youtube that walk you through it. You use 1/2 the energy of LEDs and you have the ability to arrange the LEDs in what ever order you want. Some do 2 blues for every white. Which is good for clams and sps. This setup allows you to keep everything now and in the future. I had a T5 structure on my 80 Gallon. Built a 24" LED with 48LEDs and the color difference was immediately noticeable.

mizzoumed02 · Jan 18, 2011

Depends on what your future plans are. If your happy with what you have you can get by with a basic T5 fixture. If you planning on expanding to other corals, SPS, larger LPS, I'd consider looking at a larger T5 fixture.
Nows the time to think ahead and buy what your going to need in the future instead of just buying something to get by right now.

aznpg · Jan 19, 2011

i'll vouch to t5 high output get a 4 bulb if you have enough money and you'll be set. i'm running a nova extreme pro 6 bulb on my 60 gallon tank and i keep sps-lps-zoas without any issues

aalvarado87 · Feb 1, 2011

i would suggest using the t5's as they will give you a little more par and better color than the compact flourecents. The t5 bulbs will give your corals a little more pop. I think you would be a lot more pleased than with cf lighting. If you were my gf and was interested in the hobby id of already hooked you up with some leds ha ha ah my gf dislikes the hobby.

Captain Nemo · Feb 1, 2011

This all depends on what you plan to keep in the future? If you want to keep SPS or LPS or clams, you will need at least T5's and preferably Metal Halides, If it were me making this decision, I would go with the Halides just so you know you have enough light. Probably a 150w. i think 250w would be to much for your tank unless its a deep one or you plan on upgrading it. just my 2cents

bulkhead · Feb 3, 2011

+1 on LEDs. A little more money upfront will save a good bit down the road.

raymond · Feb 3, 2011

you have to look at not what you have now, but what you plan on having in the future, this will save you alot of money in the long run, i think ive upgraded lights 3 times now and that hits the pocket every time

aalvarado87 · Feb 3, 2011

thats one of the bad things about this hobby is when ever you think you have the new greatest thing in the hobby something better comes a long. You really have to set your mind that your not going to upgrade and stick to it other wise you will be forking out cash once a month on the newest thing to hit the market