lighting refresher

C

chromey

I haven't messed with aquariums in about a year now, so I need a refresher. I know for SOME different types of lighting, the necessary wattage per gallon for lower light softies changes. IE from what I remember, T5's are typically lower wattage requirements, correct? I had T5's before (when my aquarium I had before exploded) and was fairly happy with them. The only problem is that I never had them fitted properly for my tank, so they just sat on the top. I guess I'm just trying to figure out a) what wattage to gallon ratio to look for per each type of bulb and b) where/what to get as far as something with a hood that is fitted for lights other than the crap that I see that has flourescent bulbs made more for freshwater tanks.
thanks!
 
It really has a lot to do with the type of tank you want to keep, if corals, the type of corals, if you want to keep clams, the amount of money you want to spend, the size of the system. There are a lot of factors to answer for your self before buying the type of lighting you go with. And that watts per gallon is really not workable.
 
the tank I had before (and probably the same idea I'd be shooting for again) was 20H, and all I had was some ricordia and xenia. That's probably going to be the extent of my corals that I'd be keeping (things in that similar lighting requirement range). I'm not wanting to spend an insane amount of money, the cheaper the better (MH's seem a bit out of the question at this point).
 
In your case I would go with power compacts or T-5s. If you can get a couple hundred watts over that tank, you would do fine keeping those type of corals as far as lighting. Just look around for the best deals on setups that would work with the type setup you are putting together. Either a retrofit if you are going with a canopy or a light system that will either stand or hang over the tank.
 
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