I am so Bloody confused

[dobz55]

Can some one pls expain in simple english what is T-5 lighting what is Halide lighting and how it compares to normal fluro tube aquarium lighting ie 30 watt 20000 k what ever that is pls explain in good old fashion plain english as I think I am getting dumber by the day

[mad_dog01]

Hi Dobbs,

I'll give you my take on this....please remember I'm no expert.....you have a 50 gal tank....with 120 watts of total lighting. That equals 2.4 watts per gallon. That is very low lighting for anemones. If it is bleaching out it is losing its zoos....that equals not enough light for photosync to be effective. To get 5 watts per gallon you need 250 watts of light either a T5 setup or medal halide. Coralife has nice combo setups...both MH and PC, with moonlite combo's. You can try moving the anem higher up in your tanks...set it on the rock...but it probally will not stay there. I say go with MH, pc combo with 10K bulbs suplimented with antinics.

[Poseidon]

OKay,

T5 can be either HO (High Output) on NO (Normal Output), this is the newest lighting to be in the trade. It has been used successfully for a couple years now. With T5 HO lighting, and individual reflectors for each bulb, you could keep just about any animal you want. For a 55 gallon tank, I would think 4 or 5 HO 54W T5 bulbs would be plenty. A mix of say 3 "white" and 2 "blue" bulbs would give a pleasing look.

Halide lighting is the "gold standard" when it comes to lighting a reef tank. There are literally hundreds of options when you compare bulbs, ballasts, and reflectors. A single 250W bulb with reflector will light a 2' by 2' area, so that same 55 would require 2 bulbs. MH (Metal Halide) also allows you to keep whatever critter you want, and the bulbs are available anywhere from 70W to 1000W variety, for the 55 I would use either 150W or 250W though.

Standard T8 lights, like the one you describe as a 30W 20K bulb, is just that, standard. It is not suffucient lighting to keep corals, anemones, etc. Unless you use a LARGE number of them, then space over the tank becomes an issue. As I mentioned before, the "K" rating refers only to the color of the bulb, the higher the number, the more BLUE it is....

WHat are the dimensions of your tank, and what do you want to keep? Once I know that, I can recommend a couple different fixtures for you to consider.

[Ninong]

See if this helps. Be sure to start reading at the top of the page.

[110galreef]

All have pros & cons?

What size tank and what are your plans of what to keep?
There are a ton of variables in lighting choices.

[dobz55]

thanks guys I appreciate your help

[dobz55]

Hi all bought myself a T-5 set up BTA is just loving it,
4 x H/O set up but boy does the Tank lot yuk with all that white light I am currently searching here in Melb Aus for some blue tubes no-one as of yet that I have contacted has them in stock

[rjs5134]

BTW, Coralife fixtures would be on the bottom of the list(rating from best to worst). Check the sponsors page and other threads for MUCH better options. You get what you pay for.