55 Gallon Lighting

[majorpay]

Right now I have the old school light (48"), and a cheap T5 dual bulb fixture (1 actinic, 1 50/50). I'd like to go to something that can support corral well; however, being new to this, I have NO IDEA what I am looking at. I have been looking at the T5 setups, and here is what I see:

I see 2x12k bulb fixtures, 6x54w and 4x54w 10k bulb fixtures, 4x6700, VHO, HO, etc, etc...

I am specifically looking right now at lighting for anemones, but I would like to believe that after I am done, I would have a good range of options and not spend more than I have total to date doing it.

I am checking E-bay, online pet stores, and of course, the LFS. Any thoughts you can give on this matter would be appreciated. Sorry I am so broad and vague, but I honestly don't have a clue what to believe.

In order to get into the saltwater realm you need to be a marine biologist, a physicist specializing in lighting, an electrician, an engineer, and a veterinarian

[majorpay]

I should give some background... Besides the anemones, I tend to like the soft corals as well...

The 55 is a standard 55 (4' x 2' x 1')

[Reefland]

Metal halides would be the most intense option and would remove all limits on the livestock you could support. However, halides have downfalls; specifically heat and power consumption. The next option are T5's and in your case, the 6x54w fixture would be a good option.

[majorpay]

Excellent, thanks. It'll cost a small fortune, but should provide a great deal of flexibility hopefully. I think the halide would provide a massive financial disadvantage both in the short term and long term in terms of cost upfront and electric bills.

[Ninong]

The 55 is a standard 55 (4' x 2' x 1')

A standard 55-gal glass aquarium is 48"L x 13"W x 21"H. If your aquarium is only 12"H, then I wouldn't recommend metal halides.

[majorpay]

A standard 55-gal glass aquarium is 48"L x 13"W x 21"H. If your aquarium is only 12"H, then I wouldn't recommend metal halides.

My bad, I was using the software engineer measurement. W x H x D (X,Y,Z)

It's not 12" high

[Ninong]

My bad, I was using the software engineer measurement. W x H x D (X,Y,Z)

It's not 12" high

And, if you measure it, you will find it's not 2' high either.

[majorpay]

OK, so here's the plan (opinions?):

Ballast:
FP54T5/HO - (3-4 Lamps) - 120 to 277 Volt - Ballast - QTP 4x54T5HO/UNV PSN HTW NL - Sylvania 49161 Light Bulb

(I don't think the end caps matter all that much, I'll just pick up the cheapest)

Reflectors:
T5 reflectors
Champion Lighting & Supply :: Lighting :: Reflectors :: IceCap 48" T5 Reflector

The icecap reflector review seemed good...

I am not sure if four or more of those bad boys will fit in my hood, but I'll have to do some measuring before I purchase (time to find that tape measure :/ )

[Ninong]

(I don't think the end caps matter all that much, I'll just pick up the cheapest)

For use in a saltwater environment??? Most people don't buy the cheapest.

[majorpay]

I didn't realize that. I was figuring that end caps were pieces of plastic/rubber with two metal probes... What distinguishes a more expensive one from a standard one?

[Ninong]

What distinguishes a more expensive one from a standard one?

Better quality, I guess. Plus the fact that they have to be watertight due to evaporation. Anyway, I believe the ones that are used over saltwater aquariums are more expensive than the plain garden variety. Personally, I used metal halides.

[sur4die]

i have a 6 x 54w over my 55G standard tank. i keep a little of everything (anemone, soft, hard, and LPS).

if you are sticking with softies you probably don't need more than a 4 x 54W IMHO.

i bought a very inexpensive fixture from ebay and basically retro-fit the thing into a custom built wooden hood.

[chefbenry89]

Good Job!

[Breathe13stars]

I have the nova extreme 6 54w and can keep anything i want and have never had any problems and there is very little heat that comes with it.

[ibefishy]

I use a 48" PC light with 2 1200K and 2 actinic and I can keep most anything I want and it is probably the cheapest way to go. I have sps, lps, and softies and all are doing great. There is a lot of sps that I can not keep but if you do some research you can find sps that dont require real intense light. If you use the PC lights with the sps you just need to be able to keep them near the top closer to the lights. My montis and digitatas are doing great and they also have good color.