reef tank lighting

[skiergd011013]

hello. i have a 55 gallon fw tank and want to convert it to a reef tank. at my local petco there is a coral life 48" hood. it has one 54 watt 10,000k daylight bulb, and one 54 watt actinic blue bulb. would this light hood support my coral/ other inhabitants in my 55 reef tank? also when stacking the live rock in the tank is it ok to have it resting against the glass in the back it appears that alot of reef tank owners do that. help!

[Reeftanker3295]

Depends on corals you want, id suggest getting either T5HO or MH lights. And yea its fine to rest it against the back glass just dont let it fall and scratch the glass.

[collin]

yea i have a 55g and i had that light and chaged fast but i wanted sps and clams and i have my rock how you are talking about......here is my tank befor the crash where i lost every thing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9I9peB9gj4

[Loverotties]

Originally Posted by Reeftanker3295

Depends on corals you want, id suggest getting either T5HO or MH lights. And yea its fine to rest it against the back glass just dont let it fall and scratch the glass.

+1

[quader94]

welcome to TRT !

Ide recommend getting a t5ho fixture with 4 bulbs with individual reflectors

or get 2 metal halides

and leaning the rock against the back wall is fine alot of people do it including me

[skiergd011013]

thanks for the reply im going to like this site! i have been nervous about the running cost also. i will be running a 200 watt heater....2 power heads...my lights...a protein skimmer...and a aqueon power filter...how much do these reef tanks take in electricity? im expecting maybe 15 a month?

[Loverotties]

Welcome to TRT!Were do you live?still it's going to be more than that!Get one of those watts meter and that will tell you exactly how much.

[skiergd011013]

im in pittsfield,ma. no worries im sure it wont be that bad people these days have so many televisions and computers running. the biggest thing will just be the lights. i plan on using aragonite from petco for the substrate.....and i will use live rock from my lfs. after my tank is filled and i have the proper salinity....and my live rock is in my tank..how long should i let my system run before i put any coral or fish? i understand that the live rock really helps to take care of the system? maintains ph filters water etc.... any advice you guys have i am open to!

[wharyat]

Welcome to TRT!!

Give your tank about a month before any fish or corals. The longer you wait, while maintaining proper husbandry, the better head start the tank will have.

Cost of operation depends on where you live. I would expect your particular setup to cost around 10-15 dollars a month.