lighting my 29 gal.

jl209 · 09-07-2008, 05:37 PM

Hey everyone. My tank is 30" long and most fixtures are either 24" or 36". I want a lighting system that will enable me to grow whatever I want. Any suggestions will be much appreciated.

pipermacwills · 09-07-2008, 05:48 PM

Hi,
I know how you feel, I have a 29AGA and struggled to find the right fixture for awhile. I, through some good advice on these boards, purchased a HO T-5 setup that was 30". It has allowed me to grow almost anything because of how shallow our tanks are. Some also come with a 175 MH but I thought that would be too much for my setup. I hope that helps.

jl209 · 09-07-2008, 05:57 PM

You remember where you got that fixture? Thank you for the speedy reply.

pipermacwills · 09-07-2008, 06:05 PM

Yeah, it's a Sundial T-5HO and I purchased it from a LFS that had started to deal their equipment. I think you can find it online for a lot less than what I paid for it. Good luck.

crvz · 09-07-2008, 06:15 PM

A sundial does make a 30" fixture, but it just has 24" bulbs in it if I recall correctly. four 24" bulbs should be great (especially if they have individual reflectors), but you may try a 175W metal halide bulb too. It may not give a ton of light on the edges of the tank, but you could just be strategic in coral placement to overcome that.

jl209 · 09-07-2008, 06:22 PM

Wow I only need 96w of t5 lighting for sps? I thought I would need at least 150. Thanks for saving me alot of money lol.

Fat Tony · 09-09-2008, 12:42 PM

I use a 150 Watt DE MH fixture suspended over my tank..

crvz · 09-09-2008, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jl209

Wow I only need 96w of t5 lighting for sps? I thought I would need at least 150. Thanks for saving me alot of money lol.

with individual reflectors, those bulbs can put out a lot of light and should be able to handle a number of different SPS corals, though acros with high-lighting needs may be a trial and error scenario.

Loverotties · 09-09-2008, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jl209

Hey everyone. My tank is 30" long and most fixtures are either 24" or 36". I want a lighting system that will enable me to grow whatever I want. Any suggestions will be much appreciated.

Well to grow what ever,I would sayat least 175w MH.

YLChik · 09-09-2008, 02:57 PM

LIke Chris said I used 4 by24 in t5's with individual reflectors over a 29 and it was plenty of light.

I have to respectfully disagree with Love rotties that MH are needed to grow sps. There are many many people who use t5 only to grow them, and they grow just fine.

FWIW I use reefgeek.com for all my t5 needs

Hope that helps you.

Jared J · 09-09-2008, 09:58 PM

I got this one off Ebay for my 29 under $200 and it's very bright. 150w HQI 14k, 2x24w T5 actinics.

jl209 · 09-11-2008, 02:55 AM

Im thinking about going with a 20 gal long so the light will get to the bottom of the tank a little better. I can make up the lost gallons with a fuge what u guys think?

pipermacwills · 09-11-2008, 06:40 AM

Heres something that I considered when making my lighting choice, the heat of a MH on a shallow tank can be quite troublesome. When speaking with those in the know, they stated that MH lighting can also be too bright for some corals at that depth. Between the acclimation time and the need to monitor the corals closely for bleaching and burning I decided for the 29 to use T-5. My hammer is growing like crazy and I frag my colt fairly frequently, so I am getting growth. Even with the 24" bulbs in the 30" fixture the light is even across the tank and there are no heat issues.