help choosing lighting

[jtang]

Hi,

I just got off the phone with a lighting reseller (DIY KIT). They told me that he has no lighting solution for my tank. I have a standard 55 gallon hexagon tank. What kind of lighting is appropriate for my tank. I want to be able house marine fish and easy maitenance coral? Please help

[Reefkeeper]

Jtang,

I dont know if it will help, as its not DIY, but here are two solutions that I have seen to the problem of a hex tank-

1- you may want to look for a metal halide pendant style light- go for a 10,000K bulb, and you should get good coral color.

2- go for an icecap ballast, and you should be able to fit at least 3 bulbs accrost the center of the tank. I know someone who did a 35 gal hex that way, and then made a coral mound in the center of the tank, attaced to a PVC framework. It looks great, and the corals are doing very well near the top. Feather dusters and other critters make up the lower sections of the mound.

Gene

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" To laugh often and much, To win the respect of inteligent people and the affection of children, To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends, To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition, To know one life has breathed easier because you have lived."

THIS IS TO HAVE SUCCEEDED
Ralph Waldo Emerson

[Rick O]

Hi Jtang,

I just finished DIY lighting for my 120. I went with (4) VHO and an Icecap ballast. When all was finished I had as much money in the fixture as I would have if I had bought a complete hood plus it weighed twice as much since it was made of wood. I have been second guessing my decision to go with strictly VHO ever since I finished. I'm not familiar with the dimensions of a 55 hex but I'm guessing it's fairly deep (24"+?). Maybe a combination of VHO and MH. That way you could mount the lights higher above the tank so as not to interfere with your access to the tank.

HTH, Rick