lighting help

[rookie reefer]

what is the best light would you recommend i need advice from a expert reefer. any suggestions oh sorry forgot the lighting is needed to be 48"

[rookie reefer]

is this good lighting for mushroom coral and other live coral like polyps 54W T6 – 12000K, Actinic blue comes with 2 bulbs

[snow_man84088]

This is what I would recommend. It should be plenty of light for whatever you might want to keep.

http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5_...unlight_Supply

If this is going on a 55 gallon than the four bulb fixture is probably enough, the 6 bulb is enough for a 75-90 gallon, eight bulb if you decide to go 120 gallons.

[TahoeMtn]

It all depends on what you are going to put in the tank. You have been all over the place trying to decide what size tank, anenome or mushrooms.... If your budget allows I would go T-5 or MH or a combo of the two that way no matter what you decide to put in the tank you will have enough light. Reef Tank lighting (one of our sponsors) is having a sale right now.

[rookie reefer]

Originally Posted by TahoeMtn

You have been all over the place trying to decide what size tank, anenome or mushrooms.... If your budget allows .

Yeah i've been trying to decide what i want in it there are so many beautiful corals,fish,rocks,inverts its hard to choose from cause if i want this it's not compatible with this and if i get this it might not be compatible with this so i'm still deciding on a few things... and some things are out of my buget limits. sorry for so mush detail. once i decide what i want i will make sure i meet the requirements it needs so it can live happily and healthy.

[OneDummHikk]

Originally Posted by rookie reefer

Yeah i've been trying to decide what i want in it there are so many beautiful corals,fish,rocks,inverts its hard to choose from cause if i want this it's not compatible with this and if i get this it might not be compatible with this so i'm still deciding on a few things... and some things are out of my buget limits. sorry for so mush detail. once i decide what i want i will make sure i meet the requirements it needs so it can live happily and healthy.

That is why, even with the limited time I have been in this hobby, I tell people to invest the money in two or three books. One on fish, one on inverts. Then, you can flip through the books and say "Wow! I like that." Make a wish list and then start comparing what will get along with what. Then, you can decide what you want in the tank. That makes setting the tank up a lot easier because you can say "I want this - ....". It also gives you a goal to reach.

Something easy to start with? Zooanthids and Mushrooms. I didn't follow my own advice with my 12G tank and I have been suffering for it the last month.

[rookie reefer]

Originally Posted by OneDummHikk

That is why, even with the limited time I have been in this hobby, I tell people to invest the money in two or three books. One on fish, one on inverts. Then, you can flip through the books and say "Wow! I like that." Make a wish list and then start comparing what will get along with what. Then, you can decide what you want in the tank. That makes setting the tank up a lot easier because you can say "I want this - ....". It also gives you a goal to reach.

Something easy to start with? Zooanthids and Mushrooms. I didn't follow my own advice with my 12G tank and I have been suffering for it the last month.

see i don't have alot of money so alot of these things are hard to do and somethings i don't understand and when i ask someone a question on this hooby they tell me in complicated terms and i get frustrated because either my tank doesn't look like i want or i can't get what i want . like the the mushroom i have a post but no one will reply so it is tough hobby.

[OneDummHikk]

Originally Posted by rookie reefer

see i don't have alot of money so alot of these things are hard to do and somethings i don't understand and when i ask someone a question on this hooby they tell me in complicated terms and i get frustrated because either my tank doesn't look like i want or i can't get what i want . like the the mushroom i have a post but no one will reply so it is tough hobby.

I answered your mushroom post. Somehow TRT didn't show it to me as being unread.

Do you have a public library near you? If you do, I have not been in one yet that didn't have saltwater books. You can sit in the library with a notepad/pen and write down what you want to look up. Then you can search them when you get home if you don't check out the book.

Google for "corals" and then click the images button. More pictures than you would ever need to look at. 7,410,000 images of corals. There are two names to a coral. The common name and the scientific name. If you see one you like, you search google for it by it's scientific name and you can find the care information on it. Lighting, water, feeding, etc..

The invertebrate book I have is Marine Invertebrates by Scott W. Michael. It costs me 30 dollars. Compared to the total cost of setting up a tank, that is nothing in comparison and it is the best 30 dollars I have spent so far on a reef tank.

[rookie reefer]

ok thanks alot

[NATIVEVAMAN]

Considering the that the 55 is a shallow tank a t-5 4 bulb 54 watt fixture should be plenty of light to keep anything you want.Any sand bed depth you have only makes it better.Those lights should have plenty of penatration.Just make sure that whatever fixture you get they have the single lamp reflector.

[Elegance Coral]

If you are on a tight budget, I would go with PC or T5 lights. You should be able to pic up a small retro fit kit for not alot of money. This should keep things like mushrooms happy. Once you gain some experience and want to start keeping more demanding critters you can add to the lights you have.
There are pros and cons to any light you choose. There are also some very strong opinions concerning what's the best. The T5 users can be very passionate about their lights. The fact is that if you pack enough T5's on top of a tank they will produce enough PAR to keep any of the animals we keep. They run cooler than other lights. You have a great deal of control over the color and PAR of the tank, simply by changing a bulb or two. MH's do produce quite a bit of heat. You don't have as much control over color. Most people choose between 10, 12, 14, and 20K bulbs. They have been used for decades. They can produce plenty of PAR and penetrate even very deep tanks. They produce glimmer lines like you would see on a shallow reef. In my opinion, they also help to keep anemones from wandering around the tank.
I don't believe there is a "best" light for reef keeping. The good thing is that there are plenty of lights to choose from, once you figure out what animals you want to keep.

[Fat Tony]

No eBay fixtures... what ever you do... stay away from them. you want a quality light. between the light and skimmer they are simply the most important pieces of equipment you are going to purchase, spend the extra money on GOOD equipment and you won't have as many issues in the future

[hng]

Lighting expert? Setting up a reef tank cheaply? Hmmm...two things that are difficult to find. For what you intend, the best value will be T5HO lamps. A 4 bulb fixture would be a good start, keeping in mind that you may need to add another couple of bulbs if you decide to try sps, clams, or anemones. Like Tony said, try to stay away from Ebay fixtures and look for individual reflectors.

[rookie reefer]

i appreciate all your help thnks you guys .