New to Reef Tanks so my questions may seem a little basic

[jamnelsvgs]

I have always had freshwater tanks,(since I was 10 now 37 years old)and currently I have an 150 gallon cichlid tank among other tanks, We are now putting a 55 gallon reef tank in our tanning salon as a show tank, and am very confused on what type of lighting I am going to need. This is my first attempt at a reef tank , though I have had salt water in the past year. The Tank is 4 feet wide , 1 foot deep and 18 inches I have heard conflicting stories that the lighting will range between $200.00 and $1000.00 dollars what do i really need, any help with this would be greatly appreciated. I am looking for the best solution that will support the reef and look nice being that it is a showcase tank. Thank you in advance for any information.

[Brooke]

Hi there and welcome to TRT!

First off, if you can get your hands on a 75g tank, get it. This will allow for easier aquascaping. Are you going to have a sump? This really helps keep the clutter of heaters and equipment out of the display tank. Lighting greatly depends on what you want to keep. Since this is your first reef tank, and considering the tank, I would probably recommend a icecap 660 ballast with 4-110 watt bulbs. This will allow you to keep lots of softies and lps corals. IMO, these are a little showier than sps. (though i've grown fond of the fuzzy sticks).

Check out our sponsors atlantis aqatics and premium aquatics for lighting prices. The nice thing about having an icecap ballast is that it is easily incorporated into a metal halide system when you are ready to upgrade to harder to keep corals.

Also, don't forget to read and learn. Check out www.thereeftank.com/books and www.thereeftank.com/started

HTH-
Brooke

[Doug1]

Before spending money on lights you should see several tanks and decide what corals you want to keep and then get the lighting that will support them.
Soft corals and mushrooms ect can get by on VHO where as Stony corals , and colorful clams will need Metal Halide

[Alice]

Welcome to The Reef Tank

Ask away! We can handle it The only bad questions are the ones that don't get asked. The more you know the healthier your tank, animals and wallet will be.

The first question I have for you is are you already set up with the 55 tank and stand? If not, I'd consider a 75 if I were you (been there, done that with a 55) and if space permits. The added space inside the tank, especially the depth from front to back will make such a difference and the costs won't be that much higher.

The lighting you will need will depend on the corals you want to keep. If you are going to do only soft corals, you can run VHO (Very High Output) florescent lighting. If you want to eventually get in to hard corals and clams, you'll need Metal Halide (MH) lighting. You can do the MH lighting with soft corals, too. It really depends on what you think you will need and what fits your budget. Either way, you can get lighting for under $1000 if you are a good shopper

VHO= Icecap 660 ballast $160-190
4 VHO bulbs= $100-120
asst fittings and end caps=$100 or so

MH dual ballast= $150-190
2 bulbs= $120-190
asst paraphenalia $100-150

This is just a rough idea; you can go VHO and MH with an Icecap 440 ballast and two actinic (blue bulbs) or even go for a cheaper florescent outfit if you are running Metal Halides with them. Buying used ballasts can save you $$ too.

Lighting is one of the trickiest parts of this hobby, it's like fitting a puzzle together. Research what animals you want to keep and then we can tailor someting a little more specific.

Alice

[Alice]

Hehehe, looks like the TRT staff were on duty this AM

[FishDaddy]

Hi Jamnelsvgs,

Good to have you with us!
I agree with what's been said, especially about the 75 as a better tank.
Before buying anything, I would recommend 2 books to read. Robert Fenner's The Conscientious Marine Aquarist and Eric Borneman's Aquarium Corals.
Fenner's book is great on setup and has a lot of good fish and coral info. The Bornemen book is a must have for anyone keeping corals. Of course, there are many other books that you may want to add to your saltwater library but these two will get you started right and are valuable references.
Dick

[EmilyB]

Your lighting will depend on what you want to keep. A reef of softies/LPS, I would say you could do two 175w MH on there (general rule is 1 per 2ft). Maybe 10kk-12kk bulbs to save you doing actinics.

Have you got a plan of what you want to put in there ? That is pretty important.

[vulkum]

welcome to The Reef Tank
your first purchase should be a good book, and theres another member here that has i think like 4 hes gonig to be getting rid of so if you interested in any of them , just look for dennisW on these boards or email me for his address.
i have to agree with the staff here i have a 90gal about the same as a 75gal and love it. not to long but gives me the extra depth wheres the 55gal i have doesn't. i now have a nice little lagoon in front of all my rock to keep my clams and LPS corals. for the lighting i would do the VHO its the most versatile of lighting and will be needed later if metal halide is in future upgrades. i kept a 29gal reef under vho's for almost a year and everything did fine. when you want to get into SPS and clams then your talking more expensive equipment and more maintance then a softie tank. you can find a 4 bulb electronic VHO set-up all wired with endcaps online for 139.00 ,and figure 20.00 a bulb 2 50/50 and 2 super actinic.
aaron

[OodleyBoodely]

An added bonus to buying a electronic ballasted VHO lighting system is that you can use standard normal output NO bulbs in it. Their performance is only slightly lower than the VHO bulbs, not that I can tell any differance, but the reall advantage is the savings! VHO bulbs=$23-27ea. NO 6500k from Home Depot=$3.95 ea. The actinics will cost you more, but, at least you can save on the daylight bulbs!

[asmith]

Hi Jamnelsvgs,

You have been given lots of good advice so I don't really have anything to add. I just wanted to welcome you to The Reef Tank!

Andrew