buying new lights help!

[Bassmunky]

MY tank is a 55 gal 48"w x 13"L x 20" h

So i saw this on E-bay

NEW 48? 216W T5 AQUARIUM LIGHT FIXTURE REEF FISH TANK - eBay (item 310297049182 end time Mar-19-11 17:56:03 PDT)

and thought holy crap this is a deal! But on the other hand I am being offered a this

Coralife Lunar Aqualight T5 Lamp High Output Fixture

for $200 from a guy locally and the lights are band spanking new!

So, which should I buy, and is this enough light to keep corals that i may buy happy?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Waddi]

I believe you need about a 1-4 watt per gallon, if i remember correctly. I have a 300w light over a 32 gallon. Overkill i know! :roll:
But if i were you i would go for Coralife. But its all up to you!! Sure someone else will chip in! :D

 

[ErinCahir]

You should aim for about 6-8 watts/gallon. That would let you keep anything you wanted.

 

[Cathic]

wpg isnt a standard much anymore though 6-8 is the best bet,i would go with bulb count these day 4 will be alright 6 is the preferable or optimum for t5 over that size and other than that i would look into a few different brands for best bang like a current nova extreme etc...

 

[Ulta]

I would go with the Coralife one for two reasons:

#1 It has brand new bulbs. Most stock fixtures have cheap POS bulbs in them
-4 new bulbs would run you $80-$100

#2 It looks like it has individual reflectors which will generate more PAR.

 

[Ulta]

and is this enough light to keep corals that i may buy happy?

It may be a little low for SPS but should be "ok"

-Depends on the depth of the corals.

What kind of bulbs are in it? (The coralife fixture)

 

[Bassmunky]

1 10,000K and 3 actinics but I would switch one out for another daylight bulb. I dont know why his came with 3 of those bulbs

 

[Ulta]

: / guess he didn't pick such great bulbs then...

 

[phastroh]

I just got my delivery of a Current Nova Pro 6x54 for like $360 from Fosters and Smith. Good price and great light. It did come with one bad bulb but they are sending me a new one already.

 

[reeffreak]

Both are about equal in light output.You may have less problems with a known manufacturer,the Coralife then a generic light from Ebay.

Both are good enough for LPS corals and soft corals.Personally,I would not attempt most SPS corals,clams and anemones(just not enough light) except for maybe a few exceptions.

 

[phastroh]

I have 2 anemones under only 216watts for a few weeks and they were fine. A guy from a comany told me if you don't have enough light you have to feed the anemone more.often and it will be fine.

One of the anemones hides from the lights. That is weird.