So Many Aquarium Lights... Dont know what to pick!

[reefnewbie]

Hi guys!

So I am researching into what kind of light would be best for my aquarium and it seems a little overwhelming because there are sooo many to choose from!

What would you recommend? I am setting up a 100 gallon saltwater tank that will have live rock and sand. I also want to put mostly soft coral on it as well as fish such as clown fish and tangs...


Your opinion would be highly helpfull!:sfish:

 

[KMan]

https://www.livingreefs.com/lighting-101-a-t41427.html

Check out that link, it will help you understand lighting.. What you get from there is a whollllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllle other decision.. Remember.. You get what you pay for when it comes to lights..

 

[reefnewbie]

haha awesome! thank you !

 

[KMan]

No problem!, I'm in the same boat as you.. I have some cheap Power Compacts that i'm looking to upgrade to T5's or LED's I just dont know which ones...

 

[Bifferwine]

How long is your tank, reefnewbie?

 

[reefnewbie]

My tank is roughly 5 feet long, From what I read in the lighting section, LEDs is the way to go.

the trouble is finding how long u need it with how many bulbs, and what kind.... lol

 

[cvcdrk]

Most of the reputable LED lights (like Radions and AI Sol, etc) have tools on their websites to facilitate you deciding how many you need.

What does your lighting budget look like?

 

[little_fish]

5 ft is a really odd tank size and it could be rather hard to get a fixture for it

 

[reefnewbie]

Im looking to spend maybe 200 - 300 dollars on it? Would that be enough to get one that does the job pretty well?

 

[Cathic]

Well, honestly, not entirely. If you want to do LED's the cheaper fixtures from like ebay etc run around 166 a pop, youd need at least 2 for a decent coverage, but even then youll have some dark spots on the sides of the tank. For that price you could also pick up a cheaper MH T5 fixture, or you could get a 6 or 8 bulb only T5 fixture, again these arent going to be the "bells and whistles" versions or even a quality brand name, but they will get the job done adequately. You would however need to replace the bulbs on any mh t5 fixture or t5 only fixture, and the LED's I have no experience with so im not entirely sure what you would be looking at, it may just be the up front cost with those.

Lighting for this hobby is very expensive. Finding something in that price range will be hard especially for such a large tank. You may have to adjust your budget to have a more comfortable lighting setup.

 

[reefnewbie]

good to know cathic, thanks!

 

[Bifferwine]

Lighting is also something that isn't necessary right away. Lots of people start off with a FOWLR (fish only with live rock) tank, then save up money for good lights over time, then get corals down the road when they have the lights. Are you sure your tank is 5' and not 4' or 6'? Not that I doubt your measuring skills, but like Hannah said, that's an unusual size (tanks normally come in standard sizes).

 

[reefnewbie]

Yeah that makes sense cathic, this guy is selling me a dual bulb t5 fixture but from what u said, i dont think two bulbs would even cut it close right?

 

[Cathic]

nope, no where close.

 

[reefnewbie]

thats actually not a bad idea bifferwine...

Haha i measueed it with my armspan but i will get u an exact size, i need to get me a tape measure lol

so if i decide to get t5 lights i should probably stick in the range of 6 to 8 bulbs right?

 

[cvcdrk]

8 bulbs would obviously be better. How deep is the tank, though? Is it 8 long bulbs or 4 short on each side with 8 total?

 

[reefnewbie]

I ould say its a little over two feet deep. What would u recommend?

if i did decide to get LEDs anyone know hows many bulbs i should ger for that?

 

[Cathic]

yep, but you would want 6 or 8 bulbs across the tank lengthwise. I think the bulbs you are looking for would be 80w ea.

 

[Bifferwine]

As far as I know, T5s come in a max length of 4' (54 watts apiece). Any T5 fixtures that are longer than that use the 4' bulbs, but they stagger them, so there is less light on both sides than in the center.

 

[little_fish]

For a tank that deep and oddly shaped, i would probably look into DIY a metal halide fixture