29gal Tank Lighting Recommendations

mario8402 · 01-26-2007, 06:39 AM

Hello,
I Have a 29gal tank with LR, LS, and bicolor pseudo.. I would eventually like to have some soft coral in there and was wondering what type of light I should get.. I have a 29gal tank with stock hood and stock lighting.. The stock hood is 30" long. I was told by someone that I would need a T5 light and told by another that I need MH.. too confusing, all I know is that I need a light that will fit my tank length wise and will fit decently as I dont have a cabinet hood over the tank and it is in my living room so too much light disperssion would be a negative.. can anyone post any links etc.. thanks for your help

glampka · 01-26-2007, 07:30 AM

Talk to 100 people & you'll get 100 different answers. I have a 30 gallon reef & use 2 x 55 watt PCs & have never had a problem using combination daylight/actinic bulbs. My corals (frogspawn, green star polyps, mushrooms) all thrived under it. The big questions are what kind of corals do you want to keep & what type of budget do you have to work with? Chek the Lighting section of the forum for more info.

mario8402 · 01-28-2007, 09:18 PM

I have been looking at these more and more ( eBay: New 30" Coralife 2 x 65 watt +2 lunar lights Fixture (item 220067439662 end time Jan-31-07 13:38:46 PST) ) .. anyone have any personal experience with this light fixture in particular? I am running stock hood right now, so I will need the whole fixture. This one has 3 seperate cords so I can run seperate timers on them, seems like I read they are a dusk, day, and moon light. I am not sure what actinic means. Thoughts?
Only problem I forsee with it is that my current light fixture(Which is removable) is only 4 1/4 inches wide.. This one is 7 1/4 inches wide so I will have to modify the existing cover to accomdate

I was also looking at this one 30" Aqualight T-5 - Double Linear Strip which doesnt look as exciting and there are actually less lights...

I think I need T5 lights which is why I am posting these particular lights..

My tank is 30" long , 12 inches wide and 18 inches deep.

4G1v3N · 01-28-2007, 09:25 PM

Mario It really depends on what type of corals you want to keep. If you dont really know what type and would like to cover the basics of lighting i would definitly go with the coralife. I think that would cover all softies. And the moonlights are very cool. Actinics are pretty simmiliar to day bulbs but they have a blue tint to them similar to a black light. If you can afford it go with the coralife and do the mod to the plastic. also look into power heads if you dont have any. it will help with circulation and also a protien skimmer.

Good luck!
-jordan

turbo4603 · 01-28-2007, 09:37 PM

Definitely t5 are awesome, in my opinion, better than pc. But the t5 fixture your looking at is a little too low on the wattage imo. So in this case, the pc are a better option.

turbo4603 · 01-28-2007, 09:39 PM

4g1v3n, what mod are you talking about??
Im intrested, you have a link? What is it for?

4G1v3N · 01-28-2007, 10:09 PM

[quote=mario8402;357821]I have been looking at these more and more Only problem I forsee with it is that my current light fixture(Which is removable) is only 4 1/4 inches wide.. This one is 7 1/4 inches wide so I will have to modify the existing cover to accomdate

Just the top of his tank, nothing to the lights

turbo4603 · 01-28-2007, 10:14 PM

Oh man,lol i thought it was some sort of mod for the fixture itself, my bad.
When i work nightshift, it impaires my thinking! lol

mario8402 · 01-29-2007, 01:16 PM

this is all too confusing..
T5 is better than PC, but if the wattage is too low, PC is better.. what if they are the same watts? where can i find a HIGH watt T5 fixture?? I gonna strap a mag light to the top of the tank and call it quits hah

Diver_1298 · 01-29-2007, 01:31 PM

watt for watt the t5-ho puts out more lux, lumens, and par than a pc light will.

J