Lighting

I hate to ask because everyone has different opinions but what kind of lighting would you recommend for 65 gallon long. I would like to start with softies but would like to have the option open to eventually go to hard corals. I would probably be willing to spend up to 600 dollars.

Thank You

 

Got a full hood ? 600.00 is rater alot odf loot to light a 65 LOL

 

Get MH's so your options are open for the future.

 

I agree wityh Lunatik, dont do what i did and end up spending less in the beginning on lights that would only be able to house softies and then want/have to upgrade later on. In the end it would actually cost less and you would get some nice softie growth by the time you get hard corals

 

Yeah it has a canopy but i don't have to use it, I was just saying that was my limit on what I would spend. What are some good brands you would recommend and what are some good sites to look at.

Thanks

 

can you tell me how far the inside top og the canopy is from the waters surface .. Or above the top rim of the tanks. Thats the next factor that would determine the type of lighting for you and what are the long term goals you have for this tank ? Corals and fish and what type of corals ? Soft's LPS or SPS a mixture

 

Do you want to incorporate lights in the hood or get a fixture? As for lighting you could either go with MH w/ actinics or full T-5Hos. I have T-5s over my 55 and the sps love it.

 

Here is where I got my MH lighting. It was by far the cheapest I could find. If you have 600$ you might want to invest in a nicer bulb or maybe an electronic ballast.. I chose the 10k bulb option, the brand is "Plusrite" so I don't know if it is a good quality or not, but it sure does a good job of growing things & lighting up the tank (& generating lots of heat, heh)!