Lighting advice

Hey all! I have a 29g tank that I have converted from freshwater to salt water. I am planning on using this tank as a FOWLR tank. I am currently cycling with 2lbs of live rock seeding 40lbs of base rock. I am using the light that came with the tank(purchased as a kit). It is an All Glass Aquarium 17w 1" diameter(T8?) and 24" long. I believe it is time to change the bulb as it has about 2 years of use on it.

Will this light be sufficient for my needs? I am considering converting the fixture to hold 2 T5 bulbs(I think they will fit). Is that a better option? I would like to use the hood or one like it as I prefer the aesthetics of it better than a pendant light or clip on model. Is there somewhere I can purchase a replacement hood with T5 bulbs already in it?

Sorry for so many random questions, I have been reading this site for the entire 6 weeks of my cycle and now I am almost ready for a fish. Thank you for being a great resource for a newb like me!

 

you dont really need better lighting, fish dont really require any special lighting.

 

ive gotta agree. lighting isnt important with just FO . if you decide to add corals, then i would do the t5 upgrade. and wheres the pics? oh and welcome to 3reef

 

I am at work so the pics will have to wait until tomorrow. I thought I was ok, but just wanted to be sure before I purchased a fish.

Thanks for the fast replies!

 

have you added your CUC yet? and what fish are you thinking of getting?

 

Welcome to 3reef. +1 on replacing the bulb only.

 

CUC is in the tank and have been for 2 weeks. I did the shrimp thing for the first 4 weeks, then added my live rock and CUC at the same time, got a mini cycle and that is just winding down now. I think I have a water change in my near future and then I am thinking of adding a clown. I will probably add a dwarf angel and 1-2 small fish(like chromis) but those will come later, probably much later. My goal with this tank is color. It was set up as a cichlid tank for about 2 years and I just got bored with them and didn't set it back up when I moved cross country a few years back.

I am excited with the tank as the water is crystal clear and the live rock looks amazing and colorful. I think after a year or so I may upgrade the lighting and make it a reef tank or heaven forbid, decide it's not big enough and buy something along the lines of a 125g. Who knows though? ;D

One other thing, what color temp should I go with for the best visual? And how long should the light be on? Currently I am running it for roughly 14hrs a day.

 

I still haven't replaced the bulb in my fixture, but i came across this thread http://www.3reef.com/forums/i-made/...-actinic-supplement-48-light-strip-92290.html today and was wondering if this would work for my tank? My thought would be to do like 8 blue and 8 white LEDs on 2 separate power supplies. I would like to just reuse the current fixture and use the 40 degree lenses. I am hoping with this setup I should be able to house corals in my tank?

Until today, I had no intention of having corals... but they are just so darn pretty.