offminded

Ok...so I am slowly gathering the equipment for my 55 gallon FOWLR and I am trying to make a decision on what type of lighting to go with. I am looking at a variety of fixtures...some with lunar lighting and some without. Are lunar lights something that I should get for my tank? I don't think that they are necessary, but do they provide something extra and relatively cool to look at in the evening hours? The fixture I am looking at is the Nova Extreme T 5 with Lunar Lights...48" in length 216 watts (Four 54 watt with 4 lunar lights). They package comes with SlimPaq 460nm Actinic and 10000K T 5 HO lamps. Can anyone suggest something different? Is this fixture too "advanced" for a FOWLR? The cost is $219.99. Thanks.

pistorta

I don't think it's too advanced for what you have and believe your live rock will do well under it. I have lunar lights built into my light fixture and like the ability to see the nocturnal behaviors of the occupants. They are actually brighter than I thought they would be based on the power rating 4- 1 watt 470 nm LEDs.

sgould

The lunar lights will be primarily more for your benefit than the rocks/inhabitants. As pistorta points out, it lets you see more of the nocturnal behaviors you don't get to see during the day.

offminded

ok...great...do you guys think that i have chosen a good product? or do you have some other suggestions?

sgould

When I upgraded my lighting, I very nearly went with the Nova Extreme. If you are looking for an alternative to the expense of MH, I think you have a good option there. They will not be as intense as MH would be, which will put some limitations on corals you can keep. But there are plenty of others that would do quite well under the T5's, if you decide to delve into a reef setup down the road.

pistorta

You may want to look at Coralife PC fixtures. They are comparatively priced and have a greater light output (greater intensity) needed by deeper tanks (> 18"). With PC lighting you would be set for anemones and some corals if this is a route you decide to take. As sgould mentioned, MH would be the best route for anything that has hight light requirements.

offminded

ok...this is going to sound like a really stupid question...but i have to ask. if my tank is 48" long...can i just get a fixture that is 48" long or do i have to buy 2 - 24" fixtures? I was just wondering if the brace in the middle of the tank would be a problem.

offminded

what are PC fixtures?

pistorta

PC - Power Compact

The brace in the middle is not a problem and you will want to go with a 48" fixture.