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Saltwater Aquarium Lighting Forum for saltwater aquarium lighting topics. Perhaps one of the most expensive components in a reef tank set up, lighting is a topic that should researched thoroughly by the hobbyist. The type of lighting you use will determine which corals you can keep. There are several options for lighting such as T5-HO, VHO, Metal Halide, Power Compact and more recently LED. The new LED set ups are rather expensive but they can save you money in the long run.

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Old October 5th, 2008  
Fish Bum
 
Reef Lighting

I have read many articles and posts about reef tank lighting, but i wanted to ask for someones opinion. I have a 50 gal FOWLR tank, and I'm looking to convert to reef. I am looking at getting a Nova 48" t-5 light fixture with a total of 216 watts. Will this be enough lighting for a reef setup?
mstevens is offline  
Old October 5th, 2008  
Moderator
 
IMHO ... No. If you want SPS & LPS corals. I would go with at least a 6 bulb fixture. 8 would be best.
agsansoo is offline  
Old October 6th, 2008  
Fish Keeper
 
From what I've read, most corals need 4-7 watts per gallon, but softies would be okay. Also, I think if you arranged your structures so you could put a stuff near the top, that would help as well. That light would be on the lower end of that 4-7 range. I actually just got that same unit, the one that includes the lunar lights, and it's quite nice, although one of the bulbs broke during s/h. I personally would go with a little more light. I'm planning to add a second light to my tank maybe in the spring so I can get some hard corals, but mine's a 75 gallon, so I have the room up top to fit two lights without any compromise. I have the whole setup hooked to 3 timers (actinics on at 8am, daylight on at 9am, daylight off at 7pm and actinics off at 8pm, moonlights on from 8:30pm to 7:30 am) It looks great...now I just need to get some stuff in the tank, lol.
au01st is offline  
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