29 Gallon Tank FOWLR to REEF tank Lighting Question

Hello,
I have an Eclipse 3 29 gallon glass tank that I would like to convert from FOWLR tank to a Reef tank with corals and anemones and a few reef friendly fish but I was curious if the lighting I am using now would be efficient enough for corals and anemones. I currently am using
1 24" 17w actinic 420 bulb
heres link:



1 24" 20w bulb
heres link:


Please Help!!
Thanks in advance

 

Hi, and welcome to FL!

I'm afraid your lighting isn't going to be sufficient for a reef system. Since you're using an Eclipse hood, IMO an upgrade is going to mean removing the hood and purchasing a light fixture. I'd recommend a power compact fixture at a minimum, but a high output T5 fixture would be better. You could go with metal halide lighting if you want, but it's likely that you'll end up with heat issues in a tank that size I think.

Anemones, in general, are delicate animals that require a mature system to thrive. You'll probably need T5 or MH lighting to keep one, as PC lighting won't have the intensity that one would need.

 

My tank is fairly tall compared to most reef tanks that I have see will this be an issue for a reef tank or will it work and do you know of any reasonable price options I could do for my tanks lighting? I don't mind changing out the hood of my eclipse tank for better lighting I'm just a little lost on what lighting to get for my tall tank
Thanks for your help

 

Assuming you have a standard sized 29 gallon tank, I'd go with a 4 bulb T5 strip. This is the only 30 inch, 4 bulb fixture I can find at the moment. It has built in timers and moonlights as well.

 

Thank you for all your help I really like this lighting and will most likely purchase this fixture I've just gotta check the dimensions of my tank and make sure it will fit =]
Thanks again!

 

Here is a picture of my tank now

 

Wow, that's a nice looking tank, and it sure is tall!

That actually looks more like a 37 gallon than a 29 gallon to me. The 37 has the same footprint, it's just taller. There's one way to find out for sure though; just take some measurements and plug them into the tank calculator at the bottom of the page.

 

Oh wow this whole time I thought it was a 29 gallon you were right its 37.34g the measurements came out to 30"L 12.5"W and 23" high

 

So if I'm reading right the light fixture you recommended should fit perfectly on top of my tank? Also because it is so much taller do you still think the lights will be powerful enough for corals and anemones?

 

With that fixture, you could pretty much rule out many sps corals. Still, you'd have a lot of options for softies and lps corals. I'm not sure how an anemone would do with that lighting. I have 6 bulbs over my 50 gallon and it is shorter than your 37 gallon. Hopefully someone who has more anemone experience will be able to help you out.

 

Alright well thank you for all your help much appreciated!! You've got me headed in the right direction!