best lights ?please help

C

che2003

AC Members
Oct 30, 2003
23
0
0
61
Central NJ
www.geocities.com
hi ,everyone great forum!
I'm interested in setting up a saltwater aquarium after owning a freshwater for a number of years I decided to go for the marine life. I love the colors of the reefs, anemones and the fish so I'm going for a 90 gallon 50/50 reef/fish.my question is, wich lights should I use for this setup ?I'm a little confused and need your help on wich is the best lighting setup that will bring out the colors of rocks corals fish etc. without braking my wallet and if you can send me some links I would really apreciate it
che.
 
I've been researching lights for a while, I haven't set my tank up yet though. It seems to be the best bet to get a power compact or PC setup. It is a form of fluorescent that gives up a lot of juice and doesn't burn up your wallet. Custom sealife has great setups, they even come with simulated moonlite which is supposed to help corals. They have a 48" setup on ebay for about $230-$240. That's the cheapest, easiest setup I could find. That comes with everythnig too, bulbs, cooling fans and all, so check out ebay
 
It really depends on what you want to keep. COrals are diverse, with different lighting needs. With PC lighting, you can get by with about 3-4 watts/gallon if you just want soft corals, but the requirements go up from there. What people tell me is that, in the long run, metal halide will be better if you want to keep more demanding corals and anemones. The lamps need to be replaced less often.
I use 130 watts on a 20, which is enough for most soft and stony corals and the less demanding clams, but would probably be inadequate for acropora corals, and is definitely inadequate for maxima or crocea clams.
Lighting is likely to be the most expensive component of your setup, but it is the one area you shouldn't skimp.
 
Thanks guys ,
So what should be the apropiate wpg to keep the anemones and corals happy ? and is there a way to make my own light kit ? it will not be seen , since most of the aquarium will be inside a closet and only the aquarium front glass will be exposed on the other side wich is the rec. room
thanks in advance.
 
ok, I decided on the CustomSeaLife Metal Halide 10,000K - Power Compact Hood with (2)175watt Metal Halide (2)65watt that will put me on 480 watt of light / 90 gallons= 5.3 wpg any comments or advise on this light set? thanks again!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom