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	Lighting Up
fandan Hobbyist Posts: 130 Kudos: 43 Registered: 24-Mar-2007	hey could someone reccomend me some lights to buy? i didnt think that it would be a hard decision but then i looked online to purchase some and there are so many on offer i was left confused and unsure what i was even looking for! basically i have a 50gal tank and i want to run 2 to 2.5 WpG, do you go metal hallide or fluro or what?
Posted 29-Apr-2007 14:50
RNJ_Punk Big Fish Cory Fanatic Posts: 395 Kudos: 114 Votes: 137 Registered: 12-Nov-2006	Yesterday I just got a Coralife light for my 55 gallon. It is 48 inches long and brings my lighting up to 2.4 wpg. It is fluro. It seems to work really good and has greened up my plants.
Posted 29-Apr-2007 18:01
lysaer Hobbyist Posts: 117 Kudos: 57 Votes: 2 Registered: 07-Apr-2007	I've been doing a lot of research and questioning into this very subject lately! Here's what I've found: If you're running a freshwater tank, you want to stick with flourescent or compact flourescent. metal halide really is for saltwater. For a 50 gallon tank to run 2wpg, you need a total of 100 watts, which is gonna be kinda hard to get since most regular 48" flouro bulbs are 2x40watts, that would put you at 80 watts or 1.6wpg. Compact flouros run 55 or 65 watts each, or 110/130 watts total if you get a 2 bulb fixture like the Odyssea 130. That would give you 2.2 and 2.6wpg respectively. So I would recommend looking into a 130w 2 bulb compact flourescent light such as that one, to get the range you're looking for. And a lot of the lights will say that they come with one 10,000K white, and one 6500k Actinic blue bulb, the blue bulb is not good for freshwater setups or plants, but if you're ordering the light from a retailer you usually can haggle with them to swap the actinic for a regular white bulb. Listen! Do you smell that?
Posted 29-Apr-2007 19:29
djrichie Big Fish Rough but Honest [img]htt Posts: 366 Kudos: 309 Votes: 45 Registered: 29-Jan-2007	I'm going to assume that his is for your FW planted tanks you were looking for substrate for. So that being said, metal hallide would be very expensive and IMO unneseccary, they are generally used in SW tanks. I would suggest a compact fluorescent lighting. They are small and put out a lot of light, they do run hot so make sure they would have a fan. I use odyssea compact lights, the ones I use are 48" 2X65watts with K6700 this give me 130watts of light per fixture. I also have a couple 24" and a 24" 55watt T8 fixtures. They are relatively inexpensive but have all the features of more pricier lights. I have been running 2 now for 4 years and have not had any problems, except for have to replace bulbs yearly, as you should because of a bulbs natural degeneration. When looking at the bulb for planted they should have a K rating somewhere between 6700 to 8000, this range is said to be the best for plant growth and as well as viewing. Here is a site to that will help explain it better :http://www.1000bulbs.com/page.php?s=KelvinTempExplained. As far as what light fixture to buy, you need to decide what features you want and how much you want/can afford to pay. Yes quality is a factor to consider because you want it to last. but the most important factor is the wattage and K rating of the bulb. (IMO) Djrichie "So Long, and Thanks For All The Fish" Douglas Adams
Posted 29-Apr-2007 19:49
FRANK Moderator Posts: 5108 Kudos: 5263 Votes: 1690 Registered: 28-Dec-2002	Hi, Actually you can get Compact Fluorescent bulbs in 55, 65, and 95 wattages. Frank -->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--
Posted 29-Apr-2007 21:35
lysaer Hobbyist Posts: 117 Kudos: 57 Votes: 2 Registered: 07-Apr-2007	I sit corrected, but 2 out of 3 wasn't bad! Listen! Do you smell that?
Posted 30-Apr-2007 01:34


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