Another lighting question

[shanet1975]

Morning....
The used setup I just picked up has a homemade hood setup with 4 65 watt flourescent bulbs. I would like to upgrade these to something a little better to be able to someday have coral in my tank. No rush, as these lights are fine for my little clown fish I have.
My tank is a standard 55 gallon, 48' long. He had put 48 inch bulbs (or whatever size they are to match a 48' fixture). If I were to look into a t5 retrofit kit, would I be OK? The hood is fully enclosed and there are no fans. Do t5's run hot? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
I'd like to keep using the hood if I can as it matches the stand and dresses the tank up a bit...
Thanks again!!!

 

[Dave McReeferson]

Moved into this forum for greater visibility.

 

[willray]

You can have coral with that light. 4x 65 watts.... is plenty of light until you get more comfortable w/ reefkeeping.You'll be able to sustain most softy's and some lps,sps.I'd keep an eye on the tank temp tho.Fully enclosed hood is going to hold in alot of heat.All bulbs will give off a considerable amount of heat.A fan or fans will not only keep the heat down but will increase the life of your bulbs...

 

[shanet1975]

Thank you....I will plan on installing a couple fans under he hood as your righ it does get quite warm under there. It is opened in the back, but still holds a lot of heat...

 

[Jill & Brian]

Long term, you could go with a t-5 retro kit, and that would work nicely on a 55. You would definately want fans, and you should also get a kit with individual reflectors for the bulbs. I went from 4x96w pc's to 5x54w t-5 and the difference in coral color, growth and health was immesurable.

Good Luck!!