55G lighting ADVICE from everyone and anyone!

[Aquataholic420]

Hey guys, Im a new member here and I have been interested in the Saltwater setups for years now... i have done my part researching all the fish i want to house, and even some i dont want to have.. i ve done this online and with books and thru people i meet. I finally have some money i can spend on setting up my 55G for a Liverock/Live sand, with some lionfish... Only DWARFS! I would like to keep some beginner corals until i KNOW EXACTLY what I'm doing.

What lighting would be a perfect setup for a 55G?? MH/T5/PC? how many watts, and how many bulbs?? also what is a good price range for Mh, and whats a good price range for PC? i have a regular dimensioned tank, like 48" long.. My goal is to have 2 lions, maybe a type of Goby thats compatible and some BEGINNER corals that will catch an eye.... I will take any comments and advice with a Smile.. thanks for your patience with the ROOKIE and Have a good day
-Josh

Also my tank has limited space, so i cannot hang lights from my ceiling, i have a FW 55G breeding tank directly above this 55G which will be SW.

 

[NateHanson]

I would like to keep some beginner corals until i KNOW EXACTLY what I'm doing.

What lighting would be a perfect setup for a 55G

Lighting is an important decision for a reef tank, so I think you should have an idea of what corals you plan to keep. It doesn't make sense to buy a $300 light for "beginner corals", because then when you're not a beginner anymore you might need a different light. Instead, decide if you want to keep a lower-light reef (zoas, leathers, softies, etc), or if you want to ultimately keep stoney corals, acropora, clams, etc. Then buy the light that will fit your needs down the road. VHO or T5 can work for the high-light corals/clams, but by far the most popular choice is MH. If you want to keep lower light stuff then stick with VHO or T5. PC is a possibility also, but it is by far the least efficient of all four light types, IMO.

 

[Moe_K]

I agree w/ Nate. Good advice.

 

[Aquataholic420]

Excellent Logic and advice.. thank you... which type of setting would be more ideal for a lionfish?? I dont want clams and stuff like that.. i just want some colors on my rocks... I really am a beginner obviously and i was wondering what corals did you guys first house???

And whats a good price range for Mh/T5/VHO... also which of these will keep the ELECTRIC BILL DOWNNNNNNNN??? thanks agian for all your patience with me!

 

[ScooterNH]

From another beginner (though someone recently told me that at 9-10 months maybe I've graduated to "advanced beginner" or "tadpole" or something ;-).

Anyway, your fish won't require intense lighting. So Nates question of what kinds of corals might you want and what's appropriate for THEM is the real issue. Since you said you just want some color and easy to keep corals, stuff I started with (and am stil into) are mushrooms ("corallimorphs" anemones actually), button polyps (zanthids) and leather corals. You might even do pretty well with xenia and kenya tree (capnella). There's a whole list of stuff to avoid unless you have the right conditions, so it's good to ask first.


I have the above mentioned stuff in my small hex tank which only has 4 10watt 50/50 florescent mini PC bulbs. That's not very much light at all and it's almost been a year and everything in there is still doing pretty well and reproducing occasionally.

There's probably someone in the club who lives near you and can give you some starter stuff like this. In fact, while my tanks aren't yet "overly prolific" (yet), if you are ever in my neck of the woods (Manchester/Nashua NH), look me up. I'm about at the point now where I can start sharing. ;-) Like so many nice people in the club have done for me.

 

[DanStL]

With the 12" x 48" footprint, T5's would work really well.

 

[RichConley]

With the 12" x 48" footprint, T5's would work really well.

I second that, T5HOs are a perfect fit for a 55g, and honestly, a 2x54w T5 Teklight could probably keep everything from xenia to mushrooms to zoos. With a 4 bulb, you can keep whatever you want. (you could also just buy a 2 bulb Tek fixture, and if you want to keep SPS later down, buy a 2nd one)

 

[SaltCreep]

T5........

close to power compact price but better / newer/ faster.

 

[Aquataholic420]

From another beginner (though someone recently told me that at 9-10 months maybe I've graduated to "advanced beginner" or "tadpole" or something ;-).

Anyway, your fish won't require intense lighting. So Nates question of what kinds of corals might you want and what's appropriate for THEM is the real issue. Since you said you just want some color and easy to keep corals, stuff I started with (and am stil into) are mushrooms ("corallimorphs" anemones actually), button polyps (zanthids) and leather corals. You might even do pretty well with xenia and kenya tree (capnella). There's a whole list of stuff to avoid unless you have the right conditions, so it's good to ask first.


I have the above mentioned stuff in my small hex tank which only has 4 10watt 50/50 florescent mini PC bulbs. That's not very much light at all and it's almost been a year and everything in there is still doing pretty well and reproducing occasionally.

There's probably someone in the club who lives near you and can give you some starter stuff like this. In fact, while my tanks aren't yet "overly prolific" (yet), if you are ever in my neck of the woods (Manchester/Nashua NH), look me up. I'm about at the point now where I can start sharing. ;-) Like so many nice people in the club have done for me.

Dude ur awesome, i will have to look you up, I LIVE IN LONDONDERRY.. i go to PSU in plymouth... i really want to see some pics of these corals, (yours i mean). i wont have the tank ready for corals for probably a month and a half... i still need many supplies to get... But thanks for being kind.. and i will definatley be willing to take you up on your generous offer!

-Josh

And i think i will get some T5's... 2 48" bulb fixture.. a rough estimate price for the bulbs and fixture??? thanks for everyones advice

 

[ScooterNH]

... i wont have the tank ready for corals for probably a month and a half... i still need many supplies to get... But thanks for being kind.. and I will definatley be willing to take you up on your generous offer!

-Josh

Patience if very good. Seriously, it pays off to wait and let everything settle and get the balance established with your water, chemistry, live rocks etc first Even better if you can get some coraline growing, then it's really ready for corals. Let me know when you think it's ready. PM, Email whatever works.

It's probably best for the first month or two to start with just liverock, some janitors, and small number of fish, and then slowly introduce some corals and see how they do. You'll also probably get some polyps and mushrooms from live rock. But definitely let everything have a chance to go through the various cycles.