Lights!

[madness]

i have recently purchased this tank http/www.ndaquatics.co.uk/?pg=details&ii=46 an i was wondering how to light it unsure what corals i want to keep but definatly will be keeping a reef tank once ready. ive got most of the hardware sorted but ive hit a brick wall when its coming to lighting the tank. the tank has got a hinged hood on it and i do not want to use MH lights that leaves me with T and LEDS i was thinking of gettin an aquaray 1000 hd tile has anyone used these before? my biggest problem with these i cant find for the life of me how many ill need ie watts per gallon. can anyone shed some light on this for me please!

 

[ben1987]

you wont find an accurate watts per gallon rule...there is none!
You could have a very shallow 300 gallon tank and need 150W halides. Or a very narrow but deep one and need 1000W halides. All depends on the dimensions and what you want to keep.

ideally before buying a light unit you should decide where this tank is heading coral wise. You would be fine with TMC LEDS for soft corals and a few LPS, although they are very expensivee they would be ideal for this purpose - their light output is only just comparable to T5's. I had the older aqua rays and wasnt overally impressed.
If you decided on hard corals you would want something along the lines of a 4-6 tube T5 fixture each with an individual reflector.

Basically, you could do with finding some coral species/tanks you like, and we can help you from there. Best to buy once, rather than relise you got the wrong one and have to buy again.

 

[Morri]

Lights are a hard choice to make and dependant on what you want to keep like Ben said I spent weeks reasearching my lights and was not keen on halides due to running costs. LEDs are an option but needed in such high numbers the purchase costs become prohibitive. I decided on T5s as you can mix and match the colour to your needs and in my experince the ATI range gave the best lighting for the money spent and are activaly cooled.

Cant wait until the Plasma lights are realesed as this are perfect for marine tanks but are a few years away yet from what I have read.

Plasma Light

 

[seffieuk]

Oh my goodness, they look amazing Morri,

Seffie x

 

[Morri]

Aye they are being tested atm by some guys state side 1 plasma bulb for the whole tank + varying the voltage changes the colour to our desired range

 

[ben1987]

Lights are a hard choice to make and dependant on what you want to keep like Ben said I spent weeks reasearching my lights and was not keen on halides due to running costs. LEDs are an option but needed in such high numbers the purchase costs become prohibitive. I decided on T5s as you can mix and match the colour to your needs and in my experince the ATI range gave the best lighting for the money spent and are activaly cooled.

Cant wait until the Plasma lights are realesed as this are perfect for marine tanks but are a few years away yet from what I have read.

Plasma Light

crazy