Marine Lighting In Tropical Tank

[Zante]

I have a new tank and I intend to use it for an amazon biotope: discus, tetra, GBRs and corys.

It is still without lighting (I've just finished cleaning it) and a fellow aquarist is offering a marine lighting setup for free.

It's halides, that's all I know for the moment.

Is it worth considering or should I get a 4xT5 setup with tropical bulbs?
I know where to get one for £150 so it would be relatively inexpensive...

 

[balajake]

i would like to know this too as i was planning to put in 2 t5 marine whites and 2 t5 tropicals in my tank. i ve seen them on iquatics but wasnt sure if i could

 

[Katch]

Halides I'd stay away from - you risk serious algae issues as they have very high output. You'd need CO2 and perfect fert dosing to maintain the tank. Not too mention the heat they kick out and the electricity they use!

Marine white T5s are fine - there's a lot of talk about needing 5000k or 6500k light for plants but research on the barr report has proven it really doesn't matter - light is light. Marine white tends to be 10,000k and I much prefer its aesthetic I find 5000/6500k too yellow.

 

[balajake]

thanks for the reply

 

[Nick217]

If its 70w for a larger tank 250L+ i would say it should be fine?