Brandon Posted September 20, 2010 Share Posted September 20, 2010 ok well here is the deal i am in the process of setting up and getting my first salt tank up and running and i have been trying to do my best to reaserch and find what would be the best lighting i shuold use but i kinda wanted some advise from some people with more experience so what would be the best choice for a beginner who wants to keep a simple tank but in the future wants to add corals and anemones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimD Posted September 20, 2010 Share Posted September 20, 2010 Great question..... There's a lot of choices when it comes to lighting... First thing, buy once, buy smart. Fluorescent is a great way to go, very versitile and extremely expandable. T-5's inparticular. If you plan to eventually get into corals, most are gonna require more light than say a fish only tank. Metal halide/T-5 combo is very popular as well as metal halide/VHO, meaning Very High output T-12 fuorescent bulbs usually actinic (blue) in color to help make the colors 'glow'... Just do some research and ask questions... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mFrame Posted September 20, 2010 Share Posted September 20, 2010 +1 to JimD. T5s give you the most versatility for the cost. Metal Halide (MH) tend to cost more and generate much more heat. T5s will let you grow most things such as softies, LPS, some SPS, and anemones. The next question for you is whether you want a manufactured light fixture or if you're going to install one into a canopy (called a retrofit). Retrofits allow you to do your own wiring and ballasts and therefore keep the same equipment when you upgrade to a bigger tank. Check out our for sale section (selfish plug), it'll help to give you an idea of what's out there and the costs involved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon Posted September 23, 2010 Author Share Posted September 23, 2010 well i dont think i am quite ready to build my own lighting system so i am probably gonna go with the manufactured direction Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted September 23, 2010 Share Posted September 23, 2010 I'm not sure what your budget is, but it should definitely be a factor. The super nice MH or combo lights can easily be upwards of $600. If you do go the T5 route, I recommend TEK lights or other high quality brands. The TEK's look great and last a long time. It sucks when your ballast goes out a year after you purchase the light, and a new one costs about the same as the light itself. Some of the Coralife and other lower-end lights are known to have poor quality ballasts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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