cdmorrison01

+1 Metal Halides
I don't have any expererience with T5's but I can tell you that Metal Halides will do. My favorate mix was Metal Halides with VHO bulbs for the extra glow.

Thanks for the post. How many watts for the metal halides?

I have a 55g with 2 250w metal halides running and I can put anything in there. It may be a bit much actually, I have to keep them like 10-12 inches over the water so they don't overheat the water or burn corals. I also run a couple VHO actinics, but I'm thinking I'll switch it over to a new blue LED tube that I can pre-order at premium aquatics. I think any future tank I put together will run LED if the costs come down.

I have found a couple of options as far as MH goes. Coralife has a couple of models. The specific model I am looking at has 2x150wMH and 2x65w actinic. It will be a while before I get it though....it's a little $$$. Thanks for the input!

What kind of canopy do you have right now? Can you install a retro kit instead of a finished fixture? That will save money. 2 x 175w MH with 2 VHO actinics or T5s will give you a nice combination of color, light and the livestock you want will do well, assuming you keep up with the rest of the tank's husbandry.

150w are too week for a 55g. I have one over my 20g, and it is barely enough.

Marc,
I don't have a canopy. I have considered building one b/c it might be cheaper. Thanks for the info on the 150w. The other set up I saw was 2x250w with 2x54w actinics. I am going to have to start saving my pennies....for a long time!

Originally Posted by cdmorrison01

Marc,
I don't have a canopy. I have considered building one b/c it might be cheaper. Thanks for the info on the 150w. The other set up I saw was 2x250w with 2x54w actinics. I am going to have to start saving my pennies....for a long time!

I hear you. Those commercial-built light fixtures are expensive. I've always gone the retro kit way, because it saves money.

It's surprisingly cheap to build a canopy if you have basic woodworking skills. Just take my advice: DO NOT use edge-glued plywood! The boards are made of smaller pieces of wood glued together to make a large board, and they look nice for the lower price. What I didn't think about was that the heat generated by MH bulbs kills the glue! I had to do some emergency repairs when I noticed my lights slowly sinking toward the water. Any other wood will do fine.

i run a sun blaze 48" 4 bulb t5 suspended with geissmen bulbs-3 actinic + and 1 aqua blue + the colors great and its perfect for most corals mid to high tank position. i paid 150.00 new for this fixture its bare bones, no fans and only 1 switch-all on or all off, but it does the job and suspending it is a plus. here is a link:

http://www.sunlightsupply.com/aqua/p...g&type=product

i will put some pics up of the setup soon.

I fixed your link so it is clickable, temperhead.