Lighting?

[LIZETTE]

:scratch:Can anyone tell me which is better:
1.) Current USA Satellite Single 30 inch compact fluorescent aquarium light.:goldfish2 Specs:
One 65 Watt SmartPaq 50/50 Lamp (10,000K/460nm Actinics)
One lunar light
One on/off switch
Docking mounts: mounting legs to lift the Satellite light above the top of the aquarium
Acrylic lens

2.) Coralife Aqualight High Output T5 Aquarium Lighting Fixture, 2X31W, 30 inch. Specs:
Low profile. Dimensions without legs: 2.25" tall X 30" long X 6" wide. With legs the fixture is 3.75" tall.
Does not include a fan
Adjustable Mounting Legs included
Includes one 31 watt 10,0000K Daylight Lamp and one 31 watt Actinic Blue Lamp
Single power cord & built in on/off switch
Acrylic splash guard


Please guys and gals I wish to obtain better then what I have, without spending so much. Please tell me which is a better for lps and sps.. Thanks for your help.:wink1:

 

[cmor1701d]

Depends. What do you want to keep under those lights?
I don't think you'll find much in the way of SPS that will survive with that little light.
There's probably quite a few LPS, zoas, mushrooms, etc. that will do fine.
How big is this tank?
Gallons and depth/height?

 

[LIZETTE]

thanks for the quick response I'm looking at keeping inexpensive coral, such as zoas, mushrooms, xenia and some feather dusters and long tentacle anemones. not much I have a 36 gallon bow front.

 

[bmarkus]

I am a big fan of tek lights with D-D bulbs I have 2 tanks a 150 and a 300 both have that set up and I grow SPS better then most people grow them under MH lights. Also I have a 90 gallon with just fish with the same lights. I think they are very fairly prices and work great. I would not buy current or coralife for the same money i would buy a much better setup.

 

[LIZETTE]

Thanks bmarkus Where Can I find tek lights with D-D bulbs for inexpensive and would that be too extreme for the little im gonna use it for? :screama:

 

[bmarkus]

I know some people say they are expensive however I go to Country Critters tell them Boris sent you (631.758.6777) they will give you a fair price. The problem with the tek lights you might have to give who ever a few days as they are not always in stock. No I don't think it is to much as it is still a T5 set up and if you want to make a change to SPS you will not have to buy new lights. D-D also gives a few options at the bulbs I use 60% Actinic + *(blue) and 40% Aquablue (white) the bulbs will last up to 18mos

 

[LIZETTE]

Ty Boris Looking into it. :google:If by chance its something I can not get into at the time which of the compact and t5 lights:idea: i previosly posted would be better?

 

[bmarkus]

Sorry I will not support any of those two. I tried the current before the tek and they sucked the BIG ONE! and coralife in my opinion puts out a so so product. I have always been a strong believer is saying to myself I will buy the best. If I cannot do it now I will wait till I can.

 

[LIZETTE]

OK thank you for your honesty ..:fight2:..lol

 

[OzoneParkGuy]

Rule of thumb for lighting is 3-5watts per gallon. 3 being minimum. The lighting really depends on your budget. Seems your going with softies. Zoa's, mushrooms, and the like, as you stated. Good Idea untill you grasp the hang of things. Soon you will be on your way to wanting a bigger tank. Trust me on this...LOL! For a 36 gallon you may want to look into a light fixture with 110Watts. Either being Power Compact's or T5's. Again, it's your choice. People sometimes say go with this or that, that's a matter of preference. I ran a coralife pc fixture with no issues with zoa's and mushrooms and the like.. Again, that was me and my choice. Feel me. You'll be fine with whatever fixture you decide to get . There is a lot of wonderful people here to help and this forum is excellent. Good Luck and Happy Reefing! Welcome to MR's!!

 

[tomtoothdoc]

Thanks bmarkus Where Can I find tek lights with D-D bulbs for inexpensive and would that be too extreme for the little im gonna use it for? :screama:

if you were looking at the current and the coral life, i think the tek lights would be a lot more than you were planning to spend (300-400 range depending on how many bulbs). plus i don't think there's a 30" tek light fixture so you'll have to compromise with 24" or 36" i don't believe there's a 30 inch t5 bulbs anyway...the 30" fixture most likely will be using a 22" or 24" bulb. off the top of my head, i don't think there's more than 4 bulbs 30" fixture in the market. so you may be limited to about 96 watts max if you want a fixture that sits on top and doesn't stick out the sides of the tank (some 36" fixture have adjustable legs you can fit on a 30" tank.)

don't go by the "watt per gallon", it's a useless guideline. height of the tank and/or the distance between the light source and the corals is a better indicator of how much light you need. more importantly, what and where in the tank are you planning to keep. in general, the amount of light requires are in this order sps > lps > softies. that said, if you're planning to keep lps and sps as stated in the first post, i don't think 96 watts will cut it for most sps. you may be able to keep some lps and most softies.

back to your question, the t-5 fixture is a better choice than the power compact. don't buy a pc fixture .....i think it's pretty much useless. besides, most company will fade out pc fixture in the near future. if you were to buy the 62 watts coralife, i think you will only be able to keep most softies....a few lps but definitely no sps.....well...may be a cap an inch under the water surface....lol.:kidding: anemones generally need higher amount of light comparable to a lps or even a sps.

hope this help.

ps. a note on another option...led. there's a group buy for cheap chinese led fixture on rc ending before feb. 22nd. http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1780263&page=4
i bought one for $ 233. theoretically it's comparable to a 150 -250 mh fixture.....you should be able to keep almost any corals you want in the 36 bow. it's cheap, less heat issue but you'll have to hang it or figure how to make legs to mount on top of the tank. we have no data on reliability nor effectiveness/efficiency of the light besides a testimony from one rc member who has the light for about 6 months. he likes it enough to buy another 2. several mr members are in that group buy. you may want to check out the thread and decide for yourself if you want to risk it.

 

[ocholoco]

Hey

This is the fixture u need, It would be perfwct for that tank. http://www.manhattanreefs.com/forum/sale-trade/73076-f-s-36-tek-6-x-39-fixture-w-moonlight-legs.html

 

[Master Shake]

my opinion dont even get current or coralife, but if i had to choose current is a little better quality than coralife.

 

[LIZETTE]

thanks OzoneParkGuy..