# Tank lighting Inquiry



## namvet4 (Feb 20, 2011)

This is my first post in the Forum... Thanks for all the good information I have been reading about.
This area of tank equipment and setup is the most confusing to me. I want to get a feel for what people are using to light their tanks. For the record, my DW and I are putting together a 90 gallon and want to maximize our $$$ investment to insure we get the best and proper lighting. I am looking forward to reading your responses and reasoning for your choice(s) Thanks!
What type of lighting do you use?; i.e. fluorescent, t8, t5, t5HO, Metal Halide, LED or a combination setup?


----------



## rgr4475 (Mar 19, 2008)

I am using 2 36" Current Nova Extremes on my 180g. They have 2 T5 bulbs. One bulb is a HO 10k daylight bulb, the other is a NON HO (High output) actinic bulb. To me, this gives just enough blue off to really bring out all colors nicely. I had the HO actinic bulb and it was too blue. You're going to have to experiment with combinations to see what you like. Here is a picture of the lights I have. In the picture, they don't show the 4 "legs" that let it sit elevated on the glass. http://www.aquariumcenter.biz/store/pro ... xtreme-FW/


----------



## rgr4475 (Mar 19, 2008)

Oh and welcome to the forum


----------



## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

Welcome to the forum namvet4



namvet4 said:


> What type of lighting do you use?; i.e. fluorescent, t8, t5, t5HO, Metal Halide, LED or a combination setup?


Yes.

Yes to all of those.

T8, T5, T5HO are types of fluorescent lighting. Metal Halide is old school, hot as heck, bright as the sun! 
LED is the latest toy and I have had freshwater planted tanks using LED and I am now in the process of doing a DIY LED fixture over salt water.

So, you never really asked a question... do you have one? What can we help you with?


----------



## namvet4 (Feb 20, 2011)

Thanks for the replies! And greetings! I guess my question is:
What lighting do you use and why? What factors affected your decision? Cost, heat, way it makes the tank look, etc.
I am just beginning to try and understand the differences in the various forms of light and their application to the Cichlid tank. Thanks in advance for the responses!


----------



## Guest (Feb 24, 2011)

get yourself the zoo med 50/50 reef sun bulbs they are reasonably priced (online) and give off 6500k daytime light and the blue actinic... on my 125 gallon i have 2 t5 50/50s and 1 10,000k t5... then on my other tanks i have a t5 5500k big difference but both are nice.. here check this out....

http://www.kensfish.com/zoomedbulbs.html


----------



## Number6 (Mar 13, 2003)

namvet4 said:


> What lighting do you use and why? What factors affected your decision? Cost, heat, way it makes the tank look, etc.


Ah, great...

I've used all of the above...

Metal Halide: planted tank. heat became a problem... replaced with T8 bulbs. T8s were not bright enough for all plants, replaced ballast to overdrive... happy.

tank 2: HOT5.. planted tank. Zero complaints...

tank 3: fish only- LED lit using clear whites- Tanganyikan "low light" look desired. Great shimmer effect. happy!

Tank 4: planted tank- lit by LED... low light plants thrive - zero algae grows... happy.

Tank 5: reef tank: lit by LED- softies only, enjoyed.

Tank 6: HO T12 lighting, replaced with more modern HO T5 to cut down on heat and energy usage. happy... now leaning towards replacing with 3W royal blue and clear white LEDs for even lower energy usage and even less heat produced.

So, main decision maker is what I need to light, then heat, then visual appeal...

I hope that helps.


----------



## 60gallon (Dec 14, 2010)

I have a 90 gallon with a canopy. Since the light fixture doesnt show I bought a $20 silver dual 48" shop light from homedepot and in it I have a 10K and a 420 bulb. The lighting is great....makes my peacocks colors and yellow labs really pop.

On my 55 gallon since I dont have a canopy I had to splurge a little and buy an aquarium light that looked nice in the open. Its a Marineland perfecto dual 48" light. You dont need really bright / heavy duty lights for cichlid so you dont really need to spend alot of money on lighting.

GOOD LUCK! :thumb:


----------



## namvet4 (Feb 20, 2011)

Thanks for the input everyone.... Will start off basic and see where it goes.


----------

