lighting for 30 gl. tank

[billfish]

I have a 30 gl. community tank filled with sunburst platies,mollies,swordtails,a beautiful betta,redtail shark and a glass catfish, no live plants at the time,and would like to hear what would be the best lighting to show the colors of my fish,and not be to bright ect..ect.. let me hear from you all,

 

[snoce]

i have a 29gl tank and i recently bought a smart light 65w compact light....i think it does a great job...it come with 1 65w bulb....now depending on how much watts u want this should be fine for u....i have all real plants not alot but the wattage i use with this light is perfect...it cost me $69 at my lfs but i seen it online anywhere up to $115 so shop around....this light for the money should make u happy

 

[billfish]

Snoce,
Thanks for the info I will for sure investigate the smart light, I am wanting to hear as much as I can before deciding,trying not to have to do the trial and error method.

 

[snoce]

no problem look around see what u like but i looked for lighting and the twin tube lights u can get it seems only 40w total...there is alot of much more expensive lighting out there so take ur time...is there a real good lfs in ur area and i dont mean i chain store like petsmart or petco...if so go there see what they have

 

[revfred]

I'd second the compact lighting. I if you are going to have live plants, the rule of thumb is about 3W/gal. But a 65W compact on a 29gal. will do well with many plants.

 

[billfish]

well I decided for the time being to go with a twin light setup,it was quick and easy,and the 40 watts is doing the job over what I had.But an upgrade is in the future...thanks!

 

[Navyblue]

I think the kind of bulb you are getting you are getting plays a bigger part than the power rating here if you just want your fish to look good. If you are not going to have plants, 1.5-2 watts/G NO fluorescent is sufficient. You may want to have a tri-phosphor or full spectrum tube.