lighting selection

iplaydafoozball

iplaydafoozball

Large Fish
#1
Sep 12, 2006
186
0
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37
Algonquin, IL
#1
would a dual bulb compact flourescent light with 192 watts be enough for a 46 gallon bowfront? i plan on making this a reef tank, so is this enough light for the lowlight corals? or is metal halide ($$$!) suggested?
 

TRe

TRe

Elite Fish
#5
Feb 20, 2005
3,645
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0
ft. lauderdale
#5
metal halides are always better but also always lots more $$$ with 190 watts thats basiclly 4 watts per gallon wich is defintly enough for low light corals ;)
 

T

TheFool

Large Fish
#9
Apr 19, 2006
323
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#9
WPG are a very rough rulesset, and generally not very good. PAR is far better. It's a mystery to me why people are prepared to spend 100's on lights, but not 50 bucks on a lux meter so they actually know what they're generating. In response, yes 192 watts pf PC over a 46 is good for anything.
 

T

TheFool

Large Fish
#12
Apr 19, 2006
323
2
0
#12
Well lighting is one of the biggest, most important purchases you'll make so scimping here might not seem a good idea in 6 months. Especially at the rate you go thro' PC bulbs. If you ignore all the rubbish liek actinic suppl. and moonlights , simple 150, 250 watt MH pendants are not so bad.
 

iplaydafoozball

iplaydafoozball

Large Fish
#13
Sep 12, 2006
186
0
0
37
Algonquin, IL
#13
ok, well i plan on getting the PC, $200 for that. i will keep browsing for a week or so until i order it, maybe my parents will pitch in for halides. altho its my tank, my mom wants it to be "pretty" cuz its gonna be in our family room so maybe i could vouch for a better lighting system. ok, well, i plan on getting the tank filled with water and live rock within the next week, so my question now being, will stock 36" single tube flourescent lamp be ok for cycling the tank and growing coralline, or is coralline pretty much like coral and needs better lighting?
 

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