2X48" Hagen Glo Fixture (total of 4x54w T5 HO) Good enough for a 55g?

2X48" Hagen Glo Fixture (total of 4x54w T5 HO) Good enough for a 55g?-Update

Okie Dokie...I'm a total nub and I need to get some lights here soon. There are two 48" Hagen Glo fixtures for sale locally. They each have an 18K Power Glow tube and an actinic Marine Glow tube installed. The tubes have been used about 4 months. My tank is 55g (48x13x20). These Hagen fixtures are pretty bright. I plan on having some soft corals, and maybe some other lps or sps later on (my wife is stuck on an anemone and clown for the kids; Nemo....). Right now, I have about 70lbs of rock, 4 Chromis, a peppermint shrimp, and three hermits (plus a couple dozen hitch hiker snails, featherdusters, sea stars, blah, blah, blah). The system has been running about a month now.



I've been considering a bunch of different options other than the 2 Hagen Glo units, but I'm afraid of going overkill on the lights.

1. The Current USA Sundial
2. The Tek 4x54 Unit with the leg attachent
3. The ATI T5 also 4x54
4. Current USA Sunpod 2x150 MH fixture
5. Aquactinics 5x54w TX5 unit
6. My 3 D cell Maglite and a roll of duct tape.

The Hagen fixtures look really well made and the mounting legs/clamps look well thought out. I would like your opinions. Thanks in advance!;D

 

Option 6 is a winner in my book!

Would look awesome next to my duct tape wallet.

-fritts

 

4 t5 54 watts would give you 4 watts per gallon. that would be fine for softies and few different types of lps.
i would try to fine one with a combonation, either t5 and vho, better yet t5 and metal halide. that way you could simulate a morning,midday,evening situation.
but 4 watts per gallon is fine(not for anenome though)

 

Watts per gallon rule does not apply to newer lighting technologies such as T5's. Options 2,3 are good fixtures. I have the tek and I like it. I have heard good things about the ATI units. I think that the Aquatnics unit is good as well but do some research first.

 

Well, I'm going to pick up the two Hagen Glo fixtures if they are in good shape. Can't beat the price: $170 for two 2x54w fixtures with bulbs. I'll probably stick the actinics in one fixture and the 18,000K's in the other. From what I have read, these fixtures put out a ton of light. Well, we will see.

Reefgeek has a good price on the 4x54w unit with the bulbs for $329..hohumm, what to do....what to do...

Does you Tek fixture heat the tank a great deal?

 

Okay, I bought the two Hagen units. I think the Hagen bulbs, the Marine Glo and the Power Glo, may be a little overpowered. Or, I'm just not used to it. These things are flipping bright. I hooked the lamps up and man oh man.. my wife screamed, my children cried, the neighbors called the cops, a UFO landed in my back yard, and my 13 year old spayed Austrialian Shepherd gave birth to a hamster. I'm thinking a more mellow lamp set up may be in order. the Power Glo lamps on their own seem okay. The Marine Glo bulbs I don't like. Are the Giesseman True Actinics as obnoxious as the Marine Glo bulbs?

Bloody hell, I don't remember the MH bulbs at the LFS dominating the room like this...

 

MH are a more directed light, the T5's are a spread light. I remember when I first got my t5 unit years ago thinking the same thing as you. Now I've got the tek 4 bulb unit, added The Hagen Glo 2 bulb unit as extra lighting (if you think the Glos are bright you are lucky you didn't get the teks) and am now thinking I need to buy either a 6 or 8 bulb unit. The great thing though is I get no heat issues in the summer and can grow any hard or soft coral I want (and I've got a bunch of each). So give it time and you'll get used to it, and when you start getting corals you'll be thankful for the fuller light.