608 watts

would 608 watts be enough lighting for my 55 gallon tank

 

what type of lighting? What coral do you plan to keep?

 

48" 4 ft Metal Halide MH T5 Lighting Marine Reef 608W | eBay


here is a link to the light im looking at and i plan to keep anything i can

 

you could keep anything with that IMO!

 

Yes should be good for most corals.The T5's are only for your viewing pleasure,as actinics do nothing for growth.

 

but should i still get the t"5 for looks?

 

A quality T5 ho light with good reflectors would be fine for a 55 gallon. That is a lot of power (watts) for a tank that isnt so large.

 

so you think it is too much lighting?

 

Not necesarrily too much, but I think the same results can be achieved with a qulaity T5 unit probably a 4 bulb unit or maybe a 6 bulb. The T5 would be much better on the electric bill and would most likely produce less heat. Just an option. In the end its up to you.

 

That is a lot of light for that tank. You can probably keep just about anything, although, some corals may need to be put in shaded areas. I had a 55 with that much light and found things did better when I downgraded the lighting a bit, but it was a fairly mixed reef; certainly not "SPS dominated". I think 2x150MHs (or maybe 175s) would be plenty. You could add 2 actinic florescent for dusk to dawn effect, but 2x150s would let you keep anything really. More light would mostly just burn electricity. There are a few specific corals and most clams that would benefit, but most corals don't actually need that much.