Confused about bulbs!!!

Ok so I have ben running pc's since my tanks inception. Everytime I go to the local coral place here I am astonished by how awesome their ts's make their corals color pop.

Like i have to turn off my white light to get the corals to glow like theirs do with boths sets on. So I decided to go to T5's.

It is confusing though cause they come with 2 to 8 bulbs. What is right for me?

48 long 22 high.

 

Nova Extreme comes with 8 bulbs. Its definitely one of the better ones.

 

whats your gallonage and what type of corals do you have.

 

You will just upgrade to MH's later on, I would just do it now and save the money and extra equipment you will have in the closet.

 

I have seen novas with 6 and 4

72 gallons and i only have mushrooms and zoanthids have no desire to get hard corals.

 

if you have a 72 gallon, tank you really only need 6 bulbs. That will give you enough room light wise for what you have and you will probably even be able to keep some sps under there. You could go with 8, but IMO that's alot of light for a tank that size. Tek makes great fixtures, but you also need to get the legs for it or hanging kit and a spalsh guard which are each sold separately. The Nova extreme fixtures are nice too, the pro model now has individual reflectors. Also, go with UVL bulbs, they are great and really bring out the color of your corls.

 

IMO you don't normally need more then 4 bulbs.

 

Unless the fixture came with 4 UVL actinic whites and 4 UVL super actinic then toss them in the trash and get these bulbs and get the effect you want of white light with fluorescing corals

 

ok so then 4 bulbs it is. thanks for your help guys.



I assume UVL stands for ultraviolet light?

 

UVL is the company, if your doing SPS i"d go with 6 bulbs.
I run a 120 gal softy tank with 4 bulbs.
ATI Blue Plus
ATi AquaBlue
UVL Aqua Sun
UVL Super Actinic