Good lighting?

I am making a 40 gallon coral/invert/fish tank, and I am wondering what some good lighting would be. Preferably an "all in one" unit with the blue "night" lights, day lights, and another bulb to mimic peak sunlight hours. Unless you can program the light fixture directly, it would need to have a cord per light/two lights so I could program it to mimic the light cycle.

Any suggestions, or will I have to buy each piece separate and make it myself. Also, the light would go under a hood.

 

i have a four bulb, T5 set up. It has two daylight and two actinic bulbs. Each set of bulbs has a chord. It also comes with moonlights for nightime. it is called a nova extreme T5 fixture. Also has a fan for cooling, I love it and works great.

 

Thanks for the suggestion! It looks like a good system! I appreciate the suggestion, and I think I will look into it! Thanks, and karma!

 

2nd on the T-5HOs.

I got them a few years ago and never look back. The only problem with my system (Tek-Light) is that it didnt come with moon LEDs but...I got this cool system of moonlights that has a dimmer set to replicate the cycle of the lunar month. If I remembered the website I would put it up...

 

Thanks for the second. Now I have two people recommending the same light. It looks like a good choice!

 

Look into a Tek T5 as well. They are very, very good lights. A little pricey, but worth it.

This is the route I am going to go when I get the money saved up. Originally, I was going to do MH, but have decided to go with T5s. Note the hyperlink to Tangster's offer below.

http://www.3reef.com/forums/aquatic-art-technologies/tek-t-5-lighting-50840.html

 

Thanks for the link! But I don't have that much for lighting. Good option for something to save for though. I found this light fixture for a very good price: 24" Current USA Nova Extreme T5 HO 2 x 24 watt - SaltySupply.com and I am wondering if it is a good choice. It is a type of T5, without the "moon lights" that cost an extra 100$ if you want them. I don't, because I can make my own for 3$. Take that high prices! Anyways, is it a good light fixture? (I will have fish, coral and inverts)

 

It is a good fixture, but from what I hear, the Tek has a superior reflector setup. That and quality parts. I do not have any personal experience with either. I am just passing on what I have heard. If I were you, I would do a search through the threads here and see what you can find regarding the two brands.

This is something you are going to want to research in overkill mode. Lighting, in my opinion, is the most important part of the aquarium. If you get top of the line anything, it should be the lighting.

But let's face it, I am a newbie just like yourself. Exploring the possibilities and getting confused on a daily basis!!!!

But that is my two cents worth. I like the Tek. Isn't this fun?!

Peace.......John.

 

Thanks for the info, john. I found it very helpful!

 

The Extreme Nova with 2 lamps will not do much and is this 40 is it 24 " long if so how tall is it ? we have a 40 at the shop its 30" and 20" tall I think ? and we had a 4 bulbs t 5 on it and it was slack could never keep corals in it on the bottom .