Help with lighting?

Hi, I"m new to reefing, (29 gallon) so new in fact that I've just got LR, snails, and crabs plus a couple tag alongs (one small brown starfish I see from time to time and some other things on the rock I've yet to try and identify). Right now i've got a glass top, with two hood lamps. I'd like to upgrade my lighting, possibly to t-5 lamps.

I'm a theatrical electrician so I'm pretty good with wiring, what I'm wondering is, does anyone have any advice on DIY T-5 set-ups? I'm planning on upgrading my tank to a 75 gallon in 9 months to a year if all goes well, so I'd rather not spend too much money on a prebuilt unit that wouldn't fit later. I'd rather build something myself that I could then adjust to accommodate the larger tank.

any advice is appreciated.

 

well its a toss up.. I think your better of getting a 36" t5 fixture and selling it down the road. because your 75+ tank probly will be 48" long and you'll probly have to upgrade a DIY kit anyways for longer bulbs/reflectors etc.. just my thoughts..

 

agreed. Not much for options on ugrades from a 3' to a 4' tank.

A pair of MH pendants would work, and be upgradeable, but would be overkill for a 29.

 

are two t-8 or t-12 lamps in the basic kit hoods adequate for a 29? Would it make more sense to use those until I upgrade? Or do I need more light?

 

Maybe do a metal halide pedant now and buy a second one when you get the 75.

 

not really.. unless they are new bulbs are in 6500-12000k color range. you might be able to get some mushrooms up within a few inches of water line. I now corallife makes a 10k bulb in t12, as I have them in my freshwater tank now. but I think I paid $40-50 bucks shipped for 1 pair of t12 bulbs. with that money your better of spending $100 and get a cheap t5 fixture if your only planning on using this tank and fixture for less than a year..

used, but has UVL bulbs.. its only 2 bulbs though.
T5 Nova Extreme 36" Long 2x 39 watt Fixture Light Coral - eBay (item 160413521847 end time Mar-21-10 18:11:13 PDT)

better/new. 4 or 2 bulb options. SLR 4 bulbs w/ SLR = grow pretty much anything in that 29g tank. SPS = high up though

Aquarium Lighting for Freshwater and Reef Systems: Nova Extreme Compact SLR T-5 Fixtures