Light for 10 Gallon

Just found a 10 gallon fish tank at walmart for $12!
L-20" W-11" H-12"
what would be a good light for this tank under $50?
I am thinking of growing some coral in it, not to specific on type of coral, this is my first SW tank.

 

Is there anyway you could get a bigger tank? 10 gallons is harder to keep, the bigger the better, you have more room for errors. Under 50$? Well I would suggest an LED setup. But thats around 60-80$.

 

Well, I dont have space for a bigger, I would like a small tank. Also, I really like the like the lights that make the water look light blue, what kind of light would that be?

 

Probably metal halides, or LEDs, the only problem with MH is that they give off huge amounts of heat which means lots of evaportation, which means more tank care.

 

Ok, well what would be the cheapest light that I could use and grow coral with? I am trying to do it cheap just to see if I like the hobby, If I do it and first few months go good, ill get a bigger tank

 

Well heres the thing, in this hobby, if you go "cheap" it comes back to get you. But your best bet would be to look at LEDs.

 

Ok, I also have a 46 gal freshwater tank. Should I convert that to salt or do the 10 gal salt? Also compare prices between the two and pros and cons of both Please?

 

Definitely convert the 46!!!! It might seem more expensive to start up, but in the long run it'll more then likely save you money.

For the ten gal, MH has been around for a while, It usually costs more, the evaporation would cause you to have to top off way more. There are many different types of temps giving you all sorts of different looks.

LEDs, have been around fairly shortly. As far as PAR bulbs go, its cheaper usually, much easier to set up; just put it in your typical clip on lamp or something, i plugged mine into an old heating lamp (for reptiles). Some sites let you do different bulb combos, also letting you get many different looks

Both give a very natural look, with shimmer and everything, and lots of growth compared to PC lights.

 

Ok, well I just recently bought a t8 50/50 6500k and actinic bulb. My fixture is only single bulb. Other than that, only other equipment I have is penguin bio-wheel 350 filter. Do I need new light fixture? Also, aprox. How much $$$ is needed to start up the tank?

 

is that fixture for freshwater? it would need to be upgraded probably for growing corals. on that size of a tank i would check out a 4 bulb fixture of t5s. I'm not really sure on starting up, but i've already spent 700+ on my 14 gallon. It is an expensive hobby. start another thread in "general reef topics" asking about starting the 46 and converting it. hope it works out for you