Lighting FOWLR tank options

I have a 55g FOWLR tank setup. I am planning to transition to a reef tank sometime down the road. I'm asking for advice as to what to upgrade to for a FOWLR now that will be able to also to be used for a reef.

 

You could go with t5's, Metal Halide, LEds. Those are the only 3 i would even consider.

Depends on the budget, and future coral inhabitants.

Mh and t5;s will need bulb replacements as they age but cost less upfront

LEds dont need replacing for some time, but cost a lot up front.

MH and t5s are tried and true, LEDS are new, although major advances have come up, still its in the infant stages of its life. Not to say tons of ppl are usng them with success

 

Definitely t5's for sure.

T5's have way less headaches than mh and even cost less. All you do with t5 is plug it in and set timer. Metal halides are a pain in the @ss. If you set the height too low, you bleach corals. Too high, it looks like crap.

If you want the "shimmer" of metal halides, supplement t5 with small, cheap led strips.

Buy a 4 bulb t5 fixture. I love my AquaticLife fixture. A 48" 4 bulb t5 would be perfect for that tank and allow you to keep anything you want. The best part is that it comes with timers built in to the fixture.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=21460

 

Dual bulb T5 with some stunner LED strips