Lighting my 29 Gallon

The length of a light fixture is not indicitive of the tank it sits on though. A 48" is what sits over my 150G tank, which is much larger than like a 55G long, or whatever that is that length. A tank that is deeper needs those halides (depending on system type), which is why these super MH/T5 fixtures were made for. Deeper tanks need penetrating power, which is what MH is used for. Shallow tanks don't, so T5 works great.
The best thing to do is make a laundry list of the corals you will want, post them on here, and the great people here will steer you in the right direction.
But for a 29G, I would say 150w is the max you will want to look at if you are looking at MH. The other option is 70/100W HQI with some T5 supplements like you mentioned (which is what I have on my 20G tank).

 

Well, the organisms with the highest light requirements on my list would be Acropora sp. and Tridacna sp.

I have been doing some more reading and found a general recommendation along the following lines:

175W of MH for each 2 square foot of water surface for depths 20" or less.

Lighting the Reef Tank: A Primer for Beginners by Doug Wojtczak - Reefkeeping.com

This explains why a 48" fixture has 2x MH, and also indicates that I should be within requirements for a 30" tank 18" deep.

 

Ok, after doing some research I think I have finally decided how I want to light my tank, though I am afraid it will not be, shall we say "cheap".

First I have decided to go with a 4X24W T5HO setup. This should be sufficient, especially with the chosen ballasts and lamps, to provide enough light in my 18" deep tank for the Acropora and Tridacna.

The heart of the system will be two IceCap 660 ballasts which overdrive the lamps providing maximum light output. Two ballasts are required to run two timers for each of two sets of lamps and the dawn/dusk photo-period I desire.

I will use SLR reflectors for the lamps. Right now I am looking at the IceCap, Sunlight Supply, and AquaIllumination reflectors.

For lamps right now I am looking at two ATI BluePlus, one UVL SuperActinic and one UVL AquaSun.

Cost ...

Ballast - 2 x $120
Reflectors - 4 x $25
Lamps - 4 x $25
Endcaps - 4 x $15
Timers, etc - $50

Total : $550

Yikes! It will probably take me a few months to aquire the parts in order to lesson the wallet sting, but I think I will be happy with the end result.

Thanks everyone!

 

Well after further contemplation and buyers remorse (which I get before I buy, thank goodness) I have decided to start with two Advance ballasts at ~$50 each. That should put initial cost around $400. As needs progress I can easily upgrade one or both to the IceCap 660's.

I am still looking for input on the reflectors and lamp selection. Thanks!

I feel like I am talking to myself (nothing new);D

 

What r your plans for the custom canopy enclosure? I am upgrading the lighting on my own 29g setup and been leaning towards a MH/T5 combo pendant from the ceiling.

 

tjw00, thanks for asking!

Well I am still working out the details in my head but I have a pretty good picture at this point. Let me see if I can paint this ...

The canopy will be a wood box about 12" high that sits on top of the tank. The back will mostly be open with a brace about 3" wide to keep things square. The top will also be open for now. I may add a top with fans and vent holes, we will see how things work.

To hold the lighting I will have a set of 3-4 slats that run across the short depth of the tank with a frame structure that will allow the lighting section to be removed as a whole. The reflectors will be mounted on the bottom side of the slats with the ballasts and timers on top. I plan on using shelf pins and holes in the canopy to allow the lighting to be moved up and down.

Does that make any sense? :-/

 

Have you considered LED's? I have been having tremendous success with all coral types with 3 PAR 38 bulbs! I have been thinking about adding some stunner strips for additional actinic or adding a 456nm bulb to add some more blue.

 

Thread is from 2009.

 

dang it, hate it when this happens. got a good response all ready to go then bam the threads years old.