question bout size of t5's on 55g

Since there are some people claiming that the 36" will not work on a 48" tank, here is my 36" tek light on a 75g.

http://www.3reef.com/forums/show-of...allon-upgrade-new-pics-11-5-10-a-82429-3.html

SPS, LPS, softies, nems, and clams do fine all throughout the tank.

 

Awe quit spoiling bigger is better.;D Either will work fine but the longer one will allow more light loving coral to be place nearer the edge. 48" bulbs have greater PAR output than 36". Good looking tank.

 

Bigger is better and the 48" would be best for PAR. I just wanted to show that you don't need a fixture as long as your tank in order to be successful at keeping coral.

 

IT WAS YOU!!!!!!! hahaha I knew i had seen a tank where i loved the way the lighting fixture was setup

yeah i was reading that while i was realizing it also came with the acrylic shield, so its obviously the better buy ;D thank you thank you ive decided upon my lights lol

 

IMO, at least with t5's, a smaller size fixture isn't a terrible idea. I also have a 55 gallon tank and opted for a 48" ATI t5 fixture. I'm happy with the output but there's no depth to the tank. The 55 is already a skinny tank and any help you can get to provide a sense of depth, IMO is a good thing.

The thing to remember with light is it doesn't just travel straight down, it spreads out. If you want to grow sps on the glass, then covering the entire surface area of the tank is the way to do it. I also feel theres too much light bleeding outside of the tank, making my entire living room blue, and promoting more growth on the glass than is necessary. A canopy could help with the former issue, however. Additionally, I'm not a huge fan of the "box of light" that my 48" bulbs produce on my 55 gallon. I feel it's a bit washed out. I'll be moving the 48" lights over to a 60" wide tank once I upgrade, and looking very much to it.

Just some of my experiences with a 48" fixture on a 55. Hope it helps.