Lighting suggestions for standard 29g mixed reef
 

I'm looking for suggestions for lighting the new standard sized 29g (30"L x 12"W x 18"H) reef tank I'm setting up. I plan to keep mostly softies and LPS but a few SPS as well and hopefully a RBTA eventually. I'd like to keep costs below $300 if possible.

I haven't decided whether to go with T5 or MH yet, but I'm leaning towards MH (electronic ballast + pulse start probably?) since I'm not very handy at all and it's hard to find a T5 that isn't some kind of retrofit kit.

One thing to keep in mind is that whatever I go with has to look nice, since I won't have a canopy to hide it in and it will likely be a pendant that hangs from the ceiling.

Anyone have any ideas??

i have a 29 gallon and am using coral life compact fluorescents 2 65 watt 50/50...........just wondering if you had any prior experience with this lighting? are you going to have to chill your tank with that type of lighting?

I have a standard 29g mixed reef, and I use a 24" nova extreme 4 bulb fixture. I have no problem keeping anything I even keep clams. They now have a 30" fixture w/timers built into it.
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I don't think heat will be an issue unless I run a 250W MH close to the surface of the water. I'll be running the AC all summer unless the temp outside is well below the tank's normal temperature and i can just open some windows.

Chillers are ridiculously expensive and expensive to run and are not an option AT ALL for a tank this size for me. They're very inefficient and force your AC to work harder by pumping the heat from the tank plus the heat from the chiller itself back into your house.

Thanks for the info! Couple questions:

1. Any links to the 30" model? I'm having a hard time finding it.

2. Does it use individual parabolic reflectors?

3. How much do the bulbs cost? If it's going to cost me $80 or more a year to replace the bulbs I might as well go with MH, since I can probably get the bulbs for half that on sale and I do like the shimmering effect.

4. Were you actually referring to the "SunDial" line? http://www.current-usa.com/sundial_t5ho

the nova doesn't have individual reflectors.. that, for me, is a requirement for t5. If cost weren't an issue I would go with a tx5, but that is going to put you around 450 with bulbs. :-( I ran a 29 with a 250 MH about 6 inches off the water, under a canopy. Heat never became an issue for me, but the noise from the fans were. I was extremely happy with the MH and would go with that paired with the 20k rad if I was in the market with your light budget. Have fun!

It looks like the sundial has individual parabolic reflectors, which would be great.

I think a 250W MH might be overkill for me, what do you think? The only truly light intensive things I'll be keeping is the RBTA and maybe a clam, both of which would be kept right under the light. I think a 150W MH should be enough even if they're kept at the bottom.

The $300 was an absolute max. I'd much prefer to be well below that :D

kiknchikn- sorry for the lack of info yes I was referring to the sundial it does have individual reflectors and for the price its not bad $260. As far as bulb cost it depends on the brand, plus with t5 you get more of a spectrum selection than with mh and less heat, and less electrical consumption.

Hey, no problem. Apparently they aren't for sale yet? Marine and reef says they'll have them for sale in Late 2007... which means soon I hope.

I contacted Current USA with several questions and I'm waiting for an answer. I'll try to remember to post their answer here incase anyone else wants to see it.

I just got a reply from Current-USA yesterday re these Sundial T5HO lights. They'll be releasing them to dealers in about 2 weeks. BTW the light on drfostersmith.com IS the same light as the one on the Current-USA website, even though the drfoster description does not say anything about the indi reflectors - I already asked the Dr. and he said yep!

Good thing I'm not in a huge rush then :D

$240 at Marine and Reef seems like a very reasonable price for what they come with.

Here is the email reponse!