Lighting for 29 gallon tank

mjhooyer1 · 05/12/2009, 09:11 AM

Hello everyone, I am new to the hobby. I have a 29 gallon tank that a friend gave me with a stock hood with one t12 bulb. I have live rock now but would like to add some corals later and anenomes. How many whats do I need for lighting this tank. I have heard anywhere from 3-5 watts per gallon. I now have 1 20w actinic blue 03 bulb and 1 20w coralife/colormax bulb that I have been switching in & out, kind of a pain. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks

der_wille_zur_macht · 05/12/2009, 09:22 AM

Forget the watts per gallon rule, it's old and meaningless given all the different styles of lighting available today.

What's your budget? Have you thought about the different styles of lighting available? i.e. hoods, pendants, etc.

You mention corals and anemones. Many of the desirable anemones are extremely demanding in terms of light, for what it's worth.

mjhooyer1 · 05/12/2009, 09:28 AM

Thanks for your help. Is there anything out there for around 100 bucks. Ive seen some Orbiter lights on ebay for around 100 that have the legs that go on the the sides. Include 2 bulbs, 1 actinic and 1 daylight, and also has led moonlights.

thegrun · 05/12/2009, 10:23 AM

How deep is the tank? Water depth will have a significant impact on light requirements.

Guygettnby · 05/12/2009, 10:33 AM

for a 29g tank you can get away with using power compact lights, but a nice T5 setup would work out really well for you. they sell them on ebay for pretty cheap. i would recomend a 4 bulb T5 fixture.

or another route you can go is a single 150w metal halide pendant. that would work out nicely for you as well. those also sell on ebay for fairly cheap. just remember that lighting is 1 of the things that you really dont want to skimp on too much. try to get a decent light the first time around instead of having to upgrade your lights in the near future beacuse they just arent what you really want in the future when you get alittle more involed in this hobby.

username in use · 05/12/2009, 10:41 AM

I use a 4 bulb t5 on my 29, and wouldnt want to go any less with corals and whatnot. Gives a nice bright tank without the heat of the halides. More color options too.

mjhooyer1 · 05/12/2009, 11:22 AM

Thanks guys for the help. The tank is 19 inches deep.

Lamboozle · 05/12/2009, 01:42 PM

I vote for T5's as well. I had MH on a 25g a while back and it was too much of a hassle for me to control the heat issues. I didn't want to fork over the money for a chiller. T5's stay very cool and are quite bright.

05/12/2009, 09:11 AM	#1
mjhooyer1 Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Mtn. Home, AR Posts: 14	Lighting for 29 gallon tank Hello everyone, I am new to the hobby. I have a 29 gallon tank that a friend gave me with a stock hood with one t12 bulb. I have live rock now but would like to add some corals later and anenomes. How many whats do I need for lighting this tank. I have heard anywhere from 3-5 watts per gallon. I now have 1 20w actinic blue 03 bulb and 1 20w coralife/colormax bulb that I have been switching in & out, kind of a pain. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks

05/12/2009, 09:22 AM	#2
der_wille_zur_macht Team RC Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: NY Posts: 17,749	Forget the watts per gallon rule, it's old and meaningless given all the different styles of lighting available today. What's your budget? Have you thought about the different styles of lighting available? i.e. hoods, pendants, etc. You mention corals and anemones. Many of the desirable anemones are extremely demanding in terms of light, for what it's worth. __________________ Inconveniencing marine life since 1992 "It is my personal belief that reef aquaria should be thriving communities of biodiversity, representative of their wild counterparts, and not merely collections of pretty specimens growing on tidy clean rock shelves covered in purple coralline algae." (Eric Borneman)

05/12/2009, 10:41 AM	#6
username in use Sciencing Daily Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 6,560	I use a 4 bulb t5 on my 29, and wouldnt want to go any less with corals and whatnot. Gives a nice bright tank without the heat of the halides. More color options too. __________________ Joshua "With fronds like these, who needs anemones?" - Albert Einstein Current Tank Info: multiple nano's sprinkled around the house

05/12/2009, 09:28 AM	#3
mjhooyer1 Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Mtn. Home, AR Posts: 14	Thanks for your help. Is there anything out there for around 100 bucks. Ive seen some Orbiter lights on ebay for around 100 that have the legs that go on the the sides. Include 2 bulbs, 1 actinic and 1 daylight, and also has led moonlights.

05/12/2009, 10:23 AM	#4
thegrun Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Garden Grove, Ca Posts: 17,023	How deep is the tank? Water depth will have a significant impact on light requirements.

05/12/2009, 10:33 AM	#5
Guygettnby Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: FL Posts: 3,050	for a 29g tank you can get away with using power compact lights, but a nice T5 setup would work out really well for you. they sell them on ebay for pretty cheap. i would recomend a 4 bulb T5 fixture. or another route you can go is a single 150w metal halide pendant. that would work out nicely for you as well. those also sell on ebay for fairly cheap. just remember that lighting is 1 of the things that you really dont want to skimp on too much. try to get a decent light the first time around instead of having to upgrade your lights in the near future beacuse they just arent what you really want in the future when you get alittle more involed in this hobby.

05/12/2009, 11:22 AM	#7
mjhooyer1 Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Mtn. Home, AR Posts: 14	Thanks guys for the help. The tank is 19 inches deep.

05/12/2009, 01:42 PM	#8
Lamboozle Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Irvine, CA Posts: 37	I vote for T5's as well. I had MH on a 25g a while back and it was too much of a hassle for me to control the heat issues. I didn't want to fork over the money for a chiller. T5's stay very cool and are quite bright.