Proper lighting for a 30G reef

Pike614 · 03/01/2007, 08:19 PM

I am setting up a 30g nano reef and am not sure what light I should go with. 24" or 30", and then CF, or T5.....and what wattage? I'll have a few nano fish, soft corals, and some LPS in the tank. Info will help!
Thanks!

bertoni · 03/01/2007, 08:34 PM

Most likely, a simple PC or T5 lighting setup will be fine for those corals. Soft corals will be fine with 130 W or so of PC, in my experience. T5 can be more efficient, and might be a fine choice. There's a lot of personal taste in choosing a lighting setup, so viewing some systems in person is important.

Higher-light animals like some clams and anemones won't do will with PC, and would need a more extensive T5 or metal halide lighting setup.

Pike614 · 03/01/2007, 08:47 PM

OKay, I have T5 6 bulb in my 75g now and have a mix of 4 daylight and 4 actinics and the livestock is very very happy....so I think I'll go with a 30" 130W T5 or so, one daylight and one actinic bulb should work.....thanks again bertoni!

sir_dudeguy · 03/01/2007, 09:02 PM

I'd go with the t5's. That way, should you ever want to get sps or clams or anems, you could just add them instead of buying a whole new light fixture.

Also consider the cost of everything. I've got a 4x96w pc retro on my 40 that costs me 30 bucks a bulb at the cheapest. I replace them every six months, so thats 4x30=120 x 2(times per year) = 240. Just on the bulbs themselves.

Its costing me about 16 bucks a month on average to run the bulbs..so roughly 190 bucks a year to run. Total, thats about 430 bucks just to buy and run my pc bulbs per year

I'm going to be replacing my PC fixture with a 4x39w t5 HO retro (the sunlight supply one from reefgeek.com).

It will cost about 20 bucks per bulb (for their good bulbs, not the cheap ones). So 80 bucks for the bulbs. Then supposedly t5's are good for around a year? So still only 80 bucks per year. Next, there are a few people by me that have the same thing and its costing them on average 6 bucks a month to run. so about 70 bucks a year to run.

Total its around 150 per year to buy and run the bulbs. I think that the 300 bucks invested in the light i'm getting will pretty much pay for itself w/in a year

Sorry for the rant, just my reasons for suggesting NOT pc's lol.

Pike614 · 03/01/2007, 09:31 PM

I agree 100%, that's why I bypassed the MH bulbs on my 75g, besides bulb cost, operating cost is a HUGE factor! I will look around for a 30" T5 fixture for the tank....never know if I might make it into a frag tank or something!

sir_dudeguy · 03/01/2007, 10:45 PM

you'll have to get a retrofit (or it will just have to be an odd-sized fixture with offset bulbs) because they dont make a 30" t5 that i'm aware of. I tried finding them for my 29 and had no luck and got stuck getting the coralife aqualight 2x65...which i now wish i didnt get and just got a canopy and done a retro

Peter Eichler · 03/01/2007, 11:13 PM

If this is a standard AGA 30 gal. tank it's 36" long and you'll have no problem finding 36" T5 fixtures.

dwd5813 · 03/02/2007, 03:07 PM

i am planning on this light for my 36 inch 30 gallon.

Pike614 · 03/02/2007, 03:15 PM

Sorry, looks like its an AGA 29gallon, so it's 30x18x12
I found a T5 30" wide.
Thanks!

sir_dudeguy · 03/02/2007, 10:29 PM

ya i was thinking it was the same size as my 29 (not aga, but same dimentions as yours). If it was one of the 36 inch ones, you'd have no problems at all finding a light good enough for it.

Could you post a link to the one you found that is 30" wide? I couldnt find one when i was lookin for one for my 29 a while back.

Peter Eichler · 03/03/2007, 12:24 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by sir_dudeguy
ya i was thinking it was the same size as my 29 (not aga, but same dimentions as yours). If it was one of the 36 inch ones, you'd have no problems at all finding a light good enough for it.

Could you post a link to the one you found that is 30" wide? I couldnt find one when i was lookin for one for my 29 a while back.

I have a bad feeling whatever it is it's using the 29" bulbs that are not HO and will not be enough to sustain photosynthetic life in a reef aquarium. Most likely it's the Aqualight with two 18w bulbs

Pike, if that's what you got return it and get something with 24" HO bulbs.

Pike614 · 03/03/2007, 06:36 AM

I had marked an ebay auction thinking it was a 30" T5, when I went to get the link for you guys, I noticed it was only a 30" CF fixture with 2 65W bulbs, one daylight and once actinic w/ Straight pins. I was not able to find a 30" T5. My mistake there. Would a 24" T5 (2 x 14W) Be enough light for the 29gallon tank? What do you think.

sir_dudeguy · 03/03/2007, 10:48 AM

Quote:

I have a bad feeling whatever it is it's using the 29" bulbs that are not HO and will not be enough to sustain photosynthetic life in a reef aquarium. Most likely it's the Aqualight with two 18w bulbs Pike, if that's what you got return it and get something with 24" HO bulbs

my gess is that its gonna be shorter bulbs, and be like 4 of them and have every other one offset.

Quote:

Would a 24" T5 (2 x 14W) Be enough light for the 29gallon tank? What do you think.

i dont think that those would be HO bulbs if they're 24 inches but only 14w. because a 22" bulb is 24w if its t5 HO...i'll get you some links. But basically you're gonna have to retrofit this thing (not a set fixture...) if you want t5's. But with these, you can keep anything you want to.

here's one of them...this is the 2x24w t5 retro..i would suggest the bigger one but if money is an issue, you can get this one now and then a while later when you get more money get another of the same exact one and hook that up as well.
http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5_...unlight_Supply

here is the 4x24w t5 HO retro that i would suggest over that other one. Its the exact same thing, but just double.
http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5_...unlight_Supply

Also with t5's, the reflector is VERY important from everything i've read. I've been researching these for quite a while and i asked on here a couple times (both in my local section and in the main boards) and everyone said that these were one of the top t5 setups you can get (the ones linked above). I'm going to be getting the same thing but just bigger...4x39w which is 36 inches.

But anyways, back to the reflectors...they're very important on t5's and everyone that recommended these fixtures to me also recommended getting the upgraded Icecap reflectors. I contacted reefgeek.com and they said its like 8 bucks to get the upgraded ones. So really theres no reason not to upgrade.

Also, the bulb brand is supposedly pretty important as well, but the ATI and Giesmann brand bulbs (which you get a choice of what you want if you buy that fixture, and they come for free if you buy the fixture) seem to be the ones that everyone recommends.

hope this helps. I couldnt find any set fixtures, but i like retrofit ones better anyways (cheaper for one, and you get to build it...its like Legos

). But they're really not hard to wire at all. It comes with a diagram on most retros. If not, just ask here and lots of people can tell you what goes where.

03/01/2007, 08:19 PM	#1
Pike614 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 1,303	Proper lighting for a 30G reef I am setting up a 30g nano reef and am not sure what light I should go with. 24" or 30", and then CF, or T5.....and what wattage? I'll have a few nano fish, soft corals, and some LPS in the tank. Info will help! Thanks!

03/01/2007, 08:34 PM	#2
bertoni RC Mod Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Mountain View, CA, USA Posts: 88,616	Most likely, a simple PC or T5 lighting setup will be fine for those corals. Soft corals will be fine with 130 W or so of PC, in my experience. T5 can be more efficient, and might be a fine choice. There's a lot of personal taste in choosing a lighting setup, so viewing some systems in person is important. Higher-light animals like some clams and anemones won't do will with PC, and would need a more extensive T5 or metal halide lighting setup. __________________ Jonathan Bertoni

03/01/2007, 09:02 PM	#4
sir_dudeguy Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 10,841	I'd go with the t5's. That way, should you ever want to get sps or clams or anems, you could just add them instead of buying a whole new light fixture. Also consider the cost of everything. I've got a 4x96w pc retro on my 40 that costs me 30 bucks a bulb at the cheapest. I replace them every six months, so thats 4x30=120 x 2(times per year) = 240. Just on the bulbs themselves. Its costing me about 16 bucks a month on average to run the bulbs..so roughly 190 bucks a year to run. Total, thats about 430 bucks just to buy and run my pc bulbs per year I'm going to be replacing my PC fixture with a 4x39w t5 HO retro (the sunlight supply one from reefgeek.com). It will cost about 20 bucks per bulb (for their good bulbs, not the cheap ones). So 80 bucks for the bulbs. Then supposedly t5's are good for around a year? So still only 80 bucks per year. Next, there are a few people by me that have the same thing and its costing them on average 6 bucks a month to run. so about 70 bucks a year to run. Total its around 150 per year to buy and run the bulbs. I think that the 300 bucks invested in the light i'm getting will pretty much pay for itself w/in a year Sorry for the rant, just my reasons for suggesting NOT pc's lol. __________________ TAKE...LUCK!!!

03/01/2007, 10:45 PM	#6
sir_dudeguy Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 10,841	you'll have to get a retrofit (or it will just have to be an odd-sized fixture with offset bulbs) because they dont make a 30" t5 that i'm aware of. I tried finding them for my 29 and had no luck and got stuck getting the coralife aqualight 2x65...which i now wish i didnt get and just got a canopy and done a retro __________________ TAKE...LUCK!!!

03/01/2007, 11:13 PM	#7
Peter Eichler Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Milwaukee Posts: 6,081	If this is a standard AGA 30 gal. tank it's 36" long and you'll have no problem finding 36" T5 fixtures. __________________ April 2015 TOTM

03/01/2007, 08:47 PM	#3
Pike614 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 1,303	OKay, I have T5 6 bulb in my 75g now and have a mix of 4 daylight and 4 actinics and the livestock is very very happy....so I think I'll go with a 30" 130W T5 or so, one daylight and one actinic bulb should work.....thanks again bertoni!

03/01/2007, 09:31 PM	#5
Pike614 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 1,303	I agree 100%, that's why I bypassed the MH bulbs on my 75g, besides bulb cost, operating cost is a HUGE factor! I will look around for a 30" T5 fixture for the tank....never know if I might make it into a frag tank or something!

03/02/2007, 03:07 PM	#8
dwd5813 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: 813 Posts: 2,827	i am planning on this light for my 36 inch 30 gallon.

03/02/2007, 03:15 PM	#9
Pike614 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 1,303	Sorry, looks like its an AGA 29gallon, so it's 30x18x12 I found a T5 30" wide. Thanks!

03/02/2007, 10:29 PM	#10
sir_dudeguy Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 10,841	ya i was thinking it was the same size as my 29 (not aga, but same dimentions as yours). If it was one of the 36 inch ones, you'd have no problems at all finding a light good enough for it. Could you post a link to the one you found that is 30" wide? I couldnt find one when i was lookin for one for my 29 a while back. __________________ TAKE...LUCK!!!

03/03/2007, 06:36 AM	#12
Pike614 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 1,303	I had marked an ebay auction thinking it was a 30" T5, when I went to get the link for you guys, I noticed it was only a 30" CF fixture with 2 65W bulbs, one daylight and once actinic w/ Straight pins. I was not able to find a 30" T5. My mistake there. Would a 24" T5 (2 x 14W) Be enough light for the 29gallon tank? What do you think.