watts for a 55 gallon

[caribian1]

how many watts you need for a 55 gallon tank

[95accord]

watts is a bad reference. you should go by lumens (brightness). Wattage is simply the power consumption of the fixture. 250W of MH is not the same as 250W of T5HO.

4x54w of T5HO would be good. and so would 2x150W of MH + some T5HO actinic as suplement.

it all depends on what you want to keep under those lights as well.

determine what type of corals you want first then get the apripriate lighting required to keep them.

[indydog1]

indeed. the tank inhabitants are what require lighting.

[caribian1]

i just whant soft coral and some clams

[fattyratrat]

soft corals usually dont like a ton of light, and dont really require pristine water quality while clams require both.. SPS corals are usually the best tank mates for clams, as they have similar needs. To keep clams, you NEED metal halides, to keep softies you probably need a powercompact.
I read also that you have a yellow tang in your 55 gallon. A 55 is way too small for a tang of any sort. You should get rid of him, either back to your LFS, or to another hobbyist who has the means to keep him in a good habitat (at least 6 ft long tank).

[andrewprime1]

I agree with Fatty on some of that stuff but not all. For the Yellow tank, a 55 is a wee bit small, so even if he is juvy right now, he will need more space when he is bigger.

Soft corals are good with whatever light you put on there (PC would be bottom line)
Most clams you are going to need more high output lighting, but you could keep T. Derasa type clam under PCs, just make sure the PC is powerful enough for your tank.
Water quality is an issue though, so keep up on the water changes.

[95accord]

i run 2x54w with several softies in my tank and they do good just as an example.

[jimbo78]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12606474#post12606474 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by fattyratrat
soft corals usually dont like a ton of light, and dont really require pristine water quality while clams require both.. SPS corals are usually the best tank mates for clams, as they have similar needs. To keep clams, you NEED metal halides, to keep softies you probably need a powercompact.
I read also that you have a yellow tang in your 55 gallon. A 55 is way too small for a tang of any sort. You should get rid of him, either back to your LFS, or to another hobbyist who has the means to keep him in a good habitat (at least 6 ft long tank). plenty of people keep clams under T5 lighting, so you definatly dont NEED MH lighting, and you also dont need a six foot tank to keep a yellow tang. true that a 55 is small for a tang. but plenty of people keep them in 75,90,and 110 that are 4 foot tanks.

please dont post your opinion as fact.

[fattyratrat]

Jimbo,
You are correct in saying that a 6 foot tank is not essential for keeping a tang, but it is necessary for the fish's happiness and overall lifespan. Plenty of people keep big dogs tied up to 5 foot chains, or small dogs kept in cages every day of their lives, and that is humane? Personally I would not keep one in a tank smaller 300 gallons (THAT is my opinion). As conservationists, and people striving to keep the beauty of reefs around on this earth in our living rooms, we should not sacrifice the well-being of a fish for our own arbitrary pleasure.

[evilspaz]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12608042#post12608042 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by fattyratrat
Jimbo,
You are correct in saying that a 6 foot tank is not essential for keeping a tang, but it is necessary for the fish's happiness and overall lifespan. Plenty of people keep big dogs tied up to 5 foot chains, or small dogs kept in cages every day of their lives, and that is humane? Personally I would not keep one in a tank smaller 300 gallons (THAT is my opinion). As conservationists, and people striving to keep the beauty of reefs around on this earth in our living rooms, we should not sacrifice the well-being of a fish for our own arbitrary pleasure. I went to a LFS and saw a full grown Yellow Tang in about a 20 gallon tank. What do you think is better a tang rotting in a 20 gallon or a little cramped in a 75?

[caribian1]

im going to move my tang to a 180 gallon next week

[fattyratrat]

Evilspaz,
While I do see your point, a LFS is intended to be a temporary home. Also, a truly full grown tang could barely turn around in a 20 gallon tank.