Help shed some light...

[Cleveland Shark]

First, hello and I thank you for taking the time to read my concerns and hopefully you'll be able to contribute to this thread.

I am new to the hobby and recently purchased a 75 gal tank for what will hopefully hold LR, DSB, Fish (and at some point later Corals) with a prefilter/overflow box and 30 gal sump and integrated fuge.

As I am going thru the setup phase, trying to compare equipment and their associated costs, I've been rather confused with the lighting aspect. I am attempting to keep intial costs down since this is my first pass at SW and have focused on used equipment. That is not to say that I will not spend the extra cash if it truely warrants it because I do not want this to fail.

Intially, I had my eyes on this glowing beauty....
48" Lunar Aqualight 4x65W / 4 Blue-Moon (Coralife) (https://www82.safesecureweb.com/webaquatics/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=CL53406&Category_Code=CLAAPF)

or


48" Orbit PC / Lunar Lights 4-65W/4-Moon (https://www82.safesecureweb.com/webaquatics/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=CU1024&Category_Code=COCFLL)

What type of flourescent bulbs do these type of lights handle?

I've also seen talk of t5 lighting and their apparent "higher lumen output than a VHO, generate less heat, and are more energy efficient. In addition, they supposely last 2-3 yrs." According to this chart:
chart (http://www.aquarium-lighting-guide.com/fluorescent)
@ 48" I can obtain a 54 watt output. So if I add an additional 2 bulbs compared to the coralife, are these similar?

Please help.

-jason :)

[swims withthe fishes]

these are basically the same fixture, i beleive are both straight pinned bulbs so they will replace for the same price.

IMO the coralife is the better option just for reliability.

[davidhughes85]

you can get the same fixture offbrand on ebay for 130 shipped type it in "260 watt light" i have one and love it

[Porkibear]

If you are planning sooner or later to have corals, you might as well invest in a good lighting system with the best overall wattage and lumen output.

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but to have corals, you will need approximately 5 watts per gallon of tank capacity... I could be wrong about that...but regardless, you'd want more wattage for a successful reeftank.

Good luck!

[Drew Reed]

[welcome]

[whiteshark]

Not getting good lighting from the start was something I came to regret later down the road. I'm not saying PCs' aren't any good, but I would recommend T-5s' or halides. Then you won't really have to worry about what corals or clams your lights can accomadate.

[moprint]

I started out with one of these over my 55 and it still works today, it don't have legs or seperate power cords. It does have seperate switches. I think you can fit 2 over a 75 gallon. The actinic bilbs are just blue bulbs but they be replaced down the road.Heres the link http://cgi.ebay.com/JEBO-48-220W-55wx4-Power-Compact-Lighting-BLACK_W0QQitemZ7751533900QQcategoryZ46314QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem