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recommended lighting


APrince62
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I am ready to do my next order which will include lights for my 75 G aquarium. I had planned on a FOWLR tank  but then you all got me looking at coral pics and ive decided  at some point down the line I will want a Zoa garden  :) there are just so many beautiful color combinations out there....so with that in mind ...what is going to be my most economical light to see me through the long haul?

tank is 3 ft long by 36 in deep and 18 in wide

Also what should I be looking at for a cover or do I go coverless?

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Cover will depend on what fish you want to keep, many are jumpers.  I have had good luck with making screen tops from cheap kits from the big box store and mesh I got from marine depot.  This doesn't block light, but keeps the fish in.

lights are a little tougher, here you can spend whatever you want.  For starters some of the cheaper Chinese "black box" LEDs would work.  Also a two or 4 bulb t5 fixture would do a good job.  This is kind of like a ford vs Chevy argument, there are a ton of ways that will work IMO.

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Agreed. Lighting also very much depends on your budget. For a FOWLR, just about any light will do.

For coral, I will forewarn you zoas are the gateway coral. A few zoas will get you looking at a Duncan, which will get you looking at a torch, which will eventually turn your eye to SPS frags. With that in mind, I find it better to buy once instead of purchasing something and upgrading later. 

I would look at an Ocean Revive t247. Runs about $199 new, and about $100-130 used. It has a timer built it, and will grow anything you throw at it. 

T5 is an option as well, time tested and will also grow whatever you want. I would suggest a 4 bulb fixture and you could run only two bulbs until you are ready to add coral. The down side to T5 compared to LED is the expense of bulb replacement. You figure $20 a bulb every year or so. 

Hope this helps some. 

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1 hour ago, Muttley000 said:

Certainly fine for your fish only. That’s not much wattage though and I’m suspect of all but the lowest light corals doing well. Remind us how deep of a tank you are lighting please.  

24 in deep...whats the minimun wattage I should look for?

 

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On 1/13/2019 at 9:18 AM, crimsonvice said:

Agreed. Lighting also very much depends on your budget. For a FOWLR, just about any light will do.

For coral, I will forewarn you zoas are the gateway coral. A few zoas will get you looking at a Duncan, which will get you looking at a torch, which will eventually turn your eye to SPS frags. With that in mind, I find it better to buy once instead of purchasing something and upgrading later. 

I would look at an Ocean Revive t247. Runs about $199 new, and about $100-130 used. It has a timer built it, and will grow anything you throw at it. 

T5 is an option as well, time tested and will also grow whatever you want. I would suggest a 4 bulb fixture and you could run only two bulbs until you are ready to add coral. The down side to T5 compared to LED is the expense of bulb replacement. You figure $20 a bulb every year or so. 

Hope this helps some. 

:lol: i dont know why i thought it was so funny you called it a "gateway coral". It makes me picture some guy opening a trench coat filled with corals

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