Lighting Suggestions Needed

[MtuPup]

Ok - setup is: 55 gallon long

Housing PDF's (most likely will be tincs or azereus)

I'm nearing the completion of my latest viv and as always I have my preconceived ideas on what I want to do with lighting. Before I go out and buy what could be a more costly or even overkill lighting ballast I'm looking for some input as to what others have used and has worked. Thanks in advance.

[HewesHort]

depending on what you are growing, one or two t5 bulbs with a lumen output of about 4500 and a spectrum in the 6500k range. you can use cfl bulbs but it will be harder to get even light coverage on a long tank.

[MtuPup]

I for sure have 2 broms (moving from a smaller tank as they've outgrown them - not sure on what they are specifically but got them from JoshsFrogs so I could look it up if it really matters - they've been growing under some CFL for 8 months).

I'm probably going to end up going the T5 route.

Any more suggestions please keep them coming, I'm not going to be purchasing til Friday.

[beckdg]

are t-5's necessary in your opinion hewe? what about shop lights in the same spectrum? t-8/t-12 maybe? i'm just asking because that's not a tall tank, he's stated he's budget building in another thread and i'm assuming he's putting a lid on it.

or do you think that wont be enough light?

[HewesHort]

t-8's would provide enough light but i would definately use a 2 bulb fixture. i prefer t-5's because of the higher light output.

[beckdg]

that's about what i figured. would the t-8 limit his plant choices or leave him less of a lush look due to lack of growth or just too much shade when one plant grows over another?

i know with aquariums these can make huge differences but i would assume it would be less of a problem when the light isn't traveling larger distances or through water. then again there are full sun plants that grow above water and the sun provides a much brighter light than a t-5 even.

i am thinking in terms of saving a buck but also wondering at what cost. t-5 setups can be pricey to put on a tank. the wattage should be less on a t-8 too. maybe not linear when comparing with light output and to a t-5. not enough to worry about the cost of running 2 t-8's vs 1 t-5 though i would think.

let me know how far off i am here. if i'm making things hard tell me i'm an idiot... i can handle it.

[MtuPup]

lets not worry about price (within reason) I had put $200 aside for a stand and $150 for lighting. Well I just got the perfect stand off craigslist for $30 so some fundage just opened up. I'd rather do this right then skimp.

[HewesHort]

If you have the money go with a double T-5 fixture, your plants will thank you for it. you can usually find a basic one, no fancy cover or plastic shield, for like $60 or less if you look for it, i picked one up a few months ago for $25. alternatively you can use a $10 shop light, it will keep the plants healthy, but wont have the same penetration. the tank wont look as lush, but it will still look good. i have a 36"x16"x16" tank that i have a 150W high output cfl suspended over and it works well enough, you may consider two of these as an option, they are like $10 each and you can make a hood for them for less than $30.

[MtuPup]

You'll have to ignore my ignorance, I'm assuming these are the kind of flourecents that can be found at a hardware and not the herp use badges ones you'd find at pet smart?

[HewesHort]

you are correct MtuPup, those speciality lights are usually over priced crap. i admit that some of them have nice mounting brackets that make them easy to use, but a little ingenuity can save you alot of money.