29 gallon lighting

[goodoleboyz250]

New to the hobby and starting up a 29 gallon reef tank.. what lighting would be suffiecient for a low budget

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[ReeferBob]

This is totally dependant on what Corals you plan on keeping. It could be as simple as a 2 tube T5HO to a strong metal halide.

 

[goodoleboyz250]

Just want some soft corals

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[ReeferBob]

Soft Corals run from low light to heavy as well. A 29g tank is fairly deep, you will need more power to make it to the bottom. I would suggest finding the specific Coral you want like a Kenya Tree and base your lighting on that. You could always get a 4 tube T5HO light with 2 switches to be able to do 2 or 4 lights at a time. Then get a timer for it. A 4 bulb T5HO 24" light will provide around 100 watts of light. You are talking $200-$300 for that light with bulbs. Not sure what your budget is. You could also look at LED lights where you never have to replace the bulbs but will pay more initially for the fixture.

 

[ReefPops]

Depends on the size of the 29, but I used to have a 29 Biocube and I kept corals with the stock PC lighting. I later added LED strips, but that was for color and preference, not necessity. Basically it depends on what you are going to want to keep and what lighting you in general would prefer. Personally I love T5s and am trying out LEDs. Your budget will play a role in what you can/want to do for sure.