Lighting question please help

[Notsolostfish]

i have 20 gallon saltwater tank and i got this lighting from a pet store i know and they told me it's good for corals i really don't know if it's good or not i hope someone can help me with that

that's the link for my lighting http://advance-reef.com/home/index.p...639&Itemid=138

and that bulbs that pet store gave me with the fixture they are PL-55WAT SPECTRUM

i really don't know how much they on "k" like 3000k or something .. all i know that i read on the box "produces pure white with slight blue spectrum for the growth of marine fish, corals & invertebrates

i don't know if it's good for soft corals or anything

 

[Reefing Madness]

Welp, at this point I'm guessing, because the unit doesn't say T5 HO, I'd not use them for anything but a fish only tank. And you want lamps in the 10k to 420nm range, nothing under 6700k. If you can find a High Output on the lamps, then yes, your fine to use that fixture for any coral in a 20g, but I'd change the lamps out for a couple of good ones.

 

[McAllyn]

It's a 24" T5 fixture, so you should be able to get bulbs in the colours you want. ATI, KZ, and Giesemann all make 24" bulbs. You'll only be at 48w for 20g, though, so growth might suffer. A lot of people still use the 3w per gallon rule.

Mac

 

[NanaReefer]

Actually I believe this particular unit would be fine for softies & even some LPS. Especially in a shallow tank. Say something no taller then 18"

 

[Notsolostfish]

I see theres someone here from lebanon im from lebanon too anuway iam really getting confused about this light aome people on other forums says this light is good for all corals becauae my tank is small i really dont know what to do

 

[Reefing Madness]

Find the wattage class rating on the unit. What is the max wattage it will run? Those lamps should be 24w each, if it is, then your fine to run it with corals.

 

[Notsolostfish]

That's only what i can found on my bulbs box so i don't know :s

 

[Notsolostfish]

That's only what i can found on my bulbs box so i don't know :s

 

[Notsolostfish]

so ?

 

[McAllyn]

My Google-fu is strong.

The Rex-2 used standard output 14w bulbs. You'll be limited to some softies and might get away with some low light LPS, but don't push it. Also, coloured bulbs will be hard to find because they are almost all 24w high output bulbs that are not compatible with your light fixture.

Mac

 

[Notsolostfish]

Just a question how's my bulbs are 14wat and it's writing on the box they are 55 wat iam confused now

 

[Notsolostfish]

Wait wait wait those bulbs that your talking about they are 14 wat the pet store changed the bulbs for me to tropical marine light and it's clearly saying on the box they are 55 wat

 

[McAllyn]

I have no idea about those bulbs, honestly. But there are 2 things I question there:

1. My 48" high output bulbs are only 39w, so don't know how a 24" could be 55w.
2. Don't understand how a ballast designed to run 14w bulbs can fire a 55w bulb.

Those are questions for the manufacturer or vendor.

Mac

 

[TJ's Reef]

My guess is you guys are over thinking this....lol It's a 55w fixture 4x 14w lamps = 56w max potential. Or maybe 2x 24w lamps over-driven to 55 watts ??? Is it a two or four lamp fixture ?

Cheers, Todd

 

[Notsolostfish]

Two all i wanna know if its good for corals or no

 

[reeferaddict420]

Probably fine to start for some softies and leathers.. You can get a nice led for that tank pretty cheap, about as much as putting 2 t5ho bulbs in that fixture..

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

 

[NanaReefer]

Actually I believe this particular unit would be fine for softies & even some LPS. Especially in a shallow tank. Say something no taller then 18"

Again and I'm a firm believer in Keeping It Simple!!

 

[Notsolostfish]

Okay then i will get some soft corals

 

[McAllyn]

I don't think I'm over thinking it. Just pointed out that according to the manufacturer, it's 2-14w bulb fixture, and some softies and low light LPS might work. Not sure how or why the store switched to a 55w bulb.

Mac

 

[Reefing Madness]

Im trying to keep it simple also. If they are not High Output Lamps, I would not put corals in. 28w of normal light is not enough for corals to thrive.
But if its a 55w 2 lamp unit, then get a couple of 24w HO lamps and your good to go.