What coral keeping bulbs can i use for this

Nicknackzz13 · Mar 12, 2016

Hey yall, so i got this light fixture from my wifes mother she had for plants, and it takes 24 inch bulbs (x2)
And i was wondering what type of bulbs can i use for it to keep corals, *I have some coral in my tank) but want a nicer light and stronger so i got this,

it takes 24inch bulbs, and theres two slots to put two bulbs in so what kinda bulbs should i look for???

it had a saltwater bulb in it just for light, heres a few pics..

its nice and bright!

joshkirkland83 · Mar 12, 2016

What does your LFS say?

Nicknackzz13 · Mar 12, 2016

joshkirkland83 said:
What does your LFS say?

Never asked them yet, im sure you couldnt give a correct answer cause you think everyone should already know what they need/use, maybe youre forgetting you were once a noob as well and im sure you asked questions, im sure you got told all kinds of advice, so before being a nutter on here to me, remember you were a noob too at one point, hell you might even still be on, cause i dont know you personally, i may know more than you do, ony god knows.... but thanks for the input and id appreciate it if youd leave this thread and troll another, im asking a legit question and i didnt ask for nonsense answers... thanks for wasting your time to comment though, appreciate it

hybridazn · Mar 12, 2016

So anyways....

Can you post pics of the bulb connections in the fixture to tell us what kind of bulb it uses? If I had to guess it looks like a standard t8 florescent bulb fixture. If that is true I would find another fixture to use. Esp if you want to keep corals, minimum a 4 bulb t5 ho fixture.

Throck_82 · Mar 13, 2016

What is your water parameters?

thegunslinger · Mar 13, 2016

That fixture won't work for you, since you're going to want T5s. A 2 bulb fixture will suffice since you only have a 29 gal tank. One 10k white bulb and one actinic.

andyg1960 · Mar 13, 2016

Somebody needs a hug

Lynchmob3000 · Mar 13, 2016

Definitely a t8

Greatreefer · Mar 13, 2016

Well, you could retro fit the fixture with T5's or, if you dont want to do that you could leave then as and use "NO" (normal output) and go with like an 03 actinic and a 10k bulb. Depending on the depth of the tank you could grow shrooms or other Lower light corals.

Reefersutherland_ · Mar 13, 2016

You should use two 150 watt metal halides should fit nicely

Nicknackzz13 · Mar 15, 2016

john.m.cole3 said:
Bro!... chill out man... Why are YOU being defensive? You're the guy that killed the anemone and left a chromis in your tank while cycling, right? So... do some research first before you snap on folks for trying to help out. Do you drink heavily often??? Your spelling has multiple errors in it along with faulty punctuation. That guy asked one question and you seemed to over react. Maybe y'all have some personal beef that I'm unaware of, but most members of this forum are here to help you!

In regards to your lighting... does it have a brand name or model number on it? what kind of SW bulb is in there?

im newish to the hobby, and i just got some bad advice from here off a few people and a few LFS, hence the anemone thing, and no it didnt die, it got stuck in my filter!!! the other anemone is great, anywho No its just basic plant lightening that can take coral bulbs, wondering which bulbs is best, i was gonna go for a blue actintic ? and a daylight 10k

Nicknackzz13 · Mar 15, 2016

thegunslinger said:
That fixture won't work for you, since you're going to want T5s. A 2 bulb fixture will suffice since you only have a 29 gal tank. One 10k white bulb and one actinic.

yeah thats what i was thinking and you verified it, so i believe ill go with them, they will fit, ive tried one, now just to get the other lol, beats using LEDS, i mean they done good for my corals, but i want them to thrive in there, ill be upgrading to a 55 in the future and ive more lights i can get for the tank so all i need to buy is bulbs, once i upgrade to a 55 im gonna do it my way, let it cycle 2-3months, fishless, live rock/sand etc then add my fish and so on, i dont wanna use another fish like i was advised too, now smarter and wiser in this hobby i got it down pat.. should be a cool build

Reefing Madness · Mar 15, 2016

Im pretty sure I asked for this to stop, by deleting some posts. Do people need to be removed from the thread also?

AlexStinson · Mar 15, 2016

It is really hard to tell what kind of bulb that is, and I've grown all my plants under aquarium lights cause it's what I have lying around. t5,t8 etc.. refers to thickness of the bulb, it should say so on the side and give a better idea of what is going on. It could be an old VHO for all I can see. Also if you haven't actually purchased a 55, I would humbly recommend taking the next step to a 75 or even a 120. A 55 is so skinny and hard to work with, you will thank yourself later.

briancarterkc · Mar 16, 2016

AlexStinson said:
It is really hard to tell what kind of bulb that is, and I've grown all my plants under aquarium lights cause it's what I have lying around. t5,t8 etc.. refers to thickness of the bulb, it should say so on the side and give a better idea of what is going on. It could be an old VHO for all I can see. Also if you haven't actually purchased a 55, I would humbly recommend taking the next step to a 75 or even a 120. A 55 is so skinny and hard to work with, you will thank yourself later.

Having done a 55 for about 7 years in the long-ago, I agree with this. If you can get something other than a 55 next, do it. A 65 (3'x2'x2') even is so much better. That's what I have now (downgraded from a 180 when I moved) and I really love it. 55s are just so skinny. That said, if you have some kind of cheap/free lead on the 55...go for it. Bigger is better!

As an aside. Dude. Don't come in so hot on people trying to help. This is a pretty chill community. I actually migrated here from another forum which shan't be named because the people here are generally so nice, helpful, and gracious. Unless someone obviously calls you out, just give the benefit of the doubt and answer like they mean to help. You'll enjoy the experience more...promise.

GreatWhiteTang · Mar 16, 2016

Agree a 55 is an aquascaping and flow nightmare .. If you can't go to a 75 try and find a 40 or 50 breeder .. And As to the lighting .. If they are t5 .. Get a 10k and actinic .. If it's a t8 get 2 50/50 bulbs .. If it's vho ditch it ...

thegunslinger · Mar 17, 2016

Nicknackzz13 said:
yeah thats what i was thinking and you verified it, so i believe ill go with them, they will fit, ive tried one, now just to get the other lol, beats using LEDS, i mean they done good for my corals, but i want them to thrive in there

When I had a 55, I used a 2 bulb T5 fixture. When I was upgrading to a 75, I looked at a bunch of different lighting options, but decided to get a 4 bulb T5. Corals are looking great, and it didn't cost too much. T5s are still popular for a reason.

Chibils · Mar 17, 2016

briancarterkc said:
As an aside. Dude. Don't come in so hot on people trying to help. This is a pretty chill community. I actually migrated here from another forum which shan't be named because the people here are generally so nice, helpful, and gracious. Unless someone obviously calls you out, just give the benefit of the doubt and answer like they mean to help. You'll enjoy the experience more...promise.

I'm totally inclined to agree with you on this, but dude took a ton of heat on his other thread. I don't blame him for being a little jumpy.

briancarterkc · Mar 17, 2016

Chibils said:
I'm totally inclined to agree with you on this, but dude took a ton of heat on his other thread. I don't blame him for being a little jumpy.

I blame the time change. Everyone's been cranky this week.