what light is needed ?

[Olivier]

Hi everyone,
I would like to know what kind of light do i need for a tank with liverock and fish only?
I just get my tank up and running. I will cycle the tank for at least a month before any live fish add into the tank.
thank you in advance
Olivier

 

[Hawkeye]

on a FOWLR tank, light is not "Needed" per se - just whatever visually appeals to you - and avoid light that will benefit algae.

What size tank?

 

[Olivier]

Phy,
thank you for your replying. My tank is 120 gallon tank.
I plan to have the tank as FOWLR for now and probably after 6 mos, I will start to add coral. I like to take it slow and do it right.

 

[reefitup]

Just a suggestion. Since the lighting is so expensive, I would really do alot of good research here. The way you're doing this affords you that luxury!!

Not sure if you're new to the obsession hobby or not but make sure you plan ahead from the fish you get, down to every last detail

I guess the lighting may partly decide on whether or not you have a wooden canopy?

 

[Hawkeye]

Phy,
thank you for your replying. My tank is 120 gallon tank.
I plan to have the tank as FOWLR for now and probably after 6 mos, I will start to add coral. I like to take it slow and do it right.

Nice! um- while my ego loves to be built up by folks calling me phyl (aka el presidente), I'm actually just "phil"...the new guy/mod.

So if you plan on adding corals the question then becomes - what kind? There are quite a few 120 tale of the tanks you should go check out for ideas (Mikenapoli, newsalt, baxreef to name just a few). Most mixed reefs will do fine with T5s, MH/t5 combo, MH/VHO combo, or LEDs.

Good luck!

 

[Olivier]

I plan on using a wooden hood and use MH + T5 light. I do'nt know what type of coral yet. I need to work on this homework.
thank you for give me suggestion and head up.

If you was me, Would you buy or built your own light?

 

[depitch039]

It depends on how handy you are.

There are a lot of good DIY fixtures/ballasts out there to choose from.

If you are not a DIY person then read up on some of the corals that you may want to have before buying a manufactured fixture.

I was a fresh water hobbyist for many years and I initially bought a Coralife PC fixture for my 75 gallon tank that was totally underpowered for keeping corals. I currently use a T5 fixture that I am happy with, but MH's are a great choice since you can keep any type of coral or clam with them.

 

[magic]

It depends on how handy you are.

There are a lot of good DIY fixtures/ballasts out there to choose from.

If you are not a DIY person then read up on some of the corals that you may want to have before buying a manufactured fixture.

I was a fresh water hobbyist for many years and I initially bought a Coralife PC fixture for my 75 gallon tank that was totally underpowered for keeping corals. I currently use a T5 fixture that I am happy with, but MH's are a great choice since you can keep any type of coral or clam with them.

I have a Outer Orbit that has both MHs and T5s combined best of both worlds great fixture