Saltwater Aquarium lighting issue ?

Question

hi i have a 20 gal high saltwater tank i have live rock and fish i have 3 damsels and a tomato clown i want to have a decent lighting that looks good i have a double bulb ballast 18" bulbs (2) what would be good bulbs to go with ? also what would be a good site to order saltwater stuff cheap

Answer 1

Look at 10,000K, 3% actinic, and 50/50 (the first two combined into a single tube). I like this site & order from them a lot: http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/index.web

Answer 2

Salt water stuff and the modifier 'cheap' don't belong together. Also, salt water fish do not belong in a 20 gal tank. You will have nothing but failure because with that small a volume of water it is too difficult to maintain certain variables at the proper very constant levels that salt water creatures need. But don't take the word of only 50 years of experience, keep trying. If you had a larger tank, I'd recommend at least grolux lamps or some other even better high intensity florescent lamps that are available today. Then if you augmented those with some halogen floods you would be on the right track.

Answer 3

you will get a nice balance of color with a daylight flourescent and an actinic flourescent bulb. nothing too fancy for you 'yet! ;)

one of the best way to basically kill your fish is to use halogen flood lamps as they put out a lot of heat, will raise your tank temperature to a lethal level (unless you have a cooling system for your tank) and are basically ugly as most 'halogen' bulbs burn at a temp of 2800k to 4800k. this will make your tank look dull and yellow rather than glowing and lively.

i think one 'might' be talking of metal halide which is not needed for your tank at all. that is a whole different ball game!

it really isnt that hard to keep your parameters of your saltwater tank in check. just read up on your hobby to be fully informed.

20 gallons is plenty for a fowlr tank if the fish are small (fish only with live rock).

i am a VERY experienced aquarist with over 30 years of aquaria experience (i am not even 40 yet ;)).

i also have a lot of friends who are into the same hobby as i am in coral reef keeping.

just to dispell naysayers about big size being important...

i have a lot, and i mean a lot, of fish friends that are part of the reef aquaria club i belong to who intentionally and successfully keep nano and pico (small and very small 20 gallon to 2.5 gallons) coral reef aquariums.

with experience, patience and enthusiasm for challenge...it is possible to do anything.......like keeping a 20 gallon fowlr tank!

join a forum like reefcentral.com, reefs.org, reeftank.com etc. there will be a wealth of information on these forums!

for beginners...go to www.wetwebmedia.com for more info on how to take care of your tank.

Answer 4

if the fish are are realy colorfull, i would try 1 black light and 1 halogen - low intensity and please vent it so any heat from the bulb gets out and dosent nuke those poor little fish. the blacklight may make things look realy neat. as for the saltwater stuff cheap, my 1st choice personaly would be ebay and my second would be amazon. good luck. :)

Answer 5

yes you can keep a light on a timer and turn off the light while you sleep. you can get timers to automate the light cycle you can go simple 12 on 12 off... or 14 on 10 off.. etc.. remember fish dont have the lights turned on 247 in the wild. one thing to consider is the sound of the tank. they are not silent. that would be my bigger concern.

Answer 6

You should have actinic/tritinic bulbs. And as for a website.. try http://www.pet-expo.com Lights, pumps, wet/drys.. u name it, they have it, and at wholesale prices..

Answer 7

With any small aquarium, the more light, the better it looks.