I have a 30 gal. tank that is 18" deep and 29" long I want to put coral in the tank but not sure what lights?

Question

I know nothing about the lights and I am not sure what ones I need

Answer 1

Depending on which corals you want to have, you can get by with a compact fluorescent or T-5 system for ones that don't need as high intensity of light (mostly soft corals) or you may want to use a metal halide, or metal halide/compact fluorescent combo (for hard corals needing ighter light intensity).

Since almost all these have photosynthetic algae with in their cells, you'll also need to consider things like the wavelength (color) that the lights produce. The best combination is to get a 10,000K tube as your primary "daylight" source, and a 50/50 or 03 actinic to simulate "dawn" and "dusk". If you want to go all-out, a system that also features an LED "moonlight" can be used - this looks really cool when the other lights on the tank are off, and stimulates reproduction.

None of these systems are cheap, so take a good look at what's available, and what the needs are of any specific corals you might try. Also, remember that using these high-intensity lights increases the heat to your tank, so you may also need a fan or chiller so you don't overheat the water (corals start expelling the algae with temperatures over 85o, so it's best to try to keep the water temperature below 80-82o for safety.

Lots more information is availble in these links:

Answer 2

A couple of Compact Flourescents or T5's at 4 to 6wats per gallon should be good enough for most Corals.
Make sure that you mix the bulbs with 10000k or more white and Actinic.
This one will give you 4.333w per gal.
http://www.bigalsonline.ca/BigAlsCA/ctl3664/cp17952/si1316020/cl0/coralife30aqualight2x65wattpowercompactstraightpin

Metal halide are the best but they come with a BIG price tag unless you are handy and get the ballast used then purchase the socket and PROPER bulb and make your own hood.

Answer 3

you should out the coral that plops into the toilet that comes out of your bum

Answer 4

try this site they know everything http://www.oscarfish.com