new to the field and looking for feed back on lighting

[da reefer]

i am looking to buy a new light and was thing about a t5 but was looking for feed back as far as what would be best i would like to put hard and soft coral in there i have got a led light given to me and don't have any info on the light as far as watts or anything been doing some research but now i need a new light my xenia don't look so hot anymore small tank 29 gallon bow front how many watts/lumens would be good for tank size any feed back would be greatly appreciated thank you

 

[jazzsam]

I love T5.

 

[jarrodsanborn]

a 4 bulb t5 rig would be fine.

 

[da reefer]

thanks guys

 

[STiTCH87]

I have a 4 bulb T5 on my old 29g (TekLight T5) and it looks GREAT! Only issue was that algae grew in there like mad and the whole unit was kinda clunky.

I have since become and LED guy and there's no turning back for me. Not only does it give a better light spread, but it penetrates deeper, and still retains a shimmer effect that gets lost with T5s. Plus they run way cooler and last way longer and use less electricity.

I'd personally say go with a DIY LED kit. I know at the last meeting the speaker bad mouthed DIY LED setups, but that guy was very opinionated and just trying to sell off big-name high-ticket items I feel cuz there's nothing wrong with a DIY long as you seal it all up on the bottom and sides with plexiglass.

 

[Aquaman_68]

t 5's r a great starting point..(in case u get hard core later on)

 

[da reefer]

i think i will stick with getting t5's but not sure what i'm going to do as far as 2 bulb or 4 bulb i only say that cuz of what could be a algae problem later

 

[STiTCH87]

Definitely go with a 4 bulb because 2 bulb won't put very much light into there and a 4 bulb has better spread too. Long as you have a good clean up crew, don't leave the lights on for too long, and keep your water parameters in check you should be just fine. I had a 4 bulb T5 and was algae free for over a year. The only reason I ended up with an outbreak of hair algae was I had the lights on very often, and wasn't keeping up with water changes and my PO4 level went high from feeding a lot.

 

[FishNooB]

I think fishneedit.com makes some great looking T5.

 

[jamesdong009]

If you go with a T5 fixture, make sure you get some quality bulbs for it. ATI, UVL, KZ, Geisseman come to mind for quality bulbs. Many folks will tell you to go with ATI and there's a good reason for it.

 

[STiTCH87]

+1 on the bulbs making all the difference in the world. Also make sure the fixture has good reflectors because that is the key point into what is putting the light in your tank. I personally love TekLight but ATI is good as is IceCap and other higher-end lines.