Light Question

Vincenzo

Reefing newb
I'm just getting started with a 29g tank and I don't want any corals in it for a while, just rock and fish, so do you have any suggestions on lights that are great and wont blow a hole into my pocket??? :) I found a light Current USA Nova Extreme T5HO but its out of stock and I don't know if thats too much power or not enough. So if anyone wants to help and show me some good links to lights that would be sweet! thanks!
 
Any cheap light that fits on your tank would be fine for a FOWLR (fish only with live rock) tank iirc. But the lights Biff and Yote showed you are lights that are great for a full reef tank. IMO by the time you do a little more research and are more invested in the hobby you will end up wanting to get corals, most do. I started out just wanting fish and live rock too but that didn't last long.
 
+1 gg

Also, a 29 fish only is almost a waste of time considering you would only be able to keep a few small fish. The only really interesting fish only tanks are aggressive tanks, which require a lot more tank volume.
 
Yeah I understand where you're coming from on that, and I decided to go ahead and buy the metal halide lights that Biff suggested! So now I'm just waiting for all the stuff i ordered for my tank to ship to me then I can slowly but surely be on my way to a successful tank xD
 
Question about the Metal Halide light now, since I see that they get so hot am i going to need to buy a chiller to put in my aquarium along with a heater? Or what is the best option? And should put some sort of barrier between the light and the water?
 
If you got the pendant just keep it fairly high above the tank so a lot of the heat escapes rather than getting in the tank. But a chiller on a 29? No way. Chillers seem to be something that are highly misunderstood by new aquarists but they're really only used on big systems. If you really need to you can run fans on the tank but if your house is kept air conditioned normally you shouldn't have a problem.
 
I highly doubt you will need a chiller. Duncan is right -- for some reason people always seem to think they need them when they are starting up a new tank. The vast majority of use don't.
 
Okay thanks for that info, and how high above the tank would u recommend?

Ima give you a rough estimate of ~6-7", but that is varying. Use your best judgment to determine whether the distance of air is enough to dissipate the heat produced by your MH. If heat becomes a problem, you know what to do. :) That pendant should provide plenty sufficient light for your 29g! and let you keep any coral if u want.

Maybe some1 else has a 150 over their 29g and they will chime in ^_^!
 
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Haha well thanks for all the help and I will probably figure it all out in about a week when my stuff gets here! xD
 
I got my 250 watt halides hanging about 6 inches above the tank rim.That puts it roughly 7 to 8 inches above the water.But I also have my heaters and a fan hooked into a controller to stabilize the temp.
I'd say hang that light about 6 inches and get a clip on fan to blow across the top of the tank if the temp gets to high.
 
I've got 150w MH over a 40g and haven't even entertained the thought I would need more light. My light is about 6'' from the surface and the temp is stable at 77.8. With only 1 very very small(can barely feel flow when touching) fan.
 
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