Lighting for 40 gallon Reef

[DeanG13]

Tank specs:
18" tall 36" long 14" wide
5 months old
Current lighting is a measley 40w HO T5 actinic and 40w HO T5 10k with moonlights


Finally got some extra dough and I want to upgrade my lights. With the current setup my zoas and mushrooms are doing very well and my toadstool leather is doing just ok. I'd like to eventually get some different corals in there (most likely hard corals) but I know the lights need a big upgrade.

There are a few limiting factors including the placement of my protein skimmer and my budget. Currently the protein skimmer hangs on the back of the tank with the reaction tube and power head in the water. The light setup I have now is a coralife ballast that sits in front of the protein skimmer. I'm afraid that with a new, wider ballast I won't be able to fit the lighting on the tank and it will hang off the front. That is, unless there are lighting setup is tall enough to clear the 5" that the protein skimmer sits above the water. The proper setup would probably involve hanging the lights from the ceiling, by I'd like to save that as a last resort.


Whew... with that being said. Does anyone have any suggestions on lighting for me (brands, wattage, etc) Also if there are any good websites that have discounted lighting I'd like to know! Lastly, any ideas on where I can sell my current lighting setup online? It's pretty new and in great condition.


Thanks!
-Dean

 

[Bifferwine]

The Current Nova Extreme Pro (6 bulbs with individual reflectors) will allow you to keep anything you want. Keep in mind, there's a difference between the Current Nova Extreme Pros and just the Current Nova Extremes.

That is the same light I'm running over my 90 (but just the 48" version instead).

I like to use the Google shopping tool to quickly compare prices from a bunch of different websites:
current nova extreme 36" - Google Product Search

 

[DeanG13]

Biff, how tall are your mounting brackets? I need enough height to clear my protein skimmer which sticks out at least 5" above water. Did yours come with extra brackets or anything? Can't tell from these product descriptions...

 

[Bifferwine]

They aren't that tall -- maybe 3 or 4 inches. But you can buy a hanging kit separately to hang the lights above the tank if you want extra clearance.

 

[DeanG13]

So I ordered the Current Nova Extremes (not the Pro's)... but I decided to keep the lights I currently have as well. The lights came in earlier this week and I hung them yesterday. Now I've essentially got three times the lighting I had previously. It's pretty much equivalent to the Extreme Pro's in that there's 3 39W HO T5 10k's and 3 39W HO Actinic's between the two ballasts (along with the moonlights I previously had). Pics to come, already seen a huge difference in my corals! Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[dcantucson]

:^::^::^: Pics to come! :^::^::^:

 

[DeanG13]

Here's a crappy iPhone pic to show you the basic setup. I have the Nova Extreme's hanging and the Coralife Ballast with the moonlights propped on top of the tank.

 

[yote]

That shed some light on it.:D

 

[reeffreak]

Congrats,your tank is pretty shallow so they should do good for you.I still recommend that if you venture into SPS corals that they be place in the top half rather then the bottom half.

 

[DeanG13]

Check it out for more pics on my build!

https://www.livingreefs.com/first-reef-tank-40g-t23793p4.html#post354171