Lighting for a 46g bow tank

[laurahauck]

I was wondering what kind of lighting I would need to make a reef out of my newly aquired 46g bow or if i should scrap the idea and keep my current 20g L reef.
I just started my reef on April 6 so it consists of live rock and a large hermit... and two new additions last night... two clams from the seafood department. They seem fine today.

Opinions on the lighting for the 46g are greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Laura

 

[Anonymous]

What would you like to keep in the 46, coral-wise?

 

[laurahauck]

I would like to put mostly soft coral and some hard (if lighting isn't too expensive)... and anemones.

 

[ChrisRD]

It's hard to make broad generalizations when it comes to lighting because there are several factors that come into play. As Chris said, the type of animals you're going to keep are one of those. The distance they will be from the lights (often a function of tank depth) is another.

In a relatively shallow tank like yours, IMO, for soft corals and many stony corals, high output fluorescent lighting (ie. PC, VHO, T-5) is fine. Some of the more light demanding stony corals, anemones and tridacna clams will be better-off under the intense light of halides.

Fluorescents are often cheaper initially, but in the long run, halides can actually be cheaper. They will also give you more options as to what you can keep, and if you upgrade to a larger (deeper) tank later, you may not need new lighting. They have a different look too - one that many of us prefer. All stuff to keep in mind when choosing lighting...

HTH

 

[ChrisRD]

BTW... :welcome:

 

[laurahauck]

well what I have now is this set up:
20g Long glass
Coralife Power compact 130 watt 24"
AquaC remora
about 23lbs of live rock
1 Large red hermit crab
2 clams (going to be moved)
1 green preditory brittle star

I have enough lighting for this tank...
I guess I'm just wondering if its worth the money to put lighting on the 46g bow for any kind of reef animals or just to do a fish only tank or use it for a fresh...
currently its housing 3 leopard geckos... not really what I want the tank to be used for...

Thanks,
Laura