Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Off-Topic....

If anyone has any knowledge of salt-water tanks, help would be greatly appreciated. The Aquarium Hobbyist forums aren't posted to reguarly, and it's hard to find answers over there.

I'm looking into purchasing a nice lighting system for my boyfriend for Christmas. Right now, he has a 30 gallon salt water tank with live rock and a few fish - basic lighting. I would like to purchase better lighting for the live rock. We have a canopy top for it, so I would like to find a kit that would screw into it.

If anyone happens to know anything on this or can at least direct me to some good info, it would be greatly appreciated!!!

Thanks!
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1.0 Bearded Dragon

Let me get this right. You have the hood, you just want newer and better lighting to go inside the hood. If that's the case, I would get power compacts. Go to www.ahsupply.com. They have some very good stuff. You would need 55 wat retrofit kit. The price is very decent, in fact, inexpensive relative to what other places charge. I would also get the 55 watt 50/50 so you have a little actinic lighting mixed in there.

Oh I just read it, a canopy top. Now this depends on how much you want to spend. I still think power compacts are the way to go. The 55 watt bulbs are around 22 inches long, so I would say 24 inches is good. You can have more than one bulb. If you go for more than one bulb, I'd get one 10,000 K and one actinic set on timers so you can have a daylight affect.

Another option would be VHO bulbs, and the only real benefit is their actinic bulbs are more blue. Anyhow, let me know if you have any other questions!

Ok- few more questions if you don't mind. I really want to get the right thing.

I looked at ahsupply.com, and here's what I think I need from what the site says and what you have told me (with links to the pages I chose the items from):

Kit
2 x 55 watt Bright Kit™ Item # 30552
http://ahsupply.com/36-55w.htm

Bulbs
55W 21.1" 10000K/Dark Blue 03 Combo
http://ahsupply.com/bulbs.htm

Are these what I need? Have I picked items that will work together? And, from my understanding, the kit will allow us to attach the bulbs into the canopy top, right?

Thanks for all of your help - sorry if I'm asking questions that are too simple!
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1.0 Bearded Dragon

The kit is right, but as for the bulbs, it would be better to get one 10,000 K and one Dark blue/03. The combo don't work as good, and people only get those when they only have one bulb. They just screw into the top and they come with directions.

It's pretty easy once you get the kit. These come with a good ballast that will last. My oldest kit is 3 years old. Just make sure you have enough room to work with in the canopy.

They don't list dimensions for the kit, but our canopy fits perfectly over the 30 gallon tank, which is 36" long. Do you
think it'll fit (and allow us enough room to work)?

And thanks for the correction on my bulb selection.
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1.0 Bearded Dragon

and they have the following:

36" Black Enclosure #52361

Actual outside dimensions: 36.125"L x 9.75"W x 4.9"H. Same length as most 36" aquariums when measured to the outside of the top molding. Will hold two 2x36w Bright Kits with 34.5"L reflectors, for instance, or two 1x96w kits. Maximum wattage 192

So, according to this, do I need the 2x36w kit? What difference will that make for the aquarium? Or is it better wattage to get the (2) 1x96w kits?

Thought I had it all figured out, but I'm confused now.
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1.0 Bearded Dragon

Oh it can get confusing. The 2x36's will fit in one straight line. The 96's will need to be parallel to each other. It all depends on how much room. So pretty much any of those will fit. With 36 inches, the 96 watts will light the entire length of the tank. Unless you guys plan on turning it into a full blown reef, I'd go for the 96 or the 55. I would choose 96, just because it's cheaper to replace one bulb than two. With two 96's, keeping the aquarium cool might be a challenge. With a 96 on a 30 gallon tank, you can keep most soft corals and some lps depending on what kind of fishes you have. Hope that helps!

thanks, that explained it pretty well.

Which bulb would you recommend, then, for the 1x96w kit since I would only be able to have one?
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1.0 Bearded Dragon

h

Heh. It's funny to see reeferes on the bearded dragon forums. If you go to www.petwarehouse.com, you can buy retrofit kits for 60 watt smart lamps (50/50). Two of these would be great for polyps, soft corals, fungids, open brains, etc. One and a small metal halide would let you keep practically any common hard corals you'd come upon in a store ( except goniopora stay away from it ). Watch out for compatability issues. Have fun it's a great hobby.