Info on Lighting

I just got a 55 gallon frag tank whats the best lighting to use?

Shimmer is pointless on a frag tank! Get a 4 bulb T5 fixture. The TEK or ATI Sunpower will do the trick. Run some good bulbs for sweet colors

Well I personally don't care for the shimmer so I always find it pointless. LOL

woottonjeremy wrote: So Ashley back to the original questions I had for you before giving advice, besides those what is your budget?

Is it 18" front to back or top to bottom?

So it is only 12" deep. I would avoid Metal Halide in that case because they penetrate water better than T5.

Ryan Thompson wrote: Shimmer is pointless on a frag tank! Get a 4 bulb T5 fixture. The TEK or ATI Sunpower will do the trick. Run some good bulbs for sweet colors

Shimmer is never pointless. Aside from the appearance of it, and the way it simulates a natural environment as closely as possible, it has some great features.  One of those is the micropulses of magnified light, something like 200x magnification caused by the water surface magnifying the light. I am not sure on the number, but it was something serious. And it happens something like 10-20 times a second. Again not sure on number. I read it in Eric Borneman's book.

I also feel that MH are more cost effective, depending on the bulb and ballast you choose. t5 lights need replaced every year, and you have several of them, often 4, 6, 8 or more bulbs. MH you need 2. Phoenix 14k are known for lasting a very long time, I replace every 18 months. At $50 each that is much cheaper than t5. t5 runs cooler, so you dont have as much evaporation, which is good, and bad. Its a toss up. Compare the two and see what meets your needs the most. I know someone over in oregon selling 6 bulb t5 fixtures SUPER cheap. Either way I would recommend t5 or MH, giving you the option to keep whatever coral you want, without upgrading later.

I will have to agree with Jeremy i like the shimmer look. I too have had power compacts on my tank and i have been able to keep sps and lps and others in it all doing well with good color.  i do like t5s though.  

Ryan Thompson wrote: I don't know where everyone got the impression that T5 can't create shimmer. My PC's on my nano even cast a small shimmer. Granted the MH shimmer is much more pronounced in most cases. So the shimmer argument loses all credibility to me. Ask Keith (chk4tix) if he gets the shimmer with his T5 set up. I bet I know what he will say.

I am amazed how many people say that you cant get the shimmer with t5's.  As I have said before, and people who have seen my display tank can verify, most people are surprised when they find out my lighting is t5.   My tank almost as much shimmer as my  2 x 250w mh system.  The only real difference is the mh had more of a "spot light" effect look to the shimmer and the t5's shimmer is cast over the tank.  The shimmer is created by the turbulence on the water, which from everything I have heard, the more turbulence the better in gas exchange.   One of the best parts about t5's is the ability to get amazing colors compared to what I was getting from mh + t5 combo's. 

T5's don't shimmer nearly as much as MH. Yes, they do shimmer but MH will always out shimmer a T5 setup.