Arguably one of the most important parts to a successful mini reef tank is picking the right reef aquarium lighting for your system. The corals that you will be able to keep will be directly affected by your lighting system so getting it right the first time will not only save you money but also frustration and dead animals.
Two Popular Types Of Reef Aquarium Lighting
Power Compact Fluorescent Aquarium Lighting
Power compact fluorescent lighting is a very popular from a reef tank lighting for a variety of reasons,
large Selection Of Products-Because of this popularity many manufacturers have focused on this type of lighting system. This gives the reef keeper a huge selection of affordable lighting systems to choose from. Many systems have built in moonlighting and cooling fans and other neat features.
Low Price-Power compact lighting provides adequate light for basic corals and is relatively inexpensive to purchase and operate. It also does not transfer a lot of heat into the water like some lighting systems can.
Metal Halide Reef Tank Lighting
Metal halide lighting is by far the most powerful forms of reef aquarium lighting on the market. It offers the brightest most intense light for your tank.
Metal halide bulbs range from 70 watts all the way up to 1000 watts. It is recommended that 1 metal halide bulb be used for every 2 square feet of tank space so a 48" long tank would need two of them.
These lights will allow you to keep virtually any coral you want but they do have some negatives associated with them.
High Price-metal halide lighting is expensive to purchase and because of the higher wattage bulbs it is more expensive to operate. The bulbs must also be replaced every 9-12 months and many metal halide bulbs cost well over $100.
Extreme Heat- the heat given off by the bulbs can easily increase the temperature in your tank to dangerous levels. If this is the case you will have to buy a more expensive chiller unit to keep the water temperature stable.
They can also heat up any enclosure they are in to skin burning temperatures so always use caution when working around them.
Confused about Reef Aquarium Lighting [http://www.dseventures.com]? Our reef tank guide will show you how to pick the right lighting for your reef tank so your corals thrive and grow. To get the secrets to creating a stunning reef aquarium visit [http://www.dseventures.com]
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