I’m just beginning my first saltwater aquarium now and I have been researching extensively. However, I was wondering about the lighting requirements for live rock and eventually a reef tank. I have read many articles that suggest anywhere from 2 to 5 watts of lighting per gallon of water. I have a 30 gallon tank so this means anywhere from 60 to 150 watts. This seems fine but I can only find bulbs at my lfs around 24 watts (for my size 30 gallon 30” tank). I wanted to do approximately 3 watts per gallon but that means 90 watts. This would require 4 of the aforementioned 24 watt bulbs and that doesn’t seem very practical. Can any explain to me my lighting requirements for a 30 gallon tank with live rock? Where can I buy aquarium bulbs with higher wattage? Also, as is usually the case, I would like to find the most economical method to meet my lighting requirements. Thanksa

First off welcome... I lived in Pittsburgh a few years back. And there's a moderator on here that lives in Pittsburgh(GetITCdot) You should reach out to him. As far as your question goes. I would stay around the 5watts per gal. This way you will be able to keep just about any coral you want. Plus you don't want to have to upgrade down the line. Which brings me to my next point. What type of light do you want to run. As new reefer today you have a few to choose from. For me it's medal Halide(with bulb changes every 9 months or so), but this hobby is moving toward LED's(with bulb changes every 10 years) but big cost up front. Or you could do a 4 bulb unit of T5's that would be 4x39watts which would be 5.2 watts per gal. Anyway what ever you choose to do your LFS would should have your bulbs on the shelf or they could order them for you. I hope this helps.

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Thanks for the help. How does a metal Halide system work? Ive seen electric ballast on the internet for metal halide bulbs but these are small metal boxes. Do these mount to the wall and house the bulb inside?

Mine are mounted in a box on the floor. My system is all DIY with my hood being custom made. The easy way to do it is get a good all in one unit. it will have your MH housing along with you T5's for actinics and a few LED's for moon lighting.

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WPG doesnt really mean anything it will depend on what type of lighting you want to get. The first thing to do is try to figure out what you are going to want as far as corals, clams or anemones then we can help you out further

i suggest use 90w LED aquarium light

did any one use Apollo led aquarium light?

96W 24" T5 HO Aquarium Light Hood Marine Coral Cichlid 4x24 Lamps LED Freshwater | eBay
36" T5 Lighting HO Aquarium Light Hood Cichlid Saltwater 156W LED Lunar 3 ft. | eBay
These will do ya in a 30g tank. The more light you have the more Reef Corals you are able to keep.

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You want to simulate nature in your tanks. If you have a planted tank and want it to thrive 12 hours a day is preferred. Natural light can cause many problems especially with algae. Timers are your best friend and keep things constant in the tank. This is also the basis of the moon lights as well. They simulate what your plants and fish would have in the wild. Although I don't think it helps or hurts to have them. I will say that they are very cool at night though, especially in a freshwater tank because they make the water shimmer like a saltwater tank with metal halide lights

Timer & dimmer built into the lighting fixture is nice choice.

Sixty watts per gallon on a 12 inch high tank is not a lot of light once the plants are established and growing well. You may want to start it with less light especially if you start it sparsely planted. It is always good to start with some easy to grow species in fish tanks.

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