lighting suggestions for beginner coral

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[RigotoniMan]

heya i have a 29 gal tank, and im not sure what i should upgrade lighting to it currently has a 30" 20 watt flourescent fixture on the canopy. what are some ideas on upgrades? btw this is for starting some beginner soft corals

[reefbegood]

Go with a t5s with 50/50 and a full actinic bulb cheap and energy friendly.

[RigotoniMan]

is there a certain wattage level im looking for? im new to the whole saltwater aquarium thing, read a bit about it in my "Saltwater Aquariums for Dummies" and it was saying something like 2.5 watts per gallon of water, does this apply to t5 lighting as well?

[fogish]

That would depend on how deep you want to put your softies, the more light in the 5000-10000 range  the better photosynthesis can work but actinic goes deeper into the water. I would say depending on the fixtures 2 "white" T5s and one actinic to bring out the color and make it pretty for the human eye. That should also give you enough wattage for the tank size and coral used.

[RigotoniMan]

also what should i expect to pay for lighting? thanks for the responses by the way as well 

[fogish]

The fixture you choose to buy will determine the cost, $90-$200 for 1 fixture dual light? A lot of searching online will help with price checking.

[Nate C.]

You can also DIY the lighting with an IceCap 430 or a cheaper ballast (just make sure it will run the number of bulbs you want to go with), T5 bulbs, endcaps and clip-on reflectors.  Pretty simple, and likley less expensive overall.

[Robert M.]

Hellolights has new t-5 retro kits

http://www.hellolights.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=705