55 gallon FOWLR looking for lighting help

[mustanglx77]

with my 55 gallon tank, I have about 40 pounds of good live rock, am looking at adding a few more pounds here in the next month or so. Its always been my intentions to move into a reef tank slowly, since the wife wants corral. I know I need more lighting and have started reading up some on the differant types, but I need some help. I know I will want to make my own hood, being my tank is 48 1/4 x 12 3/4 I really could use some suggestions in this, as I find it easy to get overwelmed by all the differant info out there.


right now I am stocking 2 clowns, a royal grama and a cleaner shrimp

[Fishfirst]

get a retrofit kit and hang it on the canopy that you intend on building. Retrofits are bare bones kits that only have the essentials for light... a canopy with some small fans for air exchange can make a sw tank look complete.
As for types of lighting... it depends largely on what you want to grow. If you want all corals, Metal halide works better than anything out there. If you want a few mushrooms, leathers, and LPS, VHO or PC's work okay too (cheaper than Metal Halides).

[communitymike]

if you can afford it, go metal halide! you'll thank yourself in the long run.I went with vho's and dropped some cash on those things, but I ended up getting metal halide anyway and spent double what I entended when i should have gone MH in the first place. that shimmering effect just looks so cool. if you have some no how you could wire and install it yourself, i've found a few diagrams on how to do this on the web. try wammas, the washington aqarium society. go under contents and type in lighting good luck!