Hi everyone...hope you're all not sick of my endless questions yet cuz I have another

What lighting would work best for my setup...90 gallon (US) 48"x18"x24"...I will be using black sand also so I know that won't reflect as much light. Is just the standard twin-tube florescent fixture good enough or is it worth it to step up to a higher output T-5 fixture? I don't want to spend an enormous amount of money but want something that makes the tank look nice.

Also what does actinic mean? I saw a fixture with a 10,000K bulb and an actinic bulb...never heard of this.

And are lunar lights beneficial in any way or are they more for use to see in at night?

Thanks in advance for all your help!

lighting is very much a personal thing. I don't like a lot of light so use a simple single 58w T8 60" tube on my 6ft tank. I used to have a 48" tank like you. I used a 36" 25-30w T8 for that. I always use the pink tint bulb preferring the warm feel rather than stark white light. i do use the reflective silver background for the bulb as it puts the light in the right direction and keeps the hood cooler. I keep meaning to buy the blue moon light LEDS for short night viewing. they could make a nice addition for when visitors come round so they can see my fish without turning the lights on. When anyone comes to visit they always want to look at the fish.))) if they don't I make them anyway ))))))

I also have black sand but find a single bulb more than enough for me. its fish i am looking at not a football match.))))
Actinic lighting is the colour and wavelenght give off by the bulb. the spectrum it covers.
www.theaquariumsolution.com/?q=node/169
a simple bulb is more than enough www.swelluk.com/aquarium/aquarium-lighti...pical-lamp-6669.html


a simple control unit and a refletive cover is the cheapest option.

I use one T5 tube to keep my tank lit and i got an additional on top that i can turn on in the winter for some additional heat or when taking pictures.
If you don't have plants a dimly lit tank will do just fine.
I used to have 2 small refridgarator bulbs as nightlights.
I also use white LED spots, that i placed on above the airstones, to create a shiny bubbly effect.
I resolved to getting blue Xmas LED's and bundled those with ducttape.
This was the very best addition to my tank ever.
Usually when the lights went off at night, the fish observation was over for that day.
Now when the LED's turn on, the fun only begins.
Since i got the nightlights, if the livingroom lights are turned on suddenly, the fish do not freak out like they used to do.
My Oscar still goes to sleep every night and is not bothered by the nightlights at all.
I have no hood i can mount them in , so that makes it a lil' messy, but it works like a charm.

in my 220 gal tank i have two 1x10W day light fluorescent lamp.
and i am setting up a T5 14W for the 110 gal.

i use a 10 dollar flourescent shop light fixture from lowes with two GE F40 40 watt aquarium & plant bulbs. more than enough light for any plants id like to grow (as if my silver dollars and snails would allow it)

Thanks for all the input on lighting...I have a wood canopy on my tank so I have to find something I can fit under that...maybe I could get one of the fixtures like Win has and just attach it to the underside of the hood...i'll have to take some measurements and see what they have.

Think I will look into the LED lunar lights though...seems like a cool thing.

On my 180g i have 4 tubes, 2 white, i pinky white and a blue moon light. I find with only one light the tank looks a bit dim

I was looking at a minimum of two lights since its in the basement and I really don't get natural light in the room. Is there a big difference between the standard light fixtures and the T-5 lights? Looking at these two right now:

standard:
www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_disp...612&pcatid=13612

High output T-5 (twin tube freshwater version):
www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_disp...770&pcatid=16770

Lighting is definitely a preference and unless you have a planted tank, basic lighting is really needed with the sort of tropical fish we are talking about on this forum. Some people like to get specialised lighting that will bring out the colours in their fish, I think you can get fluorescent blue bulbs that are particularly good at bringing out the colours in clown Loach. However, before you start getting hundreds of watts just remember that these are not power saving bulbs and leaving 500 W of lighting on for several hours is not going to be cheap.

I only ever put my lights on for about three hours in the evening, the rest of the time the tank doesn't need any lighting.

as other as pointed out lighting is definetly a personal preferrence. i have, over the years, finally figured out what kind of lighting i prefer in my tanks. i chose to use the aquaglow colour enhancing bulbs but this in itself is based on my background and substrate. there are many different types and wattages of bulbs so basically it come down to trial and error.

just want to share my DIY light, a 14W T5 in PVC housing

Nicely done Paul! I'm looking into just buying a basic shop light such as Win had and mounting it to the underside of my hood...that way may save a little money I think...would be able to do that for under $20 I think...which I can't complain about!