96 watts too much for 5.5 gallon?

[Hotrod32487]

Im setting up a 5.5 gallon tank and just got a 96 watt quad power compact. Is that too much lighting for the 5.5 gallon? I know the more watts the better but is 17.45 watts/gallon too much?

[JimD]

Nope! Because in 6 months it'll be more like 30 watts. lol, Those things wear out quick and are expensive to replace.

[Hotrod32487]

ballast or bulb?

[JimD]

Bulb, most PC bulbs lose their output at around that time. Im obviously not an advocate of PC lighting.

[Hotrod32487]

ah gotcha. Thought you were saying a quad is different or something. Yes i have heard you have to replace pc bulbs every 6-8 months but ive had mine on my 30 gallon for about 8 months now and im not seeing any trouble yet

[alton]

Lighting changes are not usually noticed by the human eye, purchase a cheap light meter they don't lie. Once you notice your SPS corals going south, sometimes it is too late to make the change. I had an average of 8 months life out of my 96w PC Quad

[Ram_Puppy]

a best practice is to pick a date w/in the time frame of the life cycle of the bulb, and mark the date in your calendar as a time to replace your bulb. this way, your tank will not have to adjust back from a faded spectrum.