Need some opinions on lighting!

About to order one of the two lighting fixtures tonight/tomorrow and need to know which one will worked best based on your experience and what all you've heard! All input is greatly appreciated

Starting a new 29 gallon reef, 30 1/4 x 12 1/2 x 18 3/4. And am either going to order the Marineland Reef Capable LED Lighting System 24-36"

or the [class="productnamecolorLARGE colors_productname"]Coralife Lunar Aqualight T5 Aquarium Lighting Fixture, 4X31W, 30"[/class]

I've heard different takes from the LFS as well as people on google saying what the LED system can and cannot support, some say it can handle both hard and soft corals, others only say soft..

I'm definitely going to have soft corals and live rock or anything, unsure down the road as to whether or not I might get some brain coral or other hard corals but it would be nice to have the ability to support them if I buy a few in a couple months.

Both light fixtures are said to last at least a year without maintenance and having to change any bulbs or anything which is fine because thats how long this set up will be running, and both are on sale on marineandreef.com for about $10.00 difference so price is no problem

Will go on this 29 gallon with a 3 inch wide aquatic life mini internal skimmer, have yet to stain the stand, which was built by the famous Kpotter2 himself! http://i1155.photobucket.com/albums/p555/rus10away/25a98e7c.jpg

Marineland system

Cons:

- Leaves 3" on either side of the light

- May or may not be able to fully support coral of all kinds and allow them to flourish

- Possibly less light emitted

Pros:

- Lightweight, way less bulky and more manuverable

- Sits closer to the water

- Only requires one plug in



Coralife Aqualight

Cons:

- 2 seperate powercords for the atinic and daylight bulbs (excess wiring) could be viewed as a pro I suppose, just want less of a chance of my house catching on fire..

- Bulky, requires fans (reported to be as loud or slightly louder than your average desktop computer)

- Design isn't as attractive

Pros:

- Actual light spans end to end of the tank

- More reputable as far as growing hard coral goes (LED is in the grey area)

- Possibly stronger light colors with more options

 

Alright thanks a lot everyone! I had decided to go with the t5's but upon measuring, I discovered there wouldnt be room with my in tank skimmer /DesktopModules/ActiveForums/themes/_default//emoticons/sad.gif And since I'm on a short timeline, i can't get a DIY kit, so going with the reef capable, because if adequate lighting isn't presented, I can always add more Leds, either make some strips or purchase them