Aquatic Life Light T5 HO 2-Lamp Link Marine Aquarium Light, 30-Inch

I have been very pleased with this light. I bought it for my 29 gallon tall saltwater reef tank. I have had it a few months and everything is thriving. I was concerned that I may need 4 bulbs to grow corals but due to the individual reflectors on this light 2 bulbs has been adequate so far. I asked the local fish store about this light and it is the same one that they use in their frag tanks. 2 bulbs is probably good enough to grow 75% or more of corals. I have green star polyps, candy cane corals and devil's leather that are all doing well. It also looks sleek, doesn't get hot and is easy to move around to clean the tank. I initially purchased a coral life fixture and immediately returned it. It couldn't even compare to the amount of light put out by the individual reflectors. The aquatic life fixture also seems to be made of higher quality materials (metal housing, less plastic.)

I bought this light fixture as a starter light for my 29 gallon saltwater reef tank. I liked that it has the option to expand up to 6 bulbs by connecting the lights and that each bulb bas its own reflector. So far the light has been working well, but I only have a couple of fish in there at the moment, no corals. I planned to expand the light if I move to a coral tank.

The light and bulbs arrived intact; no shipping problems for me, but I have heard that this has been an issue for others.

The reason that I gave 4 stars instead of 5 is that there were no assembly instructions included in the box. The box said that there was a CD enclosed that had assembly and maintenance instructions, but I did not have this. I had to figure out how to put everything together by looking at the picture and doing some trial and error. You will need a screwdriver to assemble this light and change the blubs. You have to unscrew the panel at the opposite end of the switch to access the blubs and to slide the acrylic splash guard in place, and you have to further unscrew an additional metal piece under that panel in order to slide the connectors for the stand legs. I did not realize this until I had screwed everything back in place after assembling the bulbs and was pretty frustrated. There may be directions online, but I did not have internet access at the time and was too impatient to wait.

PRO'S: Expandable, cost effective, adjustable leg span, individual reflectors, sturdy.

CON'S: initial set up is not user friendly, nor is it simple to change bulbs or add another fixture. The bulbs that are included with the fixture are also not very high quality and should be switched out for better ones if you are trying to grow corals.

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I have this over my 56 gal column...about 23" to the substrate. My plants are flourishing (I do use a fert every other day or so). I am considering another just to have better coverage of the front and back of tank, but I don't think this is necessary...just me being picky. Note that it doesn't take 30" bulbs as it is not a common size...although available.

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