Aquarium metal halide lighting are what you need if you have corals

Aquarium size, fish type and plant life selected, will be factored in when deciding on they type of lighting required for your aquarium.  Metal halide lighting is required when you have corals with medium to high lighting needs.  Another rule of thumb for the amount of aquarium metal halide lighting is 1 bulb for every 2 feet of tank length.  Therefore, a 4 foot tank would require 2 bulbs.

Aquarium metal halide lighting is designed to run for 12 hours a day.  If you use other lighting such as compact fluorescents, you only have to run you metal halide bulbs for 8 to 10 hours.  One point you should be aware of is that metal halide bulbs will require up to 100 hours of burn in time.  During the break in time, you may experience bulb flicker or they could turn off by themselves.

When using aquarium metal halide lighting, remember, it could take up to 10 – 12 minutes before the lighting will restart so don’t panic.  It is also important to remember that metal halide bulbs should be operated with AC current only for best results.  When shopping for your aquarium lighting, be sure to check out the selection online or in person at your favorite store to compare prices as well as overall lighting systems.