Lighting question

Rush07

Rush07

Large Fish
#1
Mar 1, 2006
252
1
0
Oneida, NY
#1
Anyone familiar with these lights? I have a 24 inch deep 65 gallon tank that is FO right now but I would like to add corals soon. I would like to have enough light so that I have a lot of options when I get into corals but am trying to avoid MH due to the heat produced. Also would like to stay under about $400 if possible. These fixtures seem a little cheap and I am afraid they are crap. If anyone has experience with them I would appreciate the feedback.

eBay: 36" POWER COMPACT 4 X 96 Aquarium LIGHT New w/ lunar (item 250108300860 end time May-04-07 11:22:20 PDT)

eBay: T5 HO Aquarium light 36 inch 8 X 39 watt new (item 7769144286 end time May-17-07 12:36:35 PDT)
 

A

aresgod

Superstar Fish
#2
Jan 14, 2004
1,987
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mass
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#2
I am not familiar with either set, but it is true that you get what you pay for in lighting, and while they may be cheaper upfront, T5 and PC require more frequent bulb changing...if you are handy at all I think you could build a MH setup with enough fans to make the heat transfer minimal...just my 2 cents.
 

Rush07

Rush07

Large Fish
#5
Mar 1, 2006
252
1
0
Oneida, NY
#5
Yes, it is 36" long. I am just concerned with the heat output. I have thought about DIYing something, but I have also heard a lot of good things about the T5's. I also found this on Ebay and, though a little more expensive, I have heard good things about TEK lighting.

eBay: Tek 36" 6x39 watt T5 HO 6 Lamp Fixture Package New (item 7760971797 end time May-15-07 20:01:31 PDT)

I am also concerned with the shadow that I would get from the cross support with a single MH light. I would need to get a double to avoid this so it would be more expensive and double the heat. Does the center support make for as big a shadow in the middle of the tank as I am guessing it would?
 

TRe

TRe

Elite Fish
#8
Feb 20, 2005
3,645
1
0
ft. lauderdale
#8
defintly go with metal halides if at all possible .... in the long run i ended up spending that much on my pc's and now ill be spending that much all over again on halides :/
 

C

CoolWaters

Superstar Fish
#13
Dec 10, 2006
1,028
1
0
Milpitas
#13
my neighbor has some crazy purple light. i didnt take a good look at it but im pretty sure its 2x 400 MH with lots of actinics. i got a bit of that when i mixed my 20k bulb with a 470nm LED light. i like my tank looking blue instead of looking purple IMO...

go with all halides or just buy a solaris and stop the light hunting lol...
 

A

aresgod

Superstar Fish
#15
Jan 14, 2004
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#15
I am running 2X150, and the tank is 18" deep and they are really bright, I think they would even work on a 24" deep tank, but 2X250 would be pretty sweet, and remember to get the mounting kit so you can suspend them to help with heat dissipation.
 

Rush07

Rush07

Large Fish
#18
Mar 1, 2006
252
1
0
Oneida, NY
#18
Not sure. Has been week to research these but should have time this weekend. It will either be 2X150 or 2X250. Got to look at prices and stuff. I will let you know when I decide.
 

Rush07

Rush07

Large Fish
#20
Mar 1, 2006
252
1
0
Oneida, NY
#20
Well, I just had an unexpected expenditure which has caused me to change my mind on these. I ordered this today (same fixture as Aresgod):

Current USA - 36" 2x150W HQI (1063) - B

I think it will be more than enough light for most of what I want to keep and again, at 8.25" I will still have room to put a 96W Actinic strip light or 2 T5's if I need it. Thanks to everyone who replied. I will post some pics when it gets here.
 

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