Lighting Suggestions - Beginner

[mark h]

Good luck with your new tank..
i am assumming that this will be a fish only tank..
i would go with the URI daylight bulbs for a fish only tank. the URI's are superior to coralife bulbs in my opinion

 

[shaywood]

I just switched my 125g from freshwater to saltwater and would like to upgrade my fluorescent bulbs. I have two 36" canopy housings(NO) that came with the tank. Each holds one T9(?) aquarium bulb. Without changing the ballasts, what type of bulbs would you recommend putting in these housings? I don't have the money to upgrade the entire lighting system yet, but would like to maximize what I have. How about Coralife 50/50?

 

[Big R]

I'd try Coralife 10,000K's.

R

 

[I14Green]

You have to upgrade at least to small Power Compact unit, very cheap under $200 for your tank. ( Small investment ) Unless you'll be stuck with feather dusters and fish and mabey some shrimp or crabs. Remember though that any Reef or semi-reef tank requires a nice balance of macro algae growth to sustain forms of life such as tangs, and some crabs. Your lights might not be adaquate for your setup ??

 

[shaywood]

I14Green, where would I buy the ballast you recommended?

 

[I14Green]

I know that Custom Sea Life sells a retro- fit product in 32 watt PC and up. Ask LFS (local fish store) if they can get you one ! Mabey 2-55 watts would be better - if affordable , but 2-32 watt PC's will do. Shop around Custom sea life has a web site at "www.customsealife.com" satrt there, and good luck !

Check out my Reef Tank - 250 Watt & 175 Watt MH's and 4 - 32 Watt PC's

 

[Green Lantern]

Hi, welcome aboard. There isn't much you can keep with two 36" bulbs on a tank of your size so if you want to go reef you will havt to upgrade. You have to decide which corals you want to keep. Once you've decided then you can figure out which kind of lighting. If you can build a hood you can do your lighting a lot cheaper by buying the endcaps/sockets, ballasts,bulbs and reflectors. Check out the sponsor links on the board and shop around. You could get a Icecap 660 electronic ballast that will run two 6' VHO flourescent or power compacts and you can add metal halide later as the addiction..er..hobby takes you. Good luck.

 

[whirley]

I'd suggest going with a Retro MH setup.
If you plan on being in this hobby for long, you'll eventually end up with MH, IMHO.

I went from NO, PC, VHO, and finally MH.
Cost me dearly. Just skip to the chase and go with a MH. $175 for a nice retro setup.
Especially for a 125g....

You could also go with a used MH. I've seen 175/250's for $100 in the marketplace/Ebay

whirley

[ October 15, 2001: Message edited by: whirley ]

 

[White-Queen]

I am a beginner also so please explain what is meant by "retrofit". Is that a kit you buy and can place into your existing hood/reflector deal-whopper (a very technical term!)? What would I want for my 29g tank (24 inches) if I were to upgrade to MH?

Angela <><

 

[shaywood]

I hope to have a mixure of fish and reef life. Any change to your recommendation?

 

[JohnD]

Shawn,

I have good success running a Corallife 50/50 and 6500K daylight bulb in my 2 bulb NO strip. I keep LR and some feathur dusters along with some fish and cleaner shrimp.

 

[davelin315]

A retrofit kit is just like you said. Usually it comes with a reflector with a socket in it, a bulb, and a remote ballast. Some reflectors are prebent, some are flat and you can cut and bend them to how you want it. On a 29, you probably should go with a 175 or a 250 IMO single lamp. Most of the reflectors are 20 some odd inches long, so you can't really fit more than one on there, and most MH bulbs with a socket are around a foot long in that wattage give or take a couple inches. You could also go with the HQI sockets, but I've never used those although I've heard good things about them. The bulbs and sockets resemble Halogen t-2/t-4 lamps.

 

[White-Queen]

Thanks, that helps! So, if I buy a 250 watt single bulb MH retrofit kit my (mechincally and electronically inclined) boyfriend will be able to make it work? Cool! hehehehehe

Angela <><