NO lights, can it be done?

[djbarnes88]

Ok, I have read a very large # of threads 8O Here is my plan. I have a 90 Gallon that will have a 2 x 250w MH in about a year.For now I am going to use a 4 bulb Home Depot NO and the standard comes with the tank NO for a whopping 200 watts of NO light (sarcasm intended). With bulbs I can do this for a little over $50.00. My question is: Could I keep any softies under this lighting. My tank height is 22.5". Also if anyone would be willing to dignify the lowly NO retro with a response The plan is to go with 3 6100K home depot bulbs and 1 Carallife Actinic as suggested in another thread and I have a 50/50 in my standard tank strip. Sorry for the long post. Thanks for the help.

 

[taikonaut]

Yes, this can be done for softies, but you probably need more than 4 bulb to make sure you don't lose all of them a few months down the road. I used to have good growth of Xenia and mushroom in a 60 gal with 4X40W NO, but that 4 feeter is much shallowder than your 90 gal.

However, I don't recommand it if you have better alternative.

 

[Anonymous]

Yes.

 

[shr00m]

you could keep softies like shrooms under that many NO with no problems if you put the mushrooms near the top.... but if your gonna spend 50 bucks get this cheap PC setup, i just ordered one for 79.00 , 48 inch 220 watt power compact 4x55w .... its some cheap offbrand but you can chyange out the bulbs and have a pretty good setup, 2 of these strips would be 440 watts for like 160 bucks, even if it is a cheap knockoff brand you can replace the bulbs with good bulbs and have a nice setup i just ordered one, and after i see if its good im planning on ordering another one.


http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... gory=46314

 

[PeeJ]

i have a similar setup, except i running the coralife strips...so i have 8x65. im happy with it.

 

[Anonymous]

Actually, you can keep more than softies under normal outputs.

Don't forget hellolights for lighting supplies, either.

 

[Dubge]

Now you guys that are running the 2 strips of 4x65 or 4x55 what do you have for bulbs in each strip? I am wondering because I have a 4x55 with 2 blue and 2 10K and was thinking about adding another strip.

thanks
Ray

 

[djbarnes88]

Thanks for all of the help.

 

[down&dirty]

I highly recommend the splurging and getting the PCs. I just got the knock-off cheap brand that is mentioned in this post and put it on a 75 gal. I am going to add another strip to get the light output that I need, but the actinic bulbs aren't very actinic, more like blue party bulbs. Thats probably one reason they sell 4 more actinic bulbs for like $30. I ran a 55 with NO lights and regreted it from day 3. The first 2 days I was just happy to have more than 2 18 inch lights. Under those lights I was keeping xenia, green and yellow star polyps, green button polyps, and green and purple mushrooms. All did very well under only 200 watts of NO lighting.

 

[shr00m]

ive already purchased corallife bulbs, just waiting on my jebo (cheapo) pc setup

i knew the bulbs that came with the setup werent great, but the ballast will power 4 65 watt corallife bulbs.

 

[TommyD]

I also have one of the Jebo setups; doing good so far; and it does not have 1 4X55 or 65 ballast; but 2 split off 1 power cord.

For less than 5 bucks at Home Depot I split the power input for each switch off; now I have a 220 watt setup that can be run on 2 timers!

All I had to do was cut 2 wires and twist them together.....