It sounds like money isnt a huge limiter to you, and you're just (wisely) looking for the best deal. If this is so, go for the pc's. It will give you more leeway in the future if you want to add some more light demanding corals. If you are looking for the cheapest thing that will work, flourescents can be dirt cheap if you're willing to work with it a bit. I have a 55gal, it is 4' long like the 60 youre thinking of, and I have 4-40watt t-12's (which are the biggest size tubes, Loule, the skinny ones are t-8's). With my 55 this gives me 3 watts/gal, which is fairly moderate. I plan on keeping low light corals with this setup, and I might supplement it with a 30 watt pc on one end if I need to. But anyway, I bought the strips at home depot, 2 double's, made for a workbench, for like $10 each. I also got 2 covers for them which were like $15 each. I bought 2 24" glass lids for my tank online for $15 each, and I just rest the light strips on top. Obviously this is a little crude, but it works. These strips can also be ceiling mounted to get them out of the way, or you can build a hood. But eventually you will probably want to upgrade, so if you have the cash, go for the pc's right now...
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
You should upgrade or use an alternative browser.
newbie-lights
- Thread starter billyzbear
- Start date
Yes, Canada. I was trying to distinguish the disadvantage of halogen lamp, and group the rest together.
There is no doubt that MH beats pretty much all other common lighting options out there when it comes to efficiency, including LED, PC. VHO. It is due to some disadvantages of MH that prevent it from taking over the world. (E.g., weight, need for ballast, dimming problem, can't blink, low-wattage inefficiency, etc.)
There is no doubt that MH beats pretty much all other common lighting options out there when it comes to efficiency, including LED, PC. VHO. It is due to some disadvantages of MH that prevent it from taking over the world. (E.g., weight, need for ballast, dimming problem, can't blink, low-wattage inefficiency, etc.)
billyzbear":32xah7gk said:What do ya think of a mercury vapor mogal base lamp? 7400-7900 lumens and 6500 kelvin.
http://store.yahoo.com/elights/philmervapla.html
The fixture is cheap 23.00
http://www.lowes.com/lkn?action=product ... 0-NH1204-M
Says they run on house current, not sure if ballast is needed. I could throw in some blue hologens to help with the look and for all less than a hundred.
I can't get the second link to work, so I have no clue about the product. For a fixture, it should include ballast if the lamp needs it... again, shooting in the dark here....
Regarding the MV lamp, the CRI is pretty bad at 20. It will probably give you very yellow looking tank, so the bulb is not suggested for reef tank. If you can get a good MV ballast, you may want to consider Iwasaki bulbs that run on MV/MH ballast. Make sure the wattage matches between bulb and ballast.
Your saying that I can put a halide bulb in a fixture that is made for mercury vapor? That would be a big savings.
http://store.yahoo.com/elights/yardlights.html
This is the same fixture but different place. The price is so much cheaper than the halide fixture I didn't think it had the right ballast. I'm thinking that I'm going to get two 175w halide fixtures. For the long run it would be cheaper. I did see a 400w halide fixture on that site for 115.00.
http://ww.elights.com/higbaylig2.html
I did fine some good stuff on this site.
http://www.aquarium-design.com/lighting.html
If I had found this site sooner I wouldn't have had to ask so many stupid questions.
http://store.yahoo.com/elights/yardlights.html
This is the same fixture but different place. The price is so much cheaper than the halide fixture I didn't think it had the right ballast. I'm thinking that I'm going to get two 175w halide fixtures. For the long run it would be cheaper. I did see a 400w halide fixture on that site for 115.00.
http://ww.elights.com/higbaylig2.html
I did fine some good stuff on this site.
http://www.aquarium-design.com/lighting.html
If I had found this site sooner I wouldn't have had to ask so many stupid questions.
Your saying that I can put a halide bulb in a fixture that is made for mercury vapor? That would be a big savings.
http://store.yahoo.com/elights/yardlights.html
This is the same fixture but different place. The price is so much cheaper than the halide fixture I didn't think it had the right ballast. I'm thinking that I'm going to get two 175w halide fixtures. For the long run it would be cheaper. I did see a 400w halide fixture on that site for 115.00.
http://www.elights.com/litmethalhig.html
I did fine some good stuff on this site.
http://www.aquarium-design.com/lighting.html
If I had found this site sooner I wouldn't have had to ask so many stupid questions.
http://store.yahoo.com/elights/yardlights.html
This is the same fixture but different place. The price is so much cheaper than the halide fixture I didn't think it had the right ballast. I'm thinking that I'm going to get two 175w halide fixtures. For the long run it would be cheaper. I did see a 400w halide fixture on that site for 115.00.
http://www.elights.com/litmethalhig.html
I did fine some good stuff on this site.
http://www.aquarium-design.com/lighting.html
If I had found this site sooner I wouldn't have had to ask so many stupid questions.
Well, speaking from experience, I just bought the Flourex Fluorescent Flood Light fixture from home depot for my refugium. Had to do some DIY wiring to put a cord on it. It has a built-in ballast so it's pretty much self contained and the box says that it's waterproof so that makes it good for the ol sump conditions! The light is whiter than I expected: the box says it's 6500K color, but it actually looks pretty white. this thread talks about it too. Pretty good for $35.[/url]
Billyzbear, congrats! You are off to a good start by asking questions so I feel like you are going to do alright. For your intended animal selection PC's will work wonderfully. The bulbs do have to be replaced pretty much once a year, at least, some saying 9 months. I replace my actinics when I feel like it. I have a 4 x 55 watt hood about 4 years old. I have found the 10K bulbs yield less growth than a 6500K & actinic combo. 10K PC lights don't look real swell IMO.
As far as substrate, plenum can be a good choice. A deep sand bed is just as effective IME, and easier to maintain. Get some nassarius snails & a cuke & you'll not have too much trouble @ all. I have set up some really nice tanks that ran 3 or 4 years w/o any gas problems. Nice coral growth too. I have a maintenance business & have seen them work firsthand not just read someone's book that spouted they didn't. I prefer deep sand beds because they look nicer w/o having to hide the screen & dividers & a smaller grain size is possible w/ dsb. Whatever tank you go with, coulnt on a depth of 4-6" of sand & figure that your lights will have less water to penetrate. Good trade off huh? Standard double flourescents will grow the stuff you are talking about in 12" of water depth easily. PC's will grow SPS & clams in this water depth too. If you shell out the bucks, look @ the HQI halides. Nice!
As far as substrate, plenum can be a good choice. A deep sand bed is just as effective IME, and easier to maintain. Get some nassarius snails & a cuke & you'll not have too much trouble @ all. I have set up some really nice tanks that ran 3 or 4 years w/o any gas problems. Nice coral growth too. I have a maintenance business & have seen them work firsthand not just read someone's book that spouted they didn't. I prefer deep sand beds because they look nicer w/o having to hide the screen & dividers & a smaller grain size is possible w/ dsb. Whatever tank you go with, coulnt on a depth of 4-6" of sand & figure that your lights will have less water to penetrate. Good trade off huh? Standard double flourescents will grow the stuff you are talking about in 12" of water depth easily. PC's will grow SPS & clams in this water depth too. If you shell out the bucks, look @ the HQI halides. Nice!
For the yard light fixture, you can call and see if you can get a Iwasaki 150W MV/MH bulb for it. It is up to you to investigate the compatibility, but the seller should be able to take the liability. MarineDepot and others sell the bulb, give them a call.
The main issue with fixture that contains the ballast within it (cf. remote, or rather, remotely mounted ballast) is very heavy. It can be a challenge to use it as is. I removed the ballast and use an old computer case for enclousre, and ran the wire to the fixture. Rather you want to do it depends on your confidence.
The main issue with fixture that contains the ballast within it (cf. remote, or rather, remotely mounted ballast) is very heavy. It can be a challenge to use it as is. I removed the ballast and use an old computer case for enclousre, and ran the wire to the fixture. Rather you want to do it depends on your confidence.
Sponsor Reefs
We're a FREE website, and we exist because of hobbyists like YOU who help us run this community.
Click here to sponsor $10:
