wtb lighting

[Mantis806]

i'm looking for new lighting for a 90. i'm trying to get most of the equipment before i build the stand and canopy. here's a list of the lighting i would be interested in.

1. dual 175watt metal halides
2. dual 250watt metal halides
3. 6x 54watt T5s
4. 4x 65watt PCs

it doesn't matter if the setup is retro or not. that's why i want to buy b4 i build, so i know if i should build a canopy or not. if you guys have any setup or see any for sale, can you let me know? i'm looking to ideally spend around $150 - $200. the halides are on the top of my list right now.

 

[stingnyc]

i have 8 t5's and pc retro's as well.

steve

[ February 08, 2005, 02:36 PM: Message edited by: stingnyc ]

 

[Mantis806]

hey steve,
are you selling the T5s? they're retro? how much do you want for them?

 

[Mantis806]

ttt

 

[LiquidBlues]

200-300 bucks will get you one 250W MH set

i'm plannin for a 180G tank and it seems that i'm going to have to spend 1000 bucks on lights

 

[Mantis806]

i'm not looking for the best setup. just something better than my current PC setup. i think ideally i would want one ballast that would fire dual 175watt bulbs. i've seen a few ballast on RC for $100, i just didn't jump on them. i'm guessing the reflectors and wires and sockets would run another $100. i don't want to spend too much on a retro b/c i would still have to dish out the cash for the materials for the hood. maybe i'll just save for a little longer to get a ncier setup. i know 175 watts is not a lot, but i don't want the bill to run too high. at the very least, it would be an upgrade from my dinky PCs.

 

[stratus1]

i was looking into mh for a while....but now with the new 4x 96watt bulbs i have laying around...i can forget about it

found this site quite informative
http://aquarium.union.rpi.edu/articles/DIY_MH.html

 

[Mantis806]

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=524195

what do you guys think of this setup? is it worth it? i know csl is out of business, so it would probably be hard to get help if i had problems. i'm also being offed a single 250 iwaki retro for $100 and another offer of a hamilton dual 175 ballast for $100 shipped. any opinions? i really need some advice bad b/c i don't know too much about halides right now. i'm trying to do more research as i go. any help would be great. thanks