Fast blast needed concerning Customsealife retro kits

[swordfish]

I have been delving unguided into the realm of trying to figure out just what kind of lighting setup I am going to need to keep corals alive in my nano, where to buy such a setup and where to buy at least the right kind of bulbs with suitable connectors, all without having to sell my blood to afford it. The picture seems to be coming into focus that this is going to be a nightmare. I need some answers. Finding a straight one has been head-poundingly impossible, partly assisted by the fact that all the online sellers of retro fit kits I have run across tonight are suffering from the sad delusion that the ONLY tank anyone uses for a nano-or for that matter would need to retro-fit reef- suitable lighst into-is using an Eclipse system 12. I have an AGA 7 minibow, BTW. ......As do more of us have than any other single brand, I think it is fair to say. No one seller or manufacturer even mentioned the compatibility of any kit or ballast with the 7 bow AGA. Unbelieveable.

 

If I DIY from scratch at the hardware store and yet still buy the bulbs elsewhere, what kind of connectors will the bulbs bought from someone online likely use? Number of pins and configurations? There seems to be a million of them out there. No use in building something that I can't plug the bulbs into.

 

Customsealife makes a great little retrofit kit, the PC15232, which can be seen at http://www.customsealife.com/r_powercompact.htm. I hear they are the reigning retro kit for us around here. Okay, so where do you buy them? CSL doesn't sell them, only make them. Hellolights, the "lighting superstore", doesn't sell them either. So who does and where can I get them for a reasonable price? It seems as though this retro kit is the best to go with as far as being all one would need to just drop in and be in business.

 

Is there any one single PC smart bulb/tube/whatever that is suitable for a nano and can be used by itself, using only one tube, for sufficuent lighting? I would suppose the answer is no, but some of the setups I have seen out there tonight give the impression that is indeed so.

 

And just what am I going to need in the way of bulbs exactly? I couldn't quite find that in any article here. Assume I am going to have room and power for two. If anyone can answer these few daunting questions for me then I think I'll be out of the proverbial deep end and at least know what I am exactly shopping for. I'll also have a look at the lighting forum. I just wanted to throw this out here real fast and see what I came up with.

 

Thanks,

 

Jeff

[Yup]

I went right to my LFS and they ordered one for me for $50. Any store that sell CSL products can get one for you. I think marinedepot.com has them.

[HogWinslow]

http://www.theaquariumonline.com/retrofit_kits.asp

 

 

Try this place. It's the cheapest I found.

 

Hog

[Physh1]

It really depends on what you plan on keeping. That is about the only thing you didn't mention and that happens to be a determining factor. I've run CustomSeaLifes 32w Supernova on 7 gallon bows and the fit in the stock hood perfectly.

 

You can see them here to start with around 1/3 down the page http://www.championlighting.com/e/env/0001...g/pc_retro.html . It has been enough to keep mushrooms, polyps, zoos, leathers, etc for me but probably no stonies or clams.

 

It fits in the hood pretty well....here are a few pics from my install....

 

 

Cameron