armyfishnj Posted November 5, 2003 Share Posted November 5, 2003 I have looked at many lights and still am confused....I am hoping for some help....What is the difference between retrofit lighting and lighting already boxed up for you? If I got a canopy for my tank, which style would be best? Also....what about moon lighting that I've seen which is very blue and makes the corals glow. Can someone give me some help???? Link to comment
MrConclusion Posted November 6, 2003 Share Posted November 6, 2003 What size tank do you want? Some companies, for instance, have good deals on one size but not another. For 10 gallon tanks, the Coralife 96-watt PowerQuad is hard to beat. It's less than $100 at www.hellolights.com Another great deal are CustomSeaLife's "Moon Lights." These are PC (Power Compact) fixtures with built in night-viewing lights. Check them out at www.marinedepot.com If you want serious lighting with the ability to turn on the "very blue and makes the corals glow" lighting (called actinic by the way) look into a combination hood with Metal Halide and Actinic lighting from a company like PFO, CustomSeaLife, or Hamilton. These are expensive, but also the best. Check www.marinedepot.com or www.reefgeek.com You can also try the new T5-HO lighting systems. I recently reviewed them in another thread: http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/showthread...&threadid=19409 Post back here if you have more questions! Link to comment
Physh1 Posted November 6, 2003 Share Posted November 6, 2003 Already "boxed" lighting means you need a cmplete light setup in a hood because you don't have a canopy or other enclosure to mount it it. A "retrofit" comes ready to mount into a user supplied enclosure. These are ideal if you have a canopy already. Cameron Link to comment
armyfishnj Posted November 6, 2003 Author Share Posted November 6, 2003 So would it be better to go with a retrofit and have a canopy than going with the normal "boxed" setup? I am thinking about going with the retrofit at this point. Also would I need a 36" or could I go with a 30" setup since I'm mounting it to my canopy??? Is it hard to mount to your canopy? Link to comment
Dave ESPI Posted November 6, 2003 Share Posted November 6, 2003 3 screws and drill gun through the reflector and into the hood. Push wires down back, and plug in. Done. That assumes you have a hood tht is able to be retro-ed into. Link to comment
armyfishnj Posted November 6, 2003 Author Share Posted November 6, 2003 It would be a wooden canopy. What about heat? Would I have to put fans in to keep the heat down? Link to comment
Dave ESPI Posted November 6, 2003 Share Posted November 6, 2003 dauh. if you increase the output, and the bulbs give off more heat (obviously) you will need some form of ventelation. ummm spend some time reading a few threads... this stuff is all covered Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.