MikeTa Posted July 13, 2004 Share Posted July 13, 2004 I currently have an 18 gallon tall reef tank with about 10 lbs of live rock, a few soft corals (zoos and mushrooms), and some fish. Im planning to get some other stuff soon. Im not too sure about how many watts i need per gal or what type of lighting i need. Any suggestions on lighting for a person who is on somewhat of a budget ($100-$150)? Also, are metal halides best? Link to comment
KrackerG Posted July 13, 2004 Share Posted July 13, 2004 #1 MH #2 T5HO #3 VHO #4 PC #5 NO MH can be had for under a $100... Link to comment
fade2black Posted July 13, 2004 Share Posted July 13, 2004 Don't go by the "watts per gallon" rule as it is worthless in reefkeeping. You need to decide what you want to keep and go by intensity. MH are best for SPS, but not necessarily the best for LPS or soft corals. So it all depends on what you want to keep. Link to comment
Jahkaya Posted July 13, 2004 Share Posted July 13, 2004 MH can be had for under 100 if you don't mind retrofitting. I also would do VHO before T-5. Link to comment
fade2black Posted July 13, 2004 Share Posted July 13, 2004 I am running VHO on my 50 and if I had to do it all over again, I would go with T5 personally. It is cheaper and you get more light intensity than VHO. My next tank will be either MH or T5.. Link to comment
KrackerG Posted July 13, 2004 Share Posted July 13, 2004 ...i would like to do a tank w/ both MH and T5HO ...now your talkin'! Link to comment
jtsam Posted July 13, 2004 Share Posted July 13, 2004 how about using all types of lighting? someone should definately set up a M/T5HO/VHO/PC/NO tank with a sunroof over it rigged up with reflectors. Link to comment
MikeTa Posted July 13, 2004 Author Share Posted July 13, 2004 Very helpful.....Thanks for the help guys. I was probably thinking about getting an entire hood setup from Coralife. Im looking at one on the internet which is a 20" 1x96W Coralife Aqualight CF hood w/ Quad 50/50 -Square Pin. Its priced at $88. And another which is a 24" 2x65W Coralife Aqualight CF hood, 1x Actinic and 1x 10,000K, -Straight Pin. This is one is priced at $116. What do you guys think? Which one is going to work better? Any other suggestions on brands? Link to comment
KrackerG Posted July 14, 2004 Share Posted July 14, 2004 ...another option is the Current USA Orbitz model or you may be able to find a Custom SeaLife for cheap... (no longer in biz but a great hood!) what size is your tank...as in length?? Link to comment
MikeTa Posted July 14, 2004 Author Share Posted July 14, 2004 size in length is 20". I currently have an old light setup that a friend gave me right now but its been acting up. Im just using it temproarily. I brought it to my local fish store the other day to fix and he said that he couldnt fix it. I think its probably too old. I would like to get a better and newer one if possible. Link to comment
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