Another newbie

[putter]

Thanks to all for the warm welcome and the suggestions on the tanks, stilll waiting for the quote on the arcylic but the glass tank will require a custom made stand, so I am told, and the quoted price on the stand alone was 2475.00. This is a bit much and if the quote for the arcylic comes in reasonable I am thinking that it will soon be sitting in my living room, will just have to take extra care while doing maintenance or moving rock around.

[yote]

A bit much?
Whats are they building that custom stand out of? Gold?
If your fairly handy with a saw and hammer,you could probably build just as a stand for 100 bucks or so.

[RigoSharon]

hello and welcome!!

[putter]

Yes Yote, I am thinking they must at least be trimming it in gold, after all it is just a box 48x18!! Anyhow, if they are charging me that much for a stand I am sure that the prices on other items will be well inflated as well, going to stay away from that place! Found another place, it was listed in the vendors section on these forums . Dr Fosters and Smith, just waiting for a reply from them to see if they will ship to Canada. Has anyone else heard bad things about the LED lights? I don't mind the cost as in the long run I think they would pay for themselves, just want to make sure that they will work for what I need them to work for. Any input on this would be greatly appreciated.

[Bifferwine]

About the LED lights... I heard it's expensive to change the bulbs. Since there are so many of them. I don't know anyone who runs them in their home, although my LFS has the Solaris LEDs on one of their display tanks. The tank looks AMAZING and the colors are stunning.

[putter]

Found a site that had a great deal of information, as well as some pretty intense opions about this light system. From what I read the cost of replacing the bulbs will run about $500, and it is said they will last 5 to 11 years (big span there) there are several that have the lights on and in use and seem happy with them, quality control seems to be an issue, but overall they seem that the LED will be the wave of the future. Looks like all forms of reef life do well with the new lighting system, the programable 28day cycle seems to be a very large hit with some while others seem most impressed with the savings on power and not having to deal with the heat from MH lights. All in all I think I will toss out the big bucks to purchase and go with the wave of the future LOL. Still waiting on the quote from ARB on the acrylic tank, Dr Fosters and Smith say they can not ship to Canada on large items. If any one else has an idea of where I can order a tank and stand setup please let me know....thanks.

[yote]

Have you checked with Marine Depot?
I dont know that they will ship to Canada or not,but its worth a try.

[yote]

BTW
Have you thought about T-5s for lighting?
Theres several of us on here that are running T-5s and love them.
Not enough heat to make a difference,the bulbs arent that expensive,and you can get all the K ratings on bulbs you want.

[reeffreak]

Its been awhile since I read up on LED lighting.It was back in January but the jury was still out on LED.Yeah they have 50,000-60,000 hours life span which is suppose to be up to 10 years depending on how long you are going to run your lights.They are the lighting of the future(perhaps)but unless the price drops a hell of a lot(which it hasn't so far)it will stay a niche player in reef lighting.I've also read that the quality is not there just yet.

I'm with Yote,go with T5,the right fixture will allow you to keep anything you desire.If you want to spend that kind of money on LED's check this T5 fixture,its totally programmable also.......http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5_...dule_Fixtures/

Of course there are a lot cheaper T5 fixtures that are great also.

[putter]

Thanks again for the advice I will look into T-5 lighting as well, I know the LED's are expensive but I really like the way they look and the programable cycles, and from what I have read, all forms of corals and marine life do well with the lighting. The forum I was reading was like 35 or 39 pages of debate (alot of reading LOL) and those that had put out the cash seemed to be well impressed with the lights themselves but unimpressed with the condition of the fixtures and workmanship itself when the shipment arrived, they have all said that the product has been completely backed up by the company and the customer service they recieved was great! So IF I ever manage to get a tank these lights will be on the list of prospective purchases, along with many other things....but first...to find a tank!