Hello all

[INreefer]

Hi everyone... Ive been visiting the site on and off for a few months now and decided to join in on the fun. I am moving my 55 gallon tank soon and am looking forward to getting it going again.

I am looking for a new light set up for it as my old coral life has bad bulbs, ballasts, and lunar lights. Any opinions would be appreciated. Not looking to be doing much in the way of corals for now.

Well its time for the battle :helm2: of me vs the salt water gods :bounce:

 

[Smitty]

Hello and welcome to the site...glad to have you. Look into getting a 4 bulb t-5 set.

 

[OmegaOmega]

Sometimes I feel like the lone-proponent here, but I find LED's the best route to go - even if you're doing something coral-light, you can go for the more inexpensive line of LED's if you can afford them, otherwise a T5 setup works great.

MH, or Metal Halide, will put out a lot of heat, is expensive to run and maintain and is generally only required if you're really looking to keep high-end items (anemones, LPS, etc.).

The first, and best place to look, is Craigslist - you can often find the goodies of someone upgrading or leaving the hobby who generally spent a lot on their lights. This is a great way to start if you're wanting to invest slowly in the hobby.

Marinedepot has some decent offers on LED setups as well, and nanotuners.com offers DIY kits with customization options - even though your tank isn't 'nano' size, it would still be worthwhile to see what they have and get a feel for pricing. Blue lunar or Ecoxotic (a new company) have competitively priced options in the entry point range for your size tank.

Hope this helps...

 

[INreefer]

wow thanks for the quick reply's. I don't know much about the LED's. I was looking at getting the 4- t5's. Might have to check it out thanks :)

 

[yote]

Welcome aboard.
When your ready to getter goin,be sure to start a thread in the showcase forum.That we call see it come together.

 

[INreefer]

Sure will. Like I stated earlier I still need a light, but I'm just excited to get it back to me for now. I had it running for a couple years before, but the last time I moved everything died and I decided to take a little break

 

[INreefer]

What is the general opinion on this light??

48 Inch 4x54 Watt AquaticLife T5 HO Light Fixture W/ 4 Lunar LEDs


I have seen a few people with it on this site and I haven't really seen any bad reviews on it.
Are the lights that come with it OK or would I need to replace them?? I like having more of a bluish tint.. comes with

• (2) 48" T5 HO 54W 420/460 Lamps
• (2) 48" T5 HO 54W 700+ Lamps
• (4) 1W Lunar LED`s

Thanks all

 

[INreefer]

LOL sorry everone but found another light to throw into the mix.

48 inch 4x54W Sunlight Supply Tek Light High Output Fluorescent Lighting Fixture...


They have it on sale 46% off at marinedepot.com.

Doesn't come with any lamps but looks like a nice set up

 

[Bifferwine]

The Tek lights are good. I've only heard good things about that brand. Do either of them come with individual reflectors for each bulb?

 

[BL1]

Welcome to the site!

 

[INreefer]

The Tek lights are good. I've only heard good things about that brand. Do either of them come with individual reflectors for each bulb?

I would have to say no they don't

The aquaticlife -
German-made specially angled reflector maximizes light by directing it into the aquarium.

The Tek -

• 95% reflective aluminum inserts that increase output by over 300%
• The polished aluminum is bent into 4 parabolic shaped reflectors

 

[INreefer]

Does the Nova's come with individual reflectors Bifferwine?? I've seen they are your choice and you recommend them. Should I start a new thread instead of putting this the Introduce yourself section?

 

[Bifferwine]

The Teks have pseudo individual reflectors, it seems. That is definitely superior to the description of the Aquaticlife.

Current Nova Extreme lights do not have individual reflectors. Current Nova Extreme Pros do.

You should start a new thread in the lighting forum. You'll get more answers to your questions! ;)

 

[dcantucson]

Welcome to the forum.

 

[reeffreak]

Welcome to the site!

 

[coolhandgoose]

Welcome to the site.