Im upgrading already

[pgr11]

well last wed i bought a tank with some extras on craigs list. lots of stuff fo 50 bucks. After bringing it home and doing lots more reading the sickness has set in. the tank i was told was a 40 tall but come to find out it was 34 at best:frustrat:. Well back to craiglist I went and I came across a guy that is tr4ying to start a lfs but r now is buying and selling from his house. Well he had a 55 gallon with stand and hood in a cherry finish for 150 bucks.:whoopee!: he took my other tank and stand as credit and knocked off 50 for them so im not out any money for the other tank. Whooo Hooo!! Now I have a problem I had purchased some t5 lighting in anticipation of a larger tank but now the one i bought has a hood. So im returning the lights but now i need new ones. What do you guys suggest. Looking at everything I think in going to have to build a custom setup.Are there any good kits ought there for t5 or is there anything you suggest. Im really happy with the new tank should be real nice when all is said and done

 

[little_fish]

Congrats on the upgrade!

What kind of lights did you get?

And i personally would get rid of the hood before i got rid of the lights. I dont care for the look.

 

[pgr11]

48 Inch Coralife Lunar Aqualight T5 Lamp High Output Fixture Information
Product Manuals & Documentation



Introducing the Lunar Aqualight T5 High Output light fixtures from Coralife. Each Lunar Aqualight fixture includes four high output T5 lamps and directional LED moonlights making these fixtures a great choice for saltwater and reef aquariums.

Product Features

• 4 T5 High Output Lamps included- two each 10,000K and Actinic
• Directional Moonlight LEDs
• Separate power cords for individual control of daylight, actinic and moon lights
• Quick disconnect ballasts and cooling fans
• Adjustable mounting brackets included
• Powder-coated aluminum housing and acrylic splash guard.

I really like the look with the hood. i guess its not a hood but a canopy. sorry for the mix up. I bought these lights. I dont think they would fit and the manual say DO NOT PUT IN CANOPY. So any thoughts on retrofit kits

 

[pgr11]

216 watt total

 

[little_fish]

Ya, without individual reflectors that light wont be much good.

But i dont know much about retrofit kits, so im not much help there :(

 

[BL1]

If you're looking at fitting in a kit, these two look good to me. You'd need at least two of them, possibly three. And the second kit comes with built in moonlights

48" Two Lamp T5 Retro Kit by CoralVue - AquaCave
Hamilton Technology Aruba Sun V 2 x 48", 54W High Output T5 with LED - AquaCave

 

[pgr11]

Wave Point 48 Inch T5 LampWave Point T5 Lamp Retrofit Kit Information
Product Manuals & Documentation


Wave Point T5 Lamp Retrofit Kit

• 14X Light Amplifying Paradynamic Reflector
• Water Resistant Endcaps
• Premium UL Listed GFCI Plug
• On/Off Switch
• Ultra-Silent and Energy Efficient Ballast

Includes:

• 2 Sun Wave Lamps and 2 Blue Wave Lamps
• Canopy Mounting Bracket (10") and Hanging Kit

• 
  Any thoughts on this kit

 

[BL1]

That one's not bad at all, It's a little more expensive then the other two though. That's why I didn't link to it.

 

[pgr11]

Well if I buy 2 of the other light kits to make up 4 bulbs I would be in it more than just buying the unit that has all 4 already. Will this kit let me grow everything or will I be very limited

 

[BL1]

The first kit I posted, you're looking at $280 for two of the kits or $315 for one of the 4 bulb kits. Either way, with the individual reflectors I don't think you'll have too many limitations.

 

[pgr11]

Here is A picture of my new tank http://co116w.col116.mail.live.com/mail/#

 

[pgr11]

The 48" kit with 4 bulbs looks like its 258 any way I will consider all. I do like the led lunar lights though, just the look is cool. Im still trying to figure all the light stuff so im kinda relying on all your expertise. Thanks for all the info it is appreciated

 

[BL1]

Well, if it's 258 then it won't matter either way. If you get one of the ones without LEDs, you could always add LED stunner strips separately for moonlighting. Some people don't care for them but, I personally love looking at my tanks under the moon lights.

 

[pgr11]

I will look over the weekend but for now am leaning towards those. Ok now I have 30lbs of old live rock and I have a source for some fiji supreme at 2.00 a lb. Will another 30lb be good or should i get more? I think I want to see what all will look like in the tank and add more if it looks sparse. I guess my question is will 60 total lbs be enough for the tank to work properly

 

[BL1]

60 lbs will be enough, you usually want between 1-2 pounds per gallon of water but, you can never have too much.

 

[Smitty]

Congrats on the upgrade...

 

[pgr11]

Thanks. It took a little time to convince my wife but once my wife saw the possibilities she was all in. Any suggestions on sand. In all my trading I was able to pick up a 30lb bag of caribsea aragonite sugar size sand. My wife wants to add something to this that has a little color to it. I like the look of the fine sand but will it blow all around? What is a safe size if someday I were to add a goby?

 

[pgr11]

Well we are back to the original lights and no canopy. I quickly realized while i was trying to place some dry rock in the tank that my arms just were not long enough to reach everything let alone my wife. so we decided to keep the lights and go with no canopy. Little Fish I checked and the lights I bought coralife do have individual reflectors so I should be ok right?

 

[little_fish]

If you have individual reflectors you should be fine!