Rookie tank!

[AntonMe3000]

Hey peeps, 3 days ago was fittin to set up a freshwater tank... after seeing all the wonders a reef tank can hold... wow. So, as you can see, my tank quickly changed! :^:

Oh, FYI, the image with the green circled, shell I found while I was on the Thailand island Koh Phangan!

Looking for a better light, want to go with LED, dont know what brand or how strong I should go...?
Thanks!

 

[Cathic]

You will also need to get rid of that filter on the back and look into a protein skimmer for your filtration needs, LED's are good but will run you a bit of $$ a MH pendant light would be good or a 4-6 bulb T5 setup. either of those will run you in the 150 range, the LED module would be around 300 or so. Just my .02 for now.

Btw nice to meet you glad you joined us!

 

[Cathic]

150W Metal Halide Pendant Lights

This would be something to look into.


Dear Mods, Sorry for quick double post.

 

[dcantucson]

Wait until the price comes down. IMO.

 

[Cathic]

I agree with Dcan

 

[Bifferwine]

I would switch to MH or T5.

 

[ErinCahir]

I agree... you'll pay less for MH..

 

[bjohanson1234]

You will also need to get rid of that filter on the back and look into a protein skimmer for your filtration needs, LED's are good but will run you a bit of $$ a MH pendant light would be good or a 4-6 bulb T5 setup. either of those will run you in the 150 range, the LED module would be around 300 or so. Just my .02 for now.

Btw nice to meet you glad you joined us!

That price is for a DIY kit. Most LED fixtures will run 500 or more. Which is a quarter of what they were a few years ago

 

[AntonMe3000]

Thank you all.
I was considering LED lighting because I have heard that other lights, such as MH or T5 can cost more if you consider the power/electricity I will be paying vs LED.
Do you guys know if there is a substantial difference in that aspect?
Thanks!

 

[AntonMe3000]

You will also need to get rid of that filter on the back...

Btw nice to meet you glad you joined us!

Thank you.

The filter in the back is a generic protein skimmer (Jebo 178), I was shopping around for one on eBay last night, any suggestions? I have a small tank, only 26GAL, so I dont think I need anything extravagant or do I?

 

[Bifferwine]

Thank you all.
I was considering LED lighting because I have heard that other lights, such as MH or T5 can cost more if you consider the power/electricity I will be paying vs LED.
Do you guys know if there is a substantial difference in that aspect?
Thanks!

Yes, LEDs use a lot less power than MH or T5. But you will pay a lot more for them up front. MH and T5 still don't use a lot of electricty, over all. You can calculate their energy usage by adding up the watts they use, muliplying that by the number of hours they will be on each day, and multiplying that by the price of a kilowatt hour that your utility company charges. Most people's MH and T5 systems cost $10 to $30 a month to run.

 

[rdahlke1105]

Only thing is you also have to add in the cost of replacing the bulbs once to twice a year. Personally I liked the look of the LEDs better and didn't have to want to contend with heat issues. This was just a personal preference.

 

[yote]

Welcome aboard.

 

[winnie]

Welcome!

I just set up my system with LEDs in October. I went with four Ecoray 60 fixtures. I paid $375 a piece. Here is the website.
Home

Here is the link to my build thread to give you an idea what they're like!
https://www.livingreefs.com/winnies-120g-starphire-upgrade-t29348p2.html

 

[Cathic]

You only replace bulbs on MH every 9-12 months and T5's like 12-14 months, depending on performance. It would be a money sink to replace halide bulbs every 6 months.

 

[meshman10]

small tank = cheap to light ... your not talking a 125G long, 1 250 MH or HQI would be fine....

 

[slm32123]

I would recommend going with the LED if upfront cost isnt an issue. You have to stop and think of how much money it will save you in the long run. Figuring in all the savings on your electrical, and not to mention bulb replacement. Right now, LED bulbs are said to last at least 5 years without changing the color spectrum, and last I heard, that was with them running 24/7. And if you think about it, a 150 watt MH costing you $140 from fishneedit.com, and for decent bulbs costing you say $50 every year buying a bulb (just for spectrum change) not to mention if your bulb burns out for some reason before then.
So lets do a little math. $50 for 5 bulbs, which is 5 years hopefully the time that the LEDs will last will be $250. now, 250 + 140 = $390.
If you go with a DIY LED kit, where you put the leds onto a heatsink, and wire it all up, which isnt hard to do, just soldering. for your size tank would be about $250 I am guessing. In the long run, just for bulb replacement, and initial cost, you are saving about $150

just my 2 cents