please help. upgrading lighting today!

[ahullsb]

I need to make a decision on a lighting upgrade very soon! I have a 55 gallon and am trying to figure out whether to spend a lot of money on a metal hallide/ pc/ moonlight combo like outer orbit or whether thats overkill. I keep the top of the tank open with no canopy. Would I be better off squeezing as many t5's as I can fit over it? And how important is having individual reflectors? Any help would be greatly appreciated. THese are what interest me...

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=12772&N=2004+113175

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=12779&N=2004+113352

http://www.hellolights.com/48aqpr2x15hq.html

http://www.saltycritter.com/lighting/aqua-medic/ocean-light-t5-only.htm

What do you think? Should I go get the aqualight pro because thats whats in our stores around here? Or do I order t5s?

[bill37]

From what I have read on here, the individual reflectors are better. What do you plan on keeping in the tank?

[ahullsb]

I already have an anenome that can't find enough light. I want to keep some hard corals in there but now I only have zoo's, xenia's, polyps etc. I have pictures on my homepage. I know every store around here sells aqualight pro's. I don't know whether they are worth the money, or unrreliable.

[bill37]

I think the aqualight is overpriced. I have the Current Orbit Extreme, 520 watts of pc lighting. I am thinking about upgrading myself. I was looking at the outer orbit also. I am definately going with MH's, but I think I may go with MhH's T-5 combo. jcaquatics.com had great prices.

[ahullsb]

So you are looking at around 700-800 dollars? THe one with the moonlights? That is what caught my eye but I wasn't sure if that was overkill for my 55. It seems to be split 50 50 on whether T5's are enough or not. I am getting more unsure with every post. IT's driving me crazy!

[Rockhead21564]

Well, everyone has an opinion on lighting, so i'll give mine. the cheapest thing to do is retro fit lights ( make hood and mount), but you mentioned a fixture so $$ isn't an issue, right? Don't buy from Dr F&S, especially lighting. Waaayyyy overpriced. Check everywhere else. AquaTraders.com has some dual 175w MH w/2x96w PC actinic, moon, and fans for under $375/shipped. I know a couple people running them for the last 6-7 months and love them.

T-5 is great for Acros and such,but I'm not a fan of the light color. Too white/yellow for me. Plenty of light for lps,sps,anemones, clams and such. Runs medium hot, cooling not much of an issue.

metal halides - Great for everything. 150 or 175w dual is great for a 55g. They don't have an radiation shielding like the flourescents, so leaded glass is a must for your tank top. Color choice is the best. I like a mix of 14 and 20k myself. No need for actinic at 14k to 20k bulbs, if they are true color temps. Heating is a major issue as they run VERY hot. A couple of fans helps alot.

I personally only use MH, even on the FOWLR. The color is just that much better IMO, also the shimmer effect they produce is second to none. On my 55g clam tank I use 3x175w MH 14k, 210g FOWLR is 4x250w 10k & 14K MH ( I have lots of softies and stuff they don't eat), the 150g reef is 3x400w MH 14k w/ 4x96w PC actinic (overkill on actinic, but everybody is happy and growing,lol) Anyway, I'm huge on MH, but I have a customer that is using the T5 8 bulb set-up from Dr F&S and his acro is growing like a weed. It's all perference, probably should look at the LFS and see the difference. Good luck, lighting is the hardest info to grasp at first.

[bill37]

Rockhead,

"They don't have an radiation shielding like the flourescents, so leaded glass is a must for your tank top"


What do you mean by this statement?

[ahullsb]

I'm running an open top right now. Where do I buy leaded glass? If the mh has a glass covering built in am I alright?

[ahullsb]

Is there much quality difference between aqualight pro, outer orbit, and aqua medic?

[DSMpunk]

If you have DE (double ended) MH then you have to have a piece of glass inbetween your bulb and your tank, because of the UV radiation the bulbs put out. Every pendant and hood that has DE bulbs that I have seen come with the glass that you need, so you dont need to have glass over your tank. So yes if your MH has a glass covering you are fine.

If you go with SE (single ended) bulbs than you dont have to worry, they are already UV shielded.

If you are going with MH then I would suggest going at least 250wm unless you have a shallow tank. I have a 20" deep tank and I am happy with the 250w. The retrofits are quite a bit cheaper. Check out the MH retrofit section at Hellolights.com

Also I would be a little wary of aquatraders. I have no experience with them but I have seen a lot of negative feedback from that place. Search for some threads here and make your own opinion.

[Rockhead21564]

Well, I'm under the impreeion that SE bulbs come with a clear bulb housing that is not radatiion protective. I can only speak from my experience with the aquatrader equipment, so far all is great. the 250w MH for a 55g tank is possibly overkill, depending on height of course and par of the bulbs you are using,IMO.

Leaded glass = glass tops from almost any mfg. I wouldn't think of not using them anyway, fish can jump out.