Need help choosing!

[MizTanks]

I have a 26g bow front in need of a lighting system. 24" compact is what I'm looking for. Any suggestions? The biggest in watts I can find is 2x 65, would this be enough for softies and sps?

[jimsflies]

I have a buddy that has some pc retro fit kits for sale. You could make a diy and put an extra light in.

But by the same token why not go with 3-4 t5's? Less watts and more light. Plus more color options.

Oh and I would say that no, the pc's would be not bright enough for most sps (at least to attain full color and growth potential).

[Sir Patrick]

+1 to what jimsflies said.

Better off getting the best right away, otherwise you will spend money just to upgrade again very quickly and spend money twice (if not 3 times).

Lighting and skimming are 2 places you can waste alot of money by not getting the best option the first time.

a 3 or 4 bulb t5ho would be the way to go on your tank.

[MizTanks]

I have a buddy that has some pc retro fit kits for sale. You could make a diy and put an extra light in.

But by the same token why not go with 3-4 t5's? Less watts and more light. Plus more color options.

Oh and I would say that no, the pc's would be not bright enough for most sps (at least to attain full color and growth potential).


Could you please point me in the right direction Jim? 3-4t5's? I do not know how to build my own light system. I am NOT DIY inclined:blackeye:

[jojo22]

You can purchase t-5 kits that are as colse to plug and play as DIY gets. End caps, ballast, and bulbs, add a set of directions and it's color by number.

Honestly there are kits that my 8 year old could put together, plus you have us, so you will be fine.

[jimsflies]

You can probably use a workhorse 7 ballast to save costs. Should be less than $30 for the ballast. They are pretty easy to wire up.

[jojo22]

I forget the model, but I absolutely loved the workhorse ballast I had on my MH.

[Fishgeek88]

Get a sunlight supply T5 fixture. The 4 bulb 24" tek light is very nice. I run one of the sunlight supply 24" 4 bulbs econo sunlight supply on my 20 gallon and love them. This is the one I run:

http://sunlightsupply.com/aqua/products.aspx?request=AQUA_SUNBLAZE&title=Fluorescent%20Lighting&type=product

[MizTanks]

Look guys I'm serious when I said I'm DIY ignorant. I don't even know WHAT a ballest is, nor an endcap. I do feel I first need to understand the *workings* first before I even try and build my own. I know only what I've read about what works best for corals, but I don't know the whys. I know MH stands for Metal Halid and that they comsume a lot of energy, get very hot and are expensive to replace but are wonderful for corals. So maybe this would be a wonderful thread idea. One that explains the importance and workings of *lighting*. So telling me to get this and that, do this and that does absolutely no good. It's because of this exact issue that I got rid of a 75g predrilled tank that was *given* to me. I was so overwhelmed! I didn't know what to do with it! I didn't know how to set it up. I didn't know what to get, or even what was needed.
I live in a town where the only people I know who keep SW are the ones from the LFS and they are not very helpful. They are not into SW like I find here. It's frustrating to think I could have a big tank if only I knew what you all do. I'v got a 26g bowfront tank that I'd like a light setup for. Can't I buy one already made, with the right watage?

[Sir Patrick]

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3733+13822+16770&pcatid=16770

The 24" x 8"- Its a 4 bulb set up. Good light at a very good price! Only drawback is that the bulbs that come with the fixture are recomended to be replaced with heigher quality bulbs for best performance. No need to do it right away though.

You can buy it, put it on the tank, plug it in and you will have light!!

I am looking at the 36" 4 bulb set up myself, If I decide not to do MH w/ VHO suppliments.

[MizTanks]

Thank you thank you thank you!! Buuuut, there's only 96w total. I can get higher wat bulbs right?

[Poseidon]

No, you can't. However, WATTS is measure of POWER CONSUMPTION, NOT light output. Those 4 24W T5 lamps will produce a LOT more PAR for your tank then 96W of PC light could ever dream of. That fixture has reflectors that direct the light from all 360 degrees of the T5 bulb into the tank, a PC fixture at best, puts less then 270 degrees of bulb area into the tank, and that is only if you have reflectors for each of the bulbs, which I have never seen.

Have you ever seen a T5 fixture and a PC fixture side by side? The difference is staggering!

[jojo22]

Also keep in mind that any slot where you place a blue bulb (acintic) that light does not help your corals at all. It simply makes them look better to your eyes by making the colors pop. So a 96W 50/50 bulb is not giving you the same PAR as a 96 W 10K bulb. But the colors of your coral will look better with the 50/50

[Sir Patrick]

^ beg to differ. There are new bulbs (cant remember exactly which off the top of my head) that make actinics with very good par these days.

I will look them up and post the info later.

[jojo22]

But on a general basis 99.999999999% of acintic bulbs are not going to give PAR worthy of mentioning nor calculating.

The person posting this has admitted she is new to the hobby and having trouble keeping everything straight. So why make things more confusing. Also note that my post referred to PC lighting so please point me to a PC (not VHO or T-5) bulb with a Par that can sustain corals. Or to get more technical my post said "So a 96W 50/50 bulb is not giving you the same PAR as a 96 W 10K bulb" so please show me a 50/50 PC bulb that will produce the same par as a 10K PC of the same wattage. seeing as to how the OP stated she is looking for compact lighting in her first post. People really do need to relax, not everything has to me a technical showdown. Sometimes advise can be just that and need not make things more difficult for the OP to understand, or hijack their thread.

There is an exception to every rule, people keep reefs under HPS lighting, but it is not commonly accepted nor suggested. Just because something can be done does not always make it right for the situation or the reefer at hand.

[Sir Patrick]

You are absolutely right jojo. As far as pc lighting (and vho and normal output t5 lighting) actinic lighting has very little par, and even less when compared to heigher spectrum bulbs of the same variety.

I should have been more specific.

Very good info Jojo. You are spot on in your post. 99% of actinics dont give much par at all. T-5 ho lights are the only bulbs I have heard of that can, with the right brand, give decent par ratings on actinic bulbs.

[jojo22]

Could you start a thread on them??

I am interested in checking out and discussing them, but don't want to hijack. Would be a great thread for those running T-5 HO's

[Sir Patrick]

Sorry jojo, I cant start a thread on the subject at this time. Wish I could. Would be a great thread for the site, for sure.

I have no first hand experiance. Just posting on what I have read from reputable people with the proper equipment to test par ratings on different lighting systems/ K ratings.

If I had the lighting system and par meter I would, but dont have access to either of these, and would prefer to start a thread on the subject with some first hand experiance.

Sure would be a great/informative topic though. Would be a great thread to have on the forum.

Wish I had the equipment to help with the topic.

[MizTanks]

Are you guys done? I now have a question about an upgrade light system for my biocube. But instead of asking a question for fear of starting another debate I'll just leave this like and ya'll can tell me what ya's think.

http://www.nanocustoms.com/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=2&products_id=69

[jojo22]

Miz tanks, debate/discussion is what the board it for. This is how people learn and draw their own ideas. So please ask away and we can all try to help. If anything a debate helps you with providing two sides of the story or issue. You will find that in this hobby many people a passionate on many issues. It's nothing against you or 99% of the time the person one is debating.

It's just healthy strong discussion. Sorry if it gave you the wrong idea.

[Sir Patrick]

No fears miz- ask away!

Alot of good info was posted between mojo and my posts for many to learn from.

After reading it again, does sound like things got a bit heated, but in reality- it didnt. Just kinda reads that way. :tongue_out:

[Sir Patrick]

Link goes to a product not found, for me.

[ReeferRob]

MizT, I've owned and ran PC, T5 fixture and T5 retro. Hands down the best way to go it T5 retro. More versatility for your needs. By the way just wanted to mention I'm typing all this on my iPhone right now! Anyway, I am an extremely handy guy and have been a bike mechanic for close to ten years. With that said I was very nervous taking on the task.
But I will tell you it was the easiest Diy I've done for my tank, and maybe the most fun a d rewarding.
And Jojo is right that's what we are here for, to help each other.
I say don't be worried a bit, order up a 4 bulb Ice retro kit from DiyReef and dive in head first we will all help you throu it. If u stl feel hesitant have Deb ship it to my house PM me what you want it to look like and I will build it for you! Just pay for the materials and shipping, I'll take care of the rest!