$10 sale for 55/65W power compact lamps at hellolight

Tomoko Schum

Tomoko Schum

New member
Hi y'all,

Just in case you have not found out about it yet, hellolights is having their annual $10 sale on 55/65W power compact bulbs. The sale ends on 5/21/08.

Tomoko
 
I got a few bulbs myself. I missed the sale by one day last year :(
I hope this bargain bulbs are good as their regular ones. It may not make a huge difference since SW hobbyists change our bulbs every 6 months.

I have been buying bulbs at ahsupply for many years for my FW tanks, but lately their bulbs seem to dim more quickly (those I bought after they switched their supply to cheaper Chinese ones.) I don't know if this is just my imagination, but their Philips and Sylvania brand bulbs seemed much better. Philips bulbs were still good after three years for my FW planted tanks whereas a half of newer ones fizzled out in less than 2 years.

Tomoko
 
I am just starting, will a 48" 2x54w T5 be enough light for a 55g?

The price on Hellolights for the retro fit and bulbs is great, I just want to make sure it is enough.
 
It depends on what kind of corals you want to keep in your reef tank. Soft corals can live with much less light than SPS's require. Although a lot of people starts out with softies, some people eventually fall in love with SPS's. I recommend that you look at a bunch of pictures and see what kind of corals you like. For a starter, how about checking out The Tank Of The Month in Reefkeeping on-line magazine here?

Tomoko
 
I am planning on starting slow, I want to start with some easy corral to keep and go from there.

I am buiding my hood to be easily expandable so if I need more light in the future, it will be easy to add.

Never having a reef tank before, I am going to get the tank up and running as a FOWLR to start. I figure it will take me a few months to do my research on what I want to do and also to get all of the equipment that will be needed. I bought the tank to do a FOWLR "that is what I have had in the past". I don't know a lot about keeping corral so it will be a learning experiance.

If there is any research material that anyone can think of that will help, I would appreciate the info. I will take all the help that I can get from anyone that can offer it. I have been to a couple of LFS in the Birmingham area in the last couple of weeks and realized that there has been a lot of changes in the hobby since I had my last tank.
 
With a tank of that depth, T5 and PC will be adequate for most corals with the exception of high light corals often generalized as "SPS."

So a retrofit kit with 2x65w would be okay for low light corals, and you could add another 2x65w to keep many LPS corals and lower light SPS corals, even lower light anemones like BTAs and LTAs.

It's cheaper to buy a ballast now that will handle 4 lights if you think you are going to be moving up.
 
I like metal halide lighting personally. Corals look prettier under MH lights to me. I don't like the way corals look under PC's as much. I cannot speak about T5's because I don't have an experience with it.

It helps to see some tanks lit by various lights (keep in mind not only the type of bulbs but also the color temperature as well.) It was quite helpful to see a number of options side by side before I settled on XM bulbs a few years ago. I hope you can find a shop that can show you how corals look under different lights.

The cost of replacement needs to be taken into a consideration as well. PC's have to be replaced every 6 months, whereas a metal halide bulb lasts 1 to 1-1/2 years for sure. I understand that T5 has made a considerable improvement in the longevity over a past few years although they are still rather expensive to replace.

Tomoko
 
I think most people replace their PCs every 10-12 months, not 6. I never had any issues replacing mine every year.

T5's... I just don't see the attraction. They are expensive for the hobby despite the fact they aren't new technology and you can buy T5 bulbs at Home Depot. (Just not in the right spectrum, alas.) Sure, they are small, but I think if you are trying to cram that many bulbs over a tank MH is the better choice.

I did run MH for a while and I agree they are pretty, however listening to the chiller run and paying the electric bill cured me of that. :)
 
I don't run a chiller with my MH lamps. I have a couple of fans instead. The temp of my reef tank remains higher than 78, but my fish and corals seem to do just fine. By the time you add all the wattage of the bulbs, it may not be all that different, whatever you use. For example, I have 500W of light (two 14K MH lamps) over my 120 gallon tank whereas I have 130W (two 65W PC's) over my tiny 15 gallon tank.

As for the amount of electricity is concerned, the total wattage is what counts. To me, return pumps and powerheads that run all the time are just as much a concern there.

Tomoko
 
Well I bought 2-2x54w T-5 retro kits so that gives me 4x54 so far, my canopy will handle more if I need it. Each set has 1-10,000k and 1 TRU Actinic in it. The lighting is new to me and the price was the best that I have seen. I will be adding some moonlights also.

A friend of mine is an electrician and he is looking around his shop for some old MH fixtures that I can have. I will need to replace the bulbs but the rest should work if I need to go that route.

Base rock should arrive tomorrow, new lights, skimmer and DIY sump this weekend. Does anyone have a recommendation on which salt is best to use, I have never made salt water before. When I had my last tank, I lived on Dauphin Island and it was so easy to take the boat out and get fresh sea water for my tank. I never had any problems will doing a 30% water change each month. My old tank was FOWLR.

Thanks for all the info so far.
 
I used to use Instant Ocean. It was fine for a number of years and then I ended up with a bad batch one time, right around the time that a few brands had similar issues. I understand that a number of brands are produced by a same company. I am using Seachem's Reef Salt lately and I like the growth I see on my SPS's with it. Some people mix a few different salt mixes.

Tomoko
 
I like Mh the best also,,, Ive had Pc's, T5s and MH.. I still like MH better.. My problem with T5s and PCs was the replacement cost of bulbs. For 20-30 bucks per bulb they aren't any cheaper.. And thats for 54 -65 watt bulbs.. So for 40-60 bucks you get 110-130watts.. For Mh its 60 bucks for 250 watt bulbs. So for the same money you get more light... Sure they draw more power and put out more heat, But they are putting out more light so ofcourse they do.. You can't really say Mh cost more for the equipment either.. If you price the parts for each and compare them watt for watt.. They are about the same really.. well inless you get 10 dollar pc bulbs haha

So really it just comes down to what you like and how much light you need.. Alot of it comes down to the tank also..

I use Reef Crystals :)

Will
 
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