6 T12 Sufficient for starting a reef if not what do I need to get started cheap.

[stillcity]

I bought a 75 with a stand from a friend. The homemade hood contains 3 fixtures with 6 T12 bulbs. I don't have much to spend so I wanted to see if I can get waway with what I have.

I want to start a reef with some live rock and fish. I'd like to be able to handle some anenomes and some corals. I know very little about what species I'd like to get, so I'm kinda flexible at this point.

Should I just go out and get some sort of starter setup like this PC setup by hellolights for 200 bucks?
http://www.hellolights.com/484xcoraqpch.html

Is that the best deal around for getting started with decent lighting without getting into the big money.

 

[Horace]

Seriously bro, I hate to say this but lighting is one of those things that you DO NOT want to chince out on. If you dont have propper lighting, your corals will suffer big time. PC IMO are the worst option you can go with if you want to run corals because you will be severely limited in what corals you can have. I would highly suggest looking into retro lighting fixutures (that is if you have a hood). If your at all good with DIY projects you can build your self a decent setup for not a hell of a lot more than $200. Look into the T5 Retro kits or VHO. With enough of either of those, you can run pretty much anything. I have 6x54w T5 bulbs on my tank and many would consider that a very high amount of light. You could easily get away with just 4x T5 on your tank and be just fine for most things, and even some SPS. Good luck!

 

[stillcity]

Thanks for the suggestion. I don't mind the DIY options.

Where can I get a retro kit for my hood for a decent price online?

I don't mind spending some extra money now to get what I need but I'd like to get stuff as cheap as a can.

 

[ChemE]

This is a good start for $299: http://www.reefgeek.com/products/categories/lighting/104068.html

I would make sure to contact him and change out these reflectors for the IceCaps; they are about 10% more efficient than the Sunlight Supply ones included in the kit.

 

[miatawnt2b]

People have had success with NO t12's (including me) i'll think if you are careful of what you keep, you'll be fine. I had 6 t12's over my 55 no reflectors (barely fit) I used 5 of the GE 6500k bulbs from home depot and a single actinic for color.

would I buy a NO lighting system? No. But if you already have it, use it for now.

you can also do a search for DIY icecap here on RC to overdrive the t12's to get more punch.

 

[jcorso]

I would think the NO's are fine depending on what you want to keep. Also, a conversion to VHO might be easier and cheaper. Most seem to like VHO better than PC.

If you already have decent endcaps then converting to VHO could be nothing more than changing bulbs and ballasts. Hello Lights has a VHO Ballast for $35.

 

[Horace]

Good point Jcorso. VHO is pretty nice too. It is a bit less efficient, but it does work fairly well if setup correctly. Plus VHO has the best actinic out there for sure.

Reefgeek does have good prices on the whole retro kit and I agree with all statements said above. www.aqualux.com sells all the parts you need as well for a tad cheaper. The reflectors they sell are very much on par with the Icecap and Tek reflectors and cost quite a bit less too.

 

[Waylander]

http://www.hellolights.com/2laaroasbaki.html

There is an entire kit for a conversion to VHO. He might convert one or two of the strips to VHO and run one as actinic in NO. It should make for a a dandy dusk/dawn effect. Three strips with three timers would give a lot of flexibility.

 

[Horace]

Waylander, that is a heck of a deal IMO. It makes me want to consider running VHO just for actinics with my T5 daylights.

 

[stillcity]

VHO

VHO

That VHO Conversion is a good idea, I think I'll go ahead and grab two of those and convert two of the strips to VHO and leaeve the one as NO. Perhaps I'll play around with the two day/night timers that I have.

Maybe I"lll run a dark blue bulb in the NO as a nightime bulb instead of getting an LED.

I'll definately give you guys an update on what I end up doing and perhaps post some pics. Anymore suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks for the help. This site rocks and GO STILLERS!