70w vipers for 80 bucks

[sir_dudeguy]

i was just at AA and they have the 70w viper MH's on sale for 79 bucks....would one of the 70w ones be good for a 29 gallon tank? If so, that kinda makes me mad cuz i just bought the coralife aqualight 2x65 pc for that tank..if i would have waited 2 months or so i could have gotten this instead. But then i guess if it will fit, i could just keep the 2x65 for actinics and cram both of them over the tank lol.

Anywho...just thought i'd let everyone know that they've got em for pretty cheap compaired to everywhere else i've seen. Usually they're like 150 i think (and thats online).

 

[DjScibbity]

Ive heard a lot of bad things about the vipers...unless theyve fixed them, I dont think Id buy one...even for $70. That is super cheap though

-JP

 

[sir_dudeguy]

whats bad about em? I mean they're not anything like jebo/odyssea lights are they? If so, then ya i'd pass on it too lol. Already had my fun w/odyssea's pc's..

 

[rljlll]

i have heard bad things too like them falling in the tank. If i bought one i would scrap it and install it into my nano. Hey thats not a bad idea might have to do that.

 

[Kinetic]

they're pretty bad. the knobs used to almost "melt" due to the heat, then they're really hot, and their ballasts fail really easily. their lamps are also crap =(

They sent me 5 replacement lamps, and finally one worked, then failed, they sent me another, and then the ballast died. They also replaced the knobs.

It was such a hastle, and then I bought a brand new ARO electronic ballast to go with it and now it's good. don't get it though, it's terrible =(

 

[sir_dudeguy]

so basically it sounds like the jbj version of jebo/odyssea to me lol. Bummer. I was thinkin about getting one for my brothers 29 as a christmas gift. Oh well

 

[Aaron]

just make your own retro 70s... I did, they work great on my 29.

2x70w 10k Ushio & 2x24w Blue T5

 

[sir_dudeguy]

would a single 70 be fine for a 29? If so, how much did it cost you to get one?

 

[Kinetic]

illuming dot com has some great kits.

 

[Aaron]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8751882#post8751882 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sir_dudeguy
would a single 70 be fine for a 29? If so, how much did it cost you to get one?

Depends on a few factors...

Amount of growth you want
Bulb you use
Height above your tank (mine are close in so I need 2 to cover the entire tank)
What corals you keep
...etc

 

[sir_dudeguy]

I'd like to be able to keep sps corals in there eventually. Even if it was just sps in the center (where the halide would be) and then softies and stuff further towards the ends...that'd be cool w/me.

 

[newtanksmell]

Sir_dudeguy, first, if you're gonna jump on that light, jump quick. My buddy bought 2 yesterday and there were 2 or 3 left.

To be clear, I DO NOT speak from experience as I am one of the resident new reefers but I have some e friends that are pushing the BioCube 29s with heavy mods pretty hard to see what they can do.

Some of the guys and gals are running a single 70 MH for SPS and still feel they aren't getting enough light. Chris at nanotuners is working on a 2x70 MH retro kit for the bc29 and a lot of people are foaming and frothing at the mouth for it. Bear in mind that a biocube 29 has to contend with a 19 inch depth and I believe that a stock 29 is shorter, not to mention the self enclosed design versus running open top.

Because of this, one of the largest challenges becomes heat. I suspect that a chiller will be almost mandatory, especially in our region, unless you are prepared to donate a significant portion of your disposable income to the Gods of Air Conditioning.

I did see a thread for a guy running a 29 open top growout for SPS' with a single hanging 150 with 2 fans blowing across the water surface. System was in basement back east somewhere.

The other issue seems to be stability of superior water quality without piping directly to your main tank.

Sorry for the diatribe, just trying to share what I read.

 

[Aaron]

I have a std 29g tank and a wood canopy that is only open a bit at the back so the top and sides are completely enclosed (minimal airflow).

I have 2x70w 10k & 2x24w T5 Blues... I have a set 4 small computer fans (that fit in the opening on the back) that run at half speed to keep noise to a whisper. They only come on when the lights are on.

This keeps my tank between 78-80 depending on the outside temps, humidity, etc.

This is somewhat of an art and a little science mixed in. But nothing major. Figure out what you want to keep, how much, your budget, and roll from there.