IFbettas
New member
The simple answer is yes, you can keep sps alive and growing (albeit slowly) under a cheap fixture.
You can definately get away with Odyssea lights to get started with sps, but be aware that you will probably want to upgrade as soon as you are able to. You won't get much back if/when you decide to sell the Odyssea's and upgrade, so I think it would be better to save up until you can buy a better fixture. In the long run it will cost less to buy one better fixture than getting an Odyssea, buying new bulbs for it, and then eventually buying a better one.
IMO, the best bang for your buck would be this fixture, assuming you take the Odyssea route:
http://shop.aquatraders.com/Odyssea-48in-500W-Metal-Halide-System-p/54224.htm
I understand that your parents don't want to use that much electricity, but if you run 250 watt halides you don't need to run them as long as less powerful lights. I only run my 250 watters for 5 hours per day with no supplemental lighting.
