Plug and play or build your own lighting system?

atrox

New member
Im looking at an outer orbit HQI fixture with T5's its plug and play, and it seems to be a good buy. After drooling over the pics of all these beautifu members tanks I noticed that there seems to be a a varying pattern for plug and play and custom light set-ups. So before I drop a weeks worth of gas money Id really like to know what route to take. Terms of confusion on my part include choices in ice cap and galaxy ballasts etc , bulbs, plug and play systems, you name it Im a little dumfounded. I ve gone over dozens of posts so I did the detective work, I just can't find a motive.
 
Side note Id like to keep SPS the idea of taking a frag from bonsai tree to redwood is addictive.
 
The main deciding point between plug-and-play and build-you-own (retrofit) is whether or not you have a canopy. If you don't have a canopy, the simplest thing to do is find a light fixture for your size tank, and simply sit it on top of your tank.

If you have a canopy, fitting a light fixture under it might be tough, and many times, the fixture's fans get blocked by the canopy, so the easiest thing to do is go with what's called a retrofit kit. A retrofit kit is in essence a complete light fixture, except it doesn't come put together in a nice clean package. With a retrofit kit, you mount the individual parts in your canopy, and your canopy essentially becomes your light fixture.

Once you know which route you're going - fixture or retrofit, you then have to figure out which kind of lights you want. You mentioned HQI and T5s, and that's a good choice, especially if you don't want any limits as far as what corals you can keep. Many people have also been successful keeping SPS with T5-only lights. It mostly becomes a personal choice.

I'm not familiar with that light fixture you found, although I'd be leery of unknown brands for lights. Reef lights run a lot of electricity through them, and generate lots of heat, I'd be afraid of the fixture being a fire hazard if it came from an unknown source. Perhaps someone else will post some experience with them.
 
Thanks frisco I appreciate the reply. I noticed you switched from T5's to HQI what made you do that?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13020042#post13020042 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by atrox
Thanks frisco I appreciate the reply. I noticed you switched from T5's to HQI what made you do that?

I loved the T5s, and all my corals (including several SPS and a BTA) appeared to be happy, but my tank just looked artificial without the shimmer you get from metal halides. So when a fellow reef club member decided to sell two of his HQI pendants for $250, I jumped on them. I was initially concerned about the heat and the effect on my power bill, but my water temp has been fine and my power bill only went up by at most $20/month.
 
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