Small light recommendations??

H

hobbyfish

New member
I've got a 14g nano and I need a better light for it. Currently it has a 4x 9W t5NO light from CAD lights. Its ok for fish only but I'm finding that it's not quite meeting my needs. 'd like to get a T5HO light. Long story short the tank is 14" wide and I'm wanting to stay around $100. Coralife makes a 12" PC light but like I said I would LIKE to go with T5HO. Of course the JBJ Viper K-2 is catching my eye but leaves my wanting some actinic supplementation. Anybody got any suggestions? Or possibly a unit for sale?
 
Do a 150 halide and blue leds to cut down on heat I always wanted to do that on my cube but got a new tank befor I had a chance
 
FYI nanotuners.com is about to release 12 T5HO retro kits by UVL for AIO tanks and a four bulb unit is only a little over 100 as far as I recall. the best part is the bulbs have internal reflectors. which means all light goes down, i.e. no light lost through "restrike" when it comes back from the reflectors!
 
What Adrian...are you freakin serious! thats wicked cool! I hope their execution is as smooth as your build up. So going to check them out right now.....ooooh I just got all tingilly!
 
AdrianBryce said:
FYI nanotuners.com is about to release 12 T5HO retro kits by UVL for AIO tanks and a four bulb unit is only a little over 100 as far as I recall. the best part is the bulbs have internal reflectors. which means all light goes down, i.e. no light lost through "restrike" when it comes back from the reflectors!
Click to expand...


That's a really cool site. I didn't know about that one. Will that retro kit fit any light? Or is it for the original hood? My tank doesn't have a hood.
 
no its just endcaps a ballast and bulbs you would have to build a frame and mount...but we can totally do that for your tank. might even be able to use those legs that you got sent for no reason
 
Yeah, I am excited about them. It really opens up the opportunities with small AIO tanks, without having to go MH or LED. I am getting some 18 inchers for my 20 nep on my pico at work
 
I'd say go LED! Check these out the ReefBrite LEDs. Very nice stuff (Cree LEDs, the same ones AquaIlluminations uses) for not a ton of cash.

Brandon
 
I'm gonna do a 4x20W T5HO from nanotuners. That should give me the light I need for a good look and healthy corals. Thanks everyone for your input on this. I'll try to do a diy type post when I build it if anyone is interested...
 
I would go T5. LED is a tempting venture for me, but with the lack of evidence of LONG TERM success, I don't want to invest in such a venture. It might be okay for SPS only tanks, but a lot of folks have poor results with most soft corals.
 
I wonder if the new bulbs will definitely work with the 20" NEP? I sure hope so. I also wonder if these will be the same bulbs Current USA will be switching to? The Ecoxotic rep at the swap said new bulbs were coming from Current but I have not seen any mention. Seems weird that 2 new bulbs would be coming for the 20" form factor after such a long wait.
 
They are not the same bulbs. For one these new 18" bulbs have internal reflectors and are designed specifically for nano aio retros. they will work in the NEP 20 inch fixtures. I have been in contact with one of the guys working with UVL, and he told me. I am actually thinking about gutting my NEP and fitting 3 of the new 18" bulbs into it. and there are 5 color choices on the UVL bulbs, not just two.
 
Finally some choices for the 20" NEP. The Ecoxotic rep indicated there would be new choices in the Current bulb as well. Including something near a Fiji purple looking bulb. More the better I say! Gonna have to get the PAR meter checked out to get some before and after readings. :)
 
I ended up going with 1x Actnic white, 1x 454, 1x Inidigo Sun, and 1x Aquasun. That should give me the intensity and color that will look really good and make the colors in my tank really pop. I've never really done much studying about bulbs until today. I must say UVL is impressive. I can't wait to get this thing built and installed.
 
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