thoughts and opinions plz

Before you buy it make sure that its the right length... that one says its 24" and 55 gal tanks are 48" I think...
 
You also might want to look at T5 HO systems... they are supposed to be just as good as MH if you get the right ones...
 
HO meaning high output? i can look....and yes i saw it was 24 i was thinking of getting 2..idk...i just want big nice corals
 
Those ebay lights usually are junk, as with mostly anything "cheap" on ebay. You get what you pay for. I'd seriously look into T5 lighting. It's cheaper and better on electricity. Also VHO's are pretty cheap, what corals are you looking to keep? If you don't want SPS, then I'd suggest VHO or T5, don't need halides.
 
id adventually like an anenome (sp? sry) mainly cause my gf likes to say it like nemo (childish i know but kinda cute lol)(ilove parathensis can ya tell srry again) any who...

what is the deal with ballasts and the sort...could i get a ballast and like rig it up to my pc fixture(take out the pcs and there ballasts or w/e they use)... or even make something and still save money...i want really good lighting so down the road i can grow anything that dosent require me babying it 24/7 ...but i dont wanna spend any more then 200 assuming i could sell my fixture for minimum of like 100
 
Talk to Ronert, he has ballasts for T5HO to run two 54watt (48") bulbs, get two of his ballasts, some endcaps, reflectors and bulbs and you are good to go. I would run 4 T5HO's over a 55 and you should be good. Halides are nice for the shimmering effect, but they are hotter, more expensive to run, and it is a lot easier to mess with the color temperature of your light set up as there are a lot of different bulb options out there. Halides also have to be replaced every 6-8 months, and at $60 a bulb you will soon spend a small fortune... lol

Just my .02
 
Even if you do want to keep sps t5's are a good way to go... I actually think ive seen better SPS in t5 systems than in MH systems. And yes, HO = High Output ... they put out alot more light than normal ones.

Also make sure that if you do go with T5's that they have individual reflectors... thats what makes them more efficent than PC and even MH. This summer we are switching over to T5HO with individual reflectors over our 75 so that we can get good sps growth and color.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11721053#post11721053 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by 4n4sd4
Talk to Ronert, he has ballasts for T5HO to run two 54watt (48") bulbs, get two of his ballasts, some endcaps, reflectors and bulbs and you are good to go. I would run 4 T5HO's over a 55 and you should be good. Halides are nice for the shimmering effect, but they are hotter, more expensive to run, and it is a lot easier to mess with the color temperature of your light set up as there are a lot of different bulb options out there. Halides also have to be replaced every 6-8 months, and at $60 a bulb you will soon spend a small fortune... lol

Just my .02
Click to expand...


alright pretend im stupid....so how many bulbs does a ballast run...like lets say i want to run 4 bulbs like u said...i would need...

4 ballasts?
8 endcaps...link ne one
reflector?...link...tin foil lol
bulbs..im sure i can find that...

can i use my jbj hood with some "rigging"?

thanks!
 
Ok... each ballast usally runs 2 bulbs but they say right on them what they will run... ill go look up some links wait like 5 min...
 
OK... here we go...

This ballast fires 4 x 54Watt (4 foot) T5HO bulbs

49.99 + 10.00 shipping

4 sets of these end caps for 9.95 each

4 x 9.95 = 39.80 + shipping

4 individual reflectors for 20.95 each

4 x 20.95 = 83.80

Totals out to 175 ish... plus some wires and wirenuts and most importantly bulbs...

or you could do it the easy way and get 2 of these kits ...

http://www.aquacave.com/detail.aspx?ID=695

2 for 104.95 = 209.90 + bulbs





Ok for a fixture im not sure if you can refit your existing fixtures, but it would be pretty cheap to bulid a cheap housing for the retrofit with wood that you could match to your stand.
 
4 T5 48 inch 54 watt lamps
2 ronert ballasts each run 2 lamps
8 end caps and 8 mounting bases
4 individual bulb reflectors
one power cord
one push button switch

and of course build some kind of tank hood or strip light box to install it in. sorry you missed the last meeting. I demo'd a 3 lamp T5 strip light i made. do you have access to a table saw and simple tools.? even building it yourself still costs a bunch. But Teds extra ballasts are a very good deal.
 
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