? about lighting. What would you get.

esnapz

esnapz

New Member
Hi all,
I'm in the process for gathering eq needed for my tank.
The tank should arrive on Monday. I'm going with a 75g Reef ready tank. I'm a bit confused on what light to get. Since I'm a beginner I going to take it slow with a few fish, mostly clowns, damsels but I really want a hippo tank, a blenny, 2 different triggers and dog face. I would also like to house a clam or 2 and 1-3 corals. Remember this is just for starters. Hopefully my tank and experience both grow.
Now for the lighting. I'm debating between these 2 from the bay:
http://cgi.----.com/48-Metal-Halide-...QQcmdZViewItem
or
http://cgi.----.com/48-Aquarium-Ligh...QQcmdZViewItem
Besides the confusion on which light to get. I'm also confused on whether I should go for these that are pretty much no name brand or go with something from a familiar company.
Any info, links, thoughts and comments are very much appreciated.
Thanks
esnapz
 
esnapz

esnapz

New Member
Thanks for the reply tjone. That's the one I'm leaning towards just don't know if the heat from the mh is going to give me problems. The description doesn't say anything about a fan.
I was made an really good offer on a coralife pro series. I believe its the 150w mh/pc, but from what I've been reading T5 is the way to go.
Anyone else have an input?
esnapz
 
bizzmoneyb

bizzmoneyb

Member
i dont have any experience myself but ive heard bad things about those "no name" brand lights on e bay. they are made with cheap parts that can crap out quickly.
its just a matter of how much you want to spend and the size of your tank. the concensus seems to be metal halide --> T5 HO ---> PCF.
it seems like the big difference between the MH and T5's is that MH will penetrate deeper down in the tank so you can keep just about anything all the way down to the sandbed. with most T5's it seems most of the SPS type corals need to be within 15" or so of the light.
with all this being said im also in the market for a light on my new 90 gal and decided to go with the 48" Nova Extreme Pro T-5HO. hope this helps.
 
netimreefer

netimreefer

Member
t5 ho will penetrate to about 24 inches, and halides penetrate further than that. I am guessing your tanks dimensions are 48x18x18 and if that is the case I would go with the t5 ho probably a six bulb fixture, either the nova extreme pro or the Tek model
 
ghiggi

ghiggi

Member
Originally Posted by esnapz
http:///forum/post/2768199
Besides the confusion on which light to get. I'm also confused on whether I should go for these that are pretty much no name brand or go with something from a familiar company.
I've bought the no name 400W MH before (4 total) and I have never had one burn out before I replaced it. However, the color spectrum differs slightly from bulb to bulb. I first had 2 10K's and one was a bright crisp white while the other had a yellow tint to it. Then I got 2 14K's and one had a crisp blue color while the other was a deeper blue. But, they were cheap and my corals still grew.
So, if you want good consistant quality, I'd stay with the better known names. And, if you want cheap and aren't to concerned about the exact color spectrum, then the no names are doable.
 
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