Good but fairly inexpensive aquarium lights?

[rupertlilly]

So many out there and really don't want to spend $500

 

[sickboy]

What size of tank, what type of tank, what kind of corals (if any). These will impact your choices. You don't have to spend $500 on a fixture, especially if you go with T5s, but even then, the best fixtures will run you about that much.

 

[revrick3]

I havent given much advice here since I am fairly new myself, BUT this is where I can help. DONT skimp on lighting. Take it from my bad experience. Avoid cheap fixtures or lights. You will pay for it in the long run. Bite the bullet and go ahead and get good lights. Size tank and what you keep will decide what and how much you need. T5's are good for certain sizes or livestock and MH's for others. YOu must look at big picture here. I can tell you to be carefull of lights from the auctiion sites and also any lighting from Aquatrader. Their lights are unbelievably poor construction. I made mistake of buying from them, price was great. Light was NO GOOD. NO customer support either. Had to report them to BBB before I could even get an email from them. 2 months after the fact. Make your lights a priority seriously. Almost as important as good water I have found. Good luck, Salt water is great fun.

 

[renogaw]

i'd agree, save money elsewhere, but buy GOOD lights. i got aquactinics t5's and i wish i never bought anything else.
if you do not plan on doing tons of corals, a coralife pc fixture will be fine

 

[mboswell1982]

current usa makes a very nice fixture, if you'll tell us what size tank this is going on, some of us will be more than happy to help you find a nice light for your tank at a very nice price indeed

 

[naclfish]

i use a marine land t5 ho 4 bulb setup it lacks the individual reflectors but for my uses its just fine. unless you are planing on clams and sps and such a decent t5 set up will do marineland,current,nova,coralife are cheep 200-300 for a 4 bulb 48inch set up. what a hobby 200-300 is cheep...i love it...

 

[coastie81]

you can get the 48" nova extreme pro T5HO light setup for less then 500. If you look around on the internet, I have found mine for 379 with free shipping. just my .02

 

[stanlalee]

if your tank is 48" or less there are plenty of good lights for $500 or less. nova extreme pros, sunpods, sundials, TEK T5's, Aquactinics TX5, sunlight supply or PFO metal halide pendants and dual ballast, any brand metal halide or T5 retro kits ect ect. some may go over slightly with the cost of bulbs but not much and well worth it.

 

[tlsohio]

I don't mean to highjack this thread, but I have also been studying lights and have been having a hard time deciding between PC's and T5HO's as I also do not want to spend $500. I found some brand name lights at reasonable prices. I can get 192 watts with a PC versus 156 watts with a T5HO. I here people talk about both lights and have been unsure as to which way to go. The prices are close between the two. I have a 40 gallon tank that is 20" deep, from the top of the tank to the top of the sand bed it's about 17" deep . Any suggestions would greatly appreciated, and maybe this could help others.
Thanks, Tracy

 

[culp]

Originally Posted by tlsohio
http:///forum/post/2941198
I don't mean to highjack this thread, but I have also been studying lights and have been having a hard time deciding between PC's and T5HO's as I also do not want to spend $500. I found some brand name lights at reasonable prices. I can get 192 watts with a PC versus 156 watts with a T5HO. I here people talk about both lights and have been unsure as to which way to go. The prices are close between the two. I have a 40 gallon tank that is 20" deep, from the top of the tank to the top of the sand bed it's about 17" deep . Any suggestions would greatly appreciated, and maybe this could help others.
Thanks, Tracy
if the prices are close than if i were you i would go with the t5 fixture.

 

[doc308]

may I offer suggestion.....
ask what it would cost an electrician to rework your setup to a stronger wattage or whatever you want to do.