ideal lighting?

[rdanford]

What would be an ideal lighting setup for a 55 gallon reef tank. I have about $300 that I have put away for the bulbs and hardware. The canopy will be custom built by a friend for no charge, he's a builder and is going to use scraps from houses that he builds. Thanks for the help. ~Royce

 

[ags]

What do you want to keep? Some things are better under MH but most are fine under VHO. For a little more than $300, like $375-$400, you could get the Icecap 660, end caps, mounting brackets, and lamps which will give you 440 watts of light. You still would be limited in what you could keep but not by all that much.

 

[javajoe]

If its a 55 long, i would go with the icecap ballast. You can get teh ballast around $200 with shipping, and end caps are aronud $10 a pair (need 1 pair per bulb) and bulbs average around $30 for VHO. You can always start with 2 bulbs, then move up to 4 later on. That is what we did to save money.

 

[nm reef]

LN electronics ballasts complete with wire harness and end caps can be found for $129 each(set-up for 2x110 watts of VHO)...personally I find the LN electronics ballast to be compareable to the Icecap product but much cheaper...I've run one on my reef with 2x110 watts of URI super actinics for over a year now...and I changed the bulbs after the first 9 months.But...it really does come down to what you plan to keep in your reef.....if you want primarily LPS type corals with 'shrooms/leathers/polyps then a combination of PC and/or VHO will be fine....for higher light requirements I'd look at retro fit MH's.......tons of options are available depending on the intensity you want.

 

[ed r]

I like Power Compact lighting. For a 55 (48") you could get new JBJ fixtures 4x65w=260 for between $250 and $300. Search ----, just check seller evaluations carefully. Mine came with the factory warranty (which I used when one bulb died after 4 months). 260 watts will allow you to keep most creatures. Any that it will not, will require more metal halide lighting and more $$.

 

[rockster]

I just received my order: IceCap 660W w/harness, a pair of double IceCap End Caps, 2 super actinic VHOs (36 inches), 2 Aquasun VHOs(36 inches) Bulbs are 95W each (total 380W), shipping charge$6.90. Total cost for the set $295.70 This is the cheapest one I found.

 

[sal t. nutz]

Why does nobody ever mention HelloLights VHO setup? You can't beat it for the money. 4x110 watts complete with endcaps and lamp clips for $149. That is 440 watts of VHO for $149 + bulbs (which they have great prices on thjose too). I was just wondering because that is what I bought, but I never see anyone recomend this to anyone.

 

[eng50]

Im with you salty, Hellologhts deal was excellent , and not the first hickup!! I got the three bulb VHO, and have two NO actinics..dawn dusk setup...Works well for me, and for way less than $300!!

 

[sal t. nutz]

How long have you had your ENG? Are you happy with them? I just got mine, but damn, I only paid $250 for everything, bulbs included. You can't beat that anywhere.