lighting help pls!!

killyah

killyah

Member
i did not get much reply so im posting it again,hope one of u guys can help me.
i want to start a 10 gal reef tank mostly mushroom types. i was wondering would those gro & sho Brightstick 25 inch, 33 watts fluorescent Plant light units be ok??? made by GE.. i would be using 4 of them!!i know watts aint everything but this brings me to a totall of 132 watts.. it has worked with my house plants even hard to keep 1's under fluorescents lighting and they have flowered even... so would this work??? does any 1 know? or is it a 50/50 thing? also if you think it would work what corals can i keep? thx inadvance.......
 
mr . salty

mr . salty

Active Member
These grow bulbs are not suited to a marine aquarium....The grow bulbs will do a nice job growing ALGAE...This will be a constant problem...I suggest you look into proper AQUARIUM lighting...
 
nm reef

nm reef

Active Member
That type of lighting may be good for a refugium where you could grow and export caulpera algaes...but it is the wrong spectrum and intensity for your display. I would think that you'd have problems with algae growth ...and not much help for any type corals.For the display I'd look at lighting systems designed for reefs....lots of folks seem happy with pc's over small systems. Not all that expensive...and lots more effective. :cool:
 
byrself

byrself

Member
i say go with the pcs, but if all you want to keep is mushrooms you could get away with regular normal output flourescents. the pcs are very versatile, small, and give you alot of bang for the buck. i don't think you will be as happy with those gro lights as you would with some quality marine bulbs. also, they will severely limit you on your livestock choices. it is inevitable that down the road you are gonna want to add something else to the tank, so why not set it up right the first time. i say go with a pc (probably a 32w, or a couple of them), or at least a no flourescent (15w a piece). the wattage isn't the most important factor, not as much as the lighting spectrum range is anyway. good luck, if you are interested in the pcs i could give you some options on where to get some for cheap. hth
 
old hermit

old hermit

Member
for a 10 gal tank with only shrooms couldent you just use some NO bulbs, like some corallife 10000k and atinic. since the dont need much light that should be perfect. i am not sure about this just an idea.
 
killyah

killyah

Member
thx all for the fast replies, ya im ganna start off the right way with using pc's,Byrself I'm interested in where to get them cheap...pls post the link..
 
byrself

byrself

Member
here's a couple.
<a href="http://ahsupply.com/index.html" target="_blank">aquarium hobbyist supply</a>
<a href="http://www.hellolights.com" target="_blank">hello lights</a>
here's an ---- store with them cheap. this is where i got mine. ---- is a gamble sometimes but i have had zero problems thus far. this is the guy i got mine from.
<a href="http://www.stores.----.com/id=196040" target="_blank">---- store</a>
hth
 
byrself

byrself

Member
hey, one more thing, remember that not all bulbs are created equal, and some people complain about the pc actinics, but they are coming out with better actinics. i have the aqualux 7100k blues (mine come with those from the ---- store guy), but i haven't noticed any probs. the newer actinics are the actinic 03, i think, that are supposed to be the better ones. i see now that the guy on ---- is selling all kinds of different bulbs (red/blue, red/white), not sure what that's all about??? but they seem to be pretty good with letting you pick your own bulb combos. i don't know about those red bulbs, but personally i wouldn't get those. just be aware of what exactly you are getting and if you have a question about it ask. good luck, hth.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top