lighting question

[primas]

hi i got a 50 gallon FO tank.. but i am thinming of transforming it into a reef tank.. so i have a question with lighitng .. went to a lfs and asked wat lighting is good ... he named a few and all ranged from 300-600 dollars... but he also said that there was a set up that would only cost me 140 bucks called power compacts which has 2 bulbs totalling 110 watts ... and he also said to setup my old strip light i have now and put a 50/50 to get some blue lighting to help the invertabrates... he said that was be a sufficient and cheap way to go and not neccesarrily be the poor man way to setup a reef tank..
can anyone give me some insight.. that would be great

 

[elan]

yep.. some things to consider also..
VHO and PC lights are disputed alot.. I like VHO better, and heard they last longer as well..
MH lights are the brightest and best lights... ranging from 175 to 1000 Watts per bulb.....
MHs are not the same equivenent watts as PC or VHO… one 175 will be much brighter than two 110s or 220 watts of VHO.. Sounds a bit weird, but there is nothing like the brightness of a MH.. Only problem is they run awfully hot, and will raise the tank temp considerably if you dont plan for them accordingly..

 

[primas]

well do they sell metal hallides come in a regular strip light setup so i can just put it over my tank glass lid?.. i only have a 50 gallon so convenience is also an key issue.. i dont have space to drill holes on my ceiling and hanging stuff all over the place.. i was partial to the PCs because it was in strip light format . so i could just set it on top of my tank.. do vho and MH come like this too?

 

[hondo]

Sounds like you don't have a canopy which limits your options a little. Strip lights in either PC or VHO would work and allow you to keep most any LPS or soft coral you would want. Don't buy it from a LFS as you will pay a huge mark up, you can get a better deal on the internet if you do a search or two to find vendors. FYI a 110w pc fixture would aonly allow you to keep some shrooms as that is just not much light.
If you do have a canopy or want to add one then you have some more options. A great DIY project is doing a 220w VHO light using a workhourse 7 ballast wich can be purchased for anywhere from $35 - $65 at an electrical warehouse.
Best thing to do is figure out what corals you want to keep and start from there. If you want SPS and clams some day then plan on it now and either buy a large MH/VHO combo light with built in fans to fit over your tank, or do it piece by piece starting with either PC or VHO and leave room to add on MH later when the budget allows.

 

[primas]

no i dont have a canopy.. i just have a glass lid covering the lamp.. so if 110 is not enough wat is enough and do u know any sites that sell cheap lighting fixture... well i plan on just having shrroms and some corals ... dont know much about the differnences.. please help!..

 

[elan]

if you have the time, go to your LFS and check out the different corals they have. see what types you like. I am lucky in that i really only want soft corals.
do you have any books on corals? getting a simple, easy to read book will let you understand the differences between the corals, their care, and lighting requirenments.
from there, narrow down what you want to keep in your tank, and then plan accordingly.... you may be a SPS lover and will decide on a 400 MH to bring out all the colors... or a shrooms and polyps kind requiring a few VHOs....