Lighting questions

mrchinky71

mrchinky71

Member
Originally Posted by Bojik
Coralife Aqualight anyone tried out those low cost fixtrues?
http://www.**************.com/Produc...&N=2004+113345
Theres an exampe of one. Would the 24 inch one listed there cook a 20L? Looking for good lighting at a low price. And i know little about PC type. The other i was looking at is a quad bulb T-5 that current makes: http://www.**************.com/Produc...&N=2004+113175
I wnat to kee plow and med light corals. Maybe one stony.

u can get a 24" metal halide unit for 150$ by jebo.
 
bojik

bojik

Member
How much do those take whattage whise and how muc hare hte bulbs when they need replacement?
 
bojik

bojik

Member
Originally Posted by fanker
check out the tek t-5s more money but MUCH better
I know t5's but the pcs are a bit cheaper and i can't find a tek fixture avail in my are or a site with em yet.
 
saltfan

saltfan

Active Member
Originally Posted by Bojik
I know t5's but the pcs are a bit cheaper and i can't find a tek fixture avail in my are or a site with em yet.
To answer your question, yes, those lights (PC) wiil be ok in your 20L.
 
bojik

bojik

Member
on the dual twin tube PC fixture should i change the bulbs out for a 460/420 NM blue and a 10k/6700 white bulb as opposed to the stock 10k/460nm and the 6700 (dual)?
I was thinking of making a t5 hood of my own BUT i cannot find any companies with a ballast kit for T5's. I'm wanting A 4 bulbs if i go that route. Was going to put a single high polish reflector on each bulb. I was looking at the price though before bulbs and ballast and went eep. I can just put a single satelite over the tank to cycle it. So i'm not in emediate need of it. I still need to build a stand for the 20L anyways.
Anyone know the diffrence in life expectancies between PC's and T5's? I hear T5's under normal conditions last 12-16 months before they need changed. this correct?
 
fanker

fanker

Active Member
well i would tell u some sites but this site will not let u post "compatition" so i cant tell u and i cant have ur email because there goint to know i will tell u web sites. but just go to google and search tek t-5s. and also t-5s will last about 12-18 months, but pc last about 8-10 months
 
bojik

bojik

Member
Originally Posted by fanker
well i would tell u some sites but this site will not let u post "compatition" so i cant tell u and i cant have ur email because there goint to know i will tell u web sites. but just go to google and search tek t-5s. and also t-5s will last about 12-18 months, but pc last about 8-10 months
thanks :) since your good with t5's How do you tell when they need changed? I know they usualy need it before they burn out.
 
saltfan

saltfan

Active Member
Originally Posted by Bojik
thanks :) since your good with t5's How do you tell when they need changed? I know they usualy need it before they burn out.
Same as NO lights. When the ends start to get black, they are going, the darker the ends, the less light they are putting out.
 
ryan115

ryan115

Member
im working on t5 lighting myself at the moment. Do a search for workhorse ballast, made by fulham. At fulham dot com you can put in the kind and size of lighting you want and it will tell you what ballast you need and how to wire it. T5s arent made in 30 inch so you will need to stagger some 24" bulbs. To push for 4 24watt bulbs you can use a workhorse 5 and can get it for about $25
 
bojik

bojik

Member
Originally Posted by Ryan115
im working on t5 lighting myself at the moment. Do a search for workhorse ballast, made by fulham. At fulham dot com you can put in the kind and size of lighting you want and it will tell you what ballast you need and how to wire it. T5s arent made in 30 inch so you will need to stagger some 24" bulbs. To push for 4 24watt bulbs you can use a workhorse 5 and can get it for about $25
I do appreciate all the input and advice :). I'm still a ways out from doing this and going over numbers and options.
I new the size gap in t5's and thanks :) I was thinking of staggering. Of that style of ballast what would work for only 2 bulbs? I was planning on running a double ballast one for the actinics and one for the whites.
Those TEK fixtures are great But too spendy for my budget :(. Though I was contimplating TEK single bulb reflectors, if i decided to contruct a fixture.
One benifit to Contructing a high output ficture would allow me to spread the cost out a bit.
What I was thinking of building was a 2 bulb unit at first then later when it was cycled enough for corals adding the other two. I'm estimating it would be ~67 + shipping for the hardware + $40+shipping for high end reflectors, and as much as $35 for high end bulbs. For each two bulb section. Another option I stumbled acrost is coralife makes a lowcost plastic (no fans) twin bulb fixctue that my LFS can get in for $69 each not much more than the hardware I was looking at would be. And it comes with the 10k and actinic bulbs so its tempting. Anyone know how good the balasts are that they use? If they use decent ballasts I could then canabalize the balast and bulbs and use waterproof caps and put the tek reflectors behind them. As well as reuse the splash gaurds. I think this would be the best option, at least as far as cost goes, for making one. And if the scrap yard has good sheets of aluminum I can have the LWS make a sturdy houseing. Which i could then, after all milling drilling and cutting for vents wires hangers etc was done, have the local car shop powdercoat.
 
ryan115

ryan115

Member
you could use a workhorse 3 to push 2 bulbs. That would run you about $20 at prolighting dot com. Also I would check to see if the fixtures at your LFS are HO t5s. if not you are really just wasting the money. But since you have already been looking into it I would imagine you already know the difference in the NO and the HO T5s. Also, one thing that i have been looking at to save money intially and to upgrade later, are the endcaps. You can get the t5 screw in caps. The kind that are used in flouresent lighting in your house. These run a little over a dollarm whereas the waterproof are about $12-15 per bulb.
 
bojik

bojik

Member
Originally Posted by Ryan115
you could use a workhorse 3 to push 2 bulbs. That would run you about
$20 at prolighting dot com. Also I would check to see if the fixtures at your LFS are HO t5s. if not you are really just wasting the money. But since you have already been looking into it I would imagine you already know the difference in the NO and the HO T5s. Also, one thing that i have been looking at to save money intially and to upgrade later, are the endcaps. You can get the t5 screw in caps. The kind that are used in flouresent lighting in your house. These run a little over a dollarm whereas the waterproof are about $12-15 per bulb.
Yea the water proof are spendy. And I was wrong the LFS said that was MY price on the fixtures and hey are aluminum. The bulbs are are 10k and true actinic bulbs i think HO's (have to double check forgot to when i was there earlier) and the 24 inch hood's might run me $45 a pop if his supplier gives him a good deal. I'd just have to make different mounting brackets to put them over the 20L. And they seem to have a decent refelector, possibly parabolic. So i think all i'd have to do is vent and fan them :). And if later i decide they are not beefy enough upgrade the reflectors and bulbs. What do you guys suggest for fans? That one thing (asides from computer building etc) i've not dealt with much.
 
ryan115

ryan115

Member
make sure the reflectors are good. That is one of the biggest things about T5s. Without a good reflector the lights arent near as good. You can get the reflectors for about $20 per bulb. Actually probably cheaper than that. That is the price i found for the 36" reflectors for my tank.
 
bojik

bojik

Member
Originally Posted by Ryan115
make sure the reflectors are good. That is one of the biggest things about T5s. Without a good reflector the lights arent near as good. You can get the reflectors for about $20 per bulb. Actually probably cheaper than that. That is the price i found for the 36" reflectors for my tank.
That what i found the tek reflectors for for that length. It says on the minute listing for it that they are highly polished. But for hte life of me i cannot rmemeber if they are NO or HO i beleive HO... will have to pester him again tomorrow or the day after. Heh aint it great to have a Friend at the LFS who happes to own the joint? Get freebies and deals for helping him out and bringing caluerpa often from my tank so he can give it out OR use as 'tange treats'.
 
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