Alright, once again after making some purchases you instantly start thinking about your next ones.lol I have spent this weekend extensively reading about lighting. I have come to the consensus that LED is the cutting edge technology of aquarium lighting. It is energy efficient, no bulb replacement, less heat output, lasts a very long time, and also looks amazing! So with that in mind, I convinced myself that I would have LED lighting. What also factored into that decision making was that I would like to have a reef setup for my 55 gallon. After looking into the few LED lighting fixtures I realized how expensive it was, especially with it being rather new technology.
The high price didn't really discourage me as I see it being a great investment by not having to replace bulbs every 9 months or so. However, I have a few options as to what to do and I would like to hear ya'lls thoughts. If I am correct a saltwater system needs to be up and running for 8 months or so before introducing any corals or what not. With that in mind, I don't think I would like to invest in a LED fixture to light rock and a few fish for that long. But I am all ears for suggestions so here are some options I have com up with.
1. I could buy something like T5 HO fixture with 4 bulbs to light my system until my aquarium is reef ready (corals can be introduced). In that meantime I could purchase LED supplies and start a DIY project to make my own LED fixture which I have seen to be somewhere around $600-700. I would have to extensively research about the electrical wiring as I am not familiar with doing so.
2. Go with the T5 HO with 4 bulbs as stated above and buy a LED fixture after the tank has been up for 8 months. I would be banking on the prices of these LED fixtures coming down significantly as well as more improved fixtures hitting the market. As of right now there aren't many LED fixtures for tanks of significant size. Even my 55 gallon would require 2 Ecoxotic LED fixtures which come in 17.5" and 23" lengths. This option seems rather good as of now considering I've only read a couple DIY threads, so not feeling real confident in making my own as of now.
3. Go ahead and buy maybe one LED fixture which would be atleast $600. Place this fixture over the center of my tank and use other methods or low cost bulbs to focus light on the corners of the tank. Forking out $1200 for 2 fixtures right now is not an option I'm really excited about.
Those are just the first few options that come to mind. I'm sure ya'll will have other suggestions or modifications that I haven't thought of yet. I don't think I will invest in MH especially if I'm going to invest in LED fixture. Right now I'm leaning toward a low-cost, efficient temporary lighting fixture that will satisfy my lighting needs until the aquarium is reef ready. Hoping that these LED fixtures will come down in price as well as newer fixtures with more additives hitting the market within the next 10 months. I know this is a long post but I've been thinking about this all weekend so thank you for taking the time to read! Thoughts are welcomed!!!
