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	Reef lighting
Daniel Banned Posts: 600 Kudos: 524 Votes: 12 Registered: 25-Jul-2002	Okay I'm definatly new to all of this, so I'll keep it short... I want corals... and such... What kind of lighting would fit a 75 gal and be great for most corals? I want a timer and a moon simulator... Where can I find all of this? How much am I looking at price-wise?
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:28
lil_mikey69 Ultimate Fish Guru Posts: 3180 Kudos: 2380 Votes: 1 Registered: 22-Jan-2003	As usual, it depends on which corals you want to keep. A lot of them have very different requirements. You may want to check this thread to see what other people have. As for myself, I have a dual 250 watt MH setup for my 75 gallon, obviously totaling 500 watts. I picked everything up I needed used for $250. Brand new, youd probably spend closer to $500 for something similar. Lighitng poll
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:28
GuessWho Hobbyist Posts: 149 Votes: 0 Registered: 16-Sep-2003	It seems all successful reefers has at least 1 to 2 MH, with 1 to 2 actinic, depending on tank size. I run into some serious reef guys at the lfs, and they do not believe in VHO and PC globes. DRO and rest here seem to have the same feeling on this if you want SPS. I am busy with my lights as well, and think do it right the first time, otherwise you will just be wasting money on the long hall.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:28
Azizza Mega Fish Posts: 1134 Kudos: 713 Votes: 0 Registered: 09-Mar-2003	250 Watt MHs will not run you 500 bucks. With bulbs you are looking at about 250 bucks for 2 of them. just check out www.hellolights.com. I have 2 175Watt MHs and 4 110 Watt VHOs. I can keep anything that is commonly available.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:28
raider_fish Fish Master Posts: 1452 Kudos: 1340 Votes: 0 Registered: 02-Oct-2001	The general consensus is the power goes with metal halide. I am not saying it is the only way to go, just seems to be the most popular. Just about the most light you can get for the money, in my opinion, is in metal halides. I bought my dual 400 watt setup with digital timers for 300.00. There are some drawbacks though as well. First, metal halides get EXTREMELY hot. This can be a problem for smaller tanks and even a lot of larger ones. I have a 5 ft. 100 gallon tank. In the summer I somtimes had to turn off my lights becuase the tank got too warm. You won't run into that problem nearly as much with PCs or VHOs. There is a lot to be said for mixing light types as well. Power compact and VHO can be used both independent of metal halides or as supplements for coloration. I have seen a lot of setups with PC or VHO actinics built in for better color. Overall the decision comes down to what you want. You may want the intensity of metal halide at the cost of higher heat. You may not need the massive amounts of light depending on what you want to keep. You could enjoy the intensity of metal halide with supplemental color from another mix of bulbs or you can even combine all three. Keep in mind that what I am offering is only a bare bones overview of some things to think about. Do your research and buy what you want the first time. That way you won't have to worry about getting it right later. Good luck and let us know what you decide. Raider_fish
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:28
lil_mikey69 Ultimate Fish Guru Posts: 3180 Kudos: 2380 Votes: 1 Registered: 22-Jan-2003	You can spend less than $500 if you want to go with the cheapest stuff you can find, sure. Bulbs alone will cost $70-100 each, so you could spend $200 on JUST the bulbs. Then add in reflectors, and a decent ballast and you'll spend a few hundred easily. If you want to go with electronic ballast, or really nice reflectors you'll spend even more still. So you can keep it under $500 if your on a tight budget, but you could easily spend that much on quality stuff.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:28


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