Is this a good light/deal??

[loans_n_fishes]

Well, I am still looking to upgrade my lights. I have softies and lps in a 75 gal tank. Would these be good lights?http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=013&item=230004732357&rd =1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEBI%3AIT&rd=1

What would be a decent price to pay for some decent new/used t-5s?

I am really soured on the Odyssey PCs! I had mine for only 6 months and it fried on me. Are all PCs this bad, or is it just the Odyssey/Jebo in particular? Are there any "good" PCs? What about the Corallife Aqualight with 260 watts?

I would really like to stay under $200. I need a system that can sit on top of the tank for now. (I do not have a canopy.)

I do WANT t-5s, but I DESPERATELY need lights and HAVE to stay in budget. Suggestions? :unsure

[Wryknow]

Good lighting for a 75 gallons for < $200 is going to be REALLY hard. I think your best bet will be something like the TEK fixture on reefgeek. 2 x 54W bulb retrofit kit foir $159 (plus $12 shipping.)

http://www.reefgeek.com/products/categories/lighting/104067.html

It's not going to be a TON of light but should be plenty for softies/etc until you can save up enough money to buy a second retro-fit kit. With 4 x 54W T5s you should be good for just about anything that you want to grow as long as you're using some good high-PAR bulbs. Buying a cheaper light fixture that you end up replacing is an all-to-common mistake that you'll kick yourself for later (I know that I have myself on at least one occassion.)

[Bill S]

I really like my T5s I got for Xmas for my 55. I think they came from Drs F & S, about $200. SPS even grows when it's up high.

[deast7]

Can anybody compare the IceCap T-5 Retrofit to the Hamilton T-5 Retrofit? Thanks.

Cheers,

Dave

[loans_n_fishes]

Well, I hope they are good lights...'cause I won them. :P I had put in a bid before I asked you guys about them. <_< Hopefully the link will work this time!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=013&item=230004732357&rd =1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWN%3AIT&rd=1

[brewercm]

Let us know how they work out once you get them in and running.

[Bill S]

Here's the good news! They are EXACTLY like mine on my 55, and I love them! Even SPS seems to do well, if it's up high.

[loans_n_fishes]

Well, that's a relief! I imagine they will work well for me then. I only have soft and lps now, but it is good to know that it may be possible to go sps later if I like.

[GaryP]

Well, I hope they are good lights...'cause I won them. :P I had put in a bid before I asked you guys about them. <_< Hopefully the link will work this time!
Angela, I guess the question is good for what? SPS? NO. High Light Clams? Probably not. LPS and softies? Probably yes. Keep in mind that those bulbs will need to be replaced every 6 months and they already have some time on them.

[Wryknow]

Dave,

The advantage of the ICECAPs is that they over-drive the bulbs by around 50%. Having a 4 bulb ICECAP set-up with SLRs seems to be producing anbout the same amount of light (PAR) as a typical 6 bulb system with SLRs but a different ballast. The ICECAPs cost significantly more money per bulb upfront and use the same amount of electricity but save ,money on the bulb replacement costs. T5s get 2 years of use per bulb though so that may or may not be a big factor for you. I like 'em because they same a lot of space in my hood.

[loans_n_fishes]

I thought it was just PCs that needed to be replaced every 6 months....

[Bill S]

T5s should be good for 12-18 months, according to the mfgs.

[ratboy]

How about some coralvue T5's overdriven by a workhorse ballast. You would have to make a canopy to hold them but I dont think you could save a ton of money that way. I've been running all coralvue MH and t5's for several years now (and all icecaps for the 10 years before). Best thing is since you are in Austin, Frederick (coral reef bazzar) sells them and you can pick them up or (if you are nice) he'll run them into town for you. Also support is locally available if/when you have problems. Frederick has delivered loaner ballasts to me when one stopped working after 2 years so I had very litttle time with my tank dark. Icecap has great products as well but they are more expensive and if/when a ballast goes bad it takes ~ 2 weeks to ship it off and get one back.
In the ~15 years Ive been keeping saltwater tanks Ive had many lighting systems go out on me. Some like coralife NO ballasts would only make it a few weeks and others like icecap and coralvue would last years before having any problems. The important thing is when there are problems how are they handled?

[GaryP]

T5s should be good for 12-18 months, according to the mfgs.
I wish someone would explain to me how a phosphor lasts longer in one bulb then in another, simply because of the diameter of the glass. It's the same phosphor, it's the same glass, and it's the same electricity. What has changed? Alton, would you help out here?

[Bill S]

Here's from Drs. Foster/Smith:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?acatid=287&aid=350

T5s 16-24 months. Of course, this also says that CFs will last a year or more!

[loans_n_fishes]

Well, I got my lights. I'm not sure what to think yet. They are awfully yellow....

There are 4 bulbs. What is the best combination for as close to white as you can get? Well, maybe a tad of blue in the white.

Right now it has 2 54 watt 10K daylight and 2 54 Watt 460nm actinic...

It seems really yellow to me. :huh

[Bill S]

REally? Mine are anything but yellow...

[loans_n_fishes]

What kind of bulbs are on yours? Is it possible they just need to be replaced or....and this seems like a REALLY stupid question..... does my water possibly have a yellow tint to it? :wacko

[matt]

It's a little late, but I think you might have been able to get a 250 mh bulb, ballast, and lumenarc reflector for pretty close to your budget, and that's much better light quality. There are other inexpensive mh possibilities too; hellolights has a retro fit kit for around $75 if I remember that includes a ballast, socket, and reflector. There's some DIY involved, wiring, etc. You could get 2 of those, then scramble together a few bucks to get 2 bulbs (maybe used?) and still be really close to $200.

[Bill S]

Mine came with the same bulbs yours did. Definately NOT yellow - very blue. Yours has separate switches for each lamp - you have them both on, don't you? When's the last time you ran some carbon ;-)

[loans_n_fishes]

Yeah, I have them both on. I think the water may be tinted...I'll run some carbon tomorrow and see if it clears it up. Not sure why that would be though?

[TheOtherGuy]

Here's from Drs. Foster/Smith:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?acatid=287&aid=350

T5s 16-24 months. Of course, this also says that CFs will last a year or more!
Bill,

IME, HO T5 bulbs last about 8-10 months. That's it. And they just burn-out (ie no more light) when they are done. That is not a totally bad thing that they burn-out as it is easy to know when its time to replace them. Just have new bulbs ready to go. I think the 16-24 months is marketing hype. IME, PCs effectively have the same lifespan of around 8 months except PCs continue to provide some light after 8 months. That is, PCs do not just burn-out like the T5s do but after 8-10 months the light output is greatly diminished.

BTW: URI recently came out with T5 bulbs and I just installed some HO Bulbs in my NO fixtures on my cichlid tank. Only time will tell how long they will last. I will report back in 8-24 months I guess??? Oh and the URI Actinic T5 bulb appears to be a "Real-03" actinic bulb too!.

[Bill S]

Good to know, Mark. I'll be looking to replace mine in the next few months then! BTW, thanks for reminding me when I was in the store yesterday to pick up VHOs... NOT! I forgot all about it until just now!

[loans_n_fishes]

It's a little late, but I think you might have been able to get a 250 mh bulb, ballast, and lumenarc reflector for pretty close to your budget, and that's much better light quality. There are other inexpensive mh possibilities too; hellolights has a retro fit kit for around $75 if I remember that includes a ballast, socket, and reflector. There's some DIY involved, wiring, etc. You could get 2 of those, then scramble together a few bucks to get 2 bulbs (maybe used?) and still be really close to $200.

I thought about this, but I have no canopy and have my tank covered with eggcrate. The lights sit directly on top. Also, my water gets plenty hot as is without the halides, and as I understand, halide bulbs are much more expensive to replace. So, for now doing all of that would be beyond my budget. I looked at pcs. Although the cost for pcs was significantly less, bulb replacement is expensive (basically spend the price of the fixture everytime they need replacing). T-5s were definitely the way I wanted to go this time around since I only have soft corals. If I ever decide to keep SPS, I will invest in halides, etc.

I am really thinking that my water may actually be tinted. :huh It seems a little less yellow today. Maybe I am just getting used to it. :lol Anyway, I just adjusted my skimmer to skim wetter last night. I haven't added carbon yet, but will momentarily. I'll let you guys know how it turns out.

Bill, thanks for the encouragement. It's reassuring to know that this will probably work out. I think I will probably replace the present actinic bulbs with the 03s next time around. Does that make a significant difference?

[loans_n_fishes]

Ok so like I'm new to this web site... I need someone to tell me how to list a "For Sale" item. I have a 55 gallon fresh water acrylic tank in great shape with stand, filter, and light. HELP.... duneebug@yahoo.com :unsure

Sharon, just click on the "For Sale" forum and click "new topic" at the top of the screen. Then you can start your for sale thread. Also, I recommend not putting your email address out there for all to see. The people on this board are really nice, but anyone could find your email addy this way off the internet. Just have people "pm" (private message) you, then you can give individuals your information. Good luck selling your tank! :D Hope to see you around.

Angela