48" 260W (4-65 watt) Dual Strip Compact Fluorescent Light Fixture. Thoughts???

[Mr Cob]

http://www.aquatraders.com/ProductImages/lighting/compact/Nobrand%2048'260W%20PC%20Full.gif

http://www.aquatraders.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=293&HS=1

I was thinking about putting 2 of these on my 120gallon. My tank is an open top Perfecto with a large open back canopy. These will sit up off the water a bit. I have softies/zoos, invertebrates, fish and 100pounds of live rock. My tank is 24"H and 48"W.

I'm on a tight budget which is why I came across these. Please send me your thoughts.

I've been doing a lot of research on them and have found a bit of everything from good to bad. Are they UL listed? Some say "yes", some say "no".

Thanks for your help.
-Rob-

[erikharrison]

Don't you want one that's 46.5" since you have a canopy? Just a thought.

[Mr Cob]

Don't you want one that's 46.5" since you have a canopy? Just a thought.

Well, I did not think of that.

I thought I would still have the 48" inside the canopy and I could place small would strips on the inside of the canopy walls to hold the fixture since the legs would be out of the question.

[Jynxgirl]

That place kills you on shipping!!! Try putting them in check out...

I have two of the odyssey brand lights that I acquired with trading tanks. One flickers, the other one of the two lights doesnt work. In that case (not always!) you get what you pay for.

I would suggest picking up a work horse ballast and putting together a diy because you have a canopy. My brother has had a workhorse on his tank for three years, no problems. A third of the price of the aquarium specific ballasts, but just as good. All you have to do is get end caps and wire it together. http://www.prolighting.com/woba.html (this site has the guide to which ballast to select based on what type of lights you want to run on them).

Or you can go with a set up that is an easy diy.

http://www.hellolights.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=364

Or, and why not get T5's, as they are not that much more then what you are looking at?? $125 with bulbs for a two bulb set! They would give you a heck of alot more light, and be able to add alot more corals then with the vho setup.

http://www.hellolights.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1369

[blueboy]

i would lean towards T5 also, the lamp life on PC's isn't too good, and they're expensive to replace. plus T5's take up less space.

[sawarf]

I agree that t5 will save you $ in the long run.

[sawarf]

Ihave seen T5 retros that are affordable...

[Mr Cob]

Thanks for all the replies! I appreciate the help and now I'm leaning more towards the T5.

Any more links for me to compare pricing?

[MissT]

Coralvue makes a pretty good retro that's pretty much plug and play after you mount the thing in a canopy (even comes with a 10k and an actinic blub). Or Hagen makes a true retrokit that comes with the high output T5 ballast and the waterproof endcaps. I just bought a pair (4 bulbs worth) for my future setup and they're really reasonable, add choice of bulbs...

[sawarf]

I have three different retros in my canopy. One Coralvue, one Icecap and another I can't remember... The Icecap was a little more $ but it does run much cooler to the touch (the ballast) than the others. The others get uncomfortable to touch hot while the Icecap gets barely-warm.

Just my 2c worth.

[marcus_the_clownfish]

retro kit it! and make sure that everything will fit in the the canopy i made that very mistake. it just so happened that my light fixture fit by like half an inch between both sides.

[Fish4life]

Go with t5's, pc's are a thing of the past. I got all my gear from reefgeek. he doesn't charge a "bigger box" fee and if the order is over 200 bucks he ships for free. I got a 6x54w retro tekII reflectors and one triad ballast for 370.00.

Cheers,

Kurt

[bozack]

everyone seems to say Icecaps run cooler and seem to be better ballasts for T5's

I have also heard they overdrive the bulbs, is that just how Icecaps wire in to T5's as I heard overdriving bulbs also shorten the life??

[brewercm]

Definitely check the inside length of your canopy before buying the lights. It depends on how the canopy was made for your tank. I know that my 6' VHO's fit into the canopy of my 6' tank just fine because the way it was built.

[blueboy]

if i'm not mistaken they don't actually make 48" T5's, they actually measure 46.5". they just list them that way(ironically enough) to avoid confusion. if the canopy overlaps the trim on the tank, then it will most likely fit. of course your other option is to place an add in the want to buy forum asking for an old 4X65W PC(like the one from AT, or the coralife ones). you should be able to pick up a used one on here for maybe $50-75. then gut it, and use it as a retro. then you could even still use your old bulbs. i know alot of people on here have one stowed away somewere.

[Mr Cob]

if i'm not mistaken they don't actually make 48" T5's, they actually measure 46.5". they just list them that way(ironically enough) to avoid confusion. if the canopy overlaps the trim on the tank, then it will most likely fit. of course your other option is to place an add in the want to buy forum asking for an old 4X65W PC(like the one from AT, or the coralife ones). you should be able to pick up a used one on here for maybe $50-75. then gut it, and use it as a retro. then you could even still use your old bulbs. i know alot of people on here have one stowed away somewere.

Thanks for the info, great to know about the size...I can relax now worrying about the 48" fitting. I have exactly 48.5" of space inside my canopy.

[MissT]

Yeah a 48" T5 usually measures from endcap to endcap, with the bulb being a little bit shorter than 48". Same goes for the 36"...

[crossxfire2]

I have pc, and they work perfectly. I just got a pc unity, but only because I can't afford t5. If you can afford t5, I would go for it. There is a guy in dallas selling his 48" 8 bulb set for 250$ in dallas on craigslist. (yeah i'm a sales nerd). T5 is like the ferrari in lighting, were pc is like the porche. Ferrari: slightly better.

[MissT]

T5 fixtures really aren't that much more than PC's especially if you consider the "long run". The amount you spend on replacing PC bulbs every 6-8 months vs. the amount you spend on T5 bulbs every 12-18 months is drastic. I'll let you do the math...

[apedroza]

T5s also are a much better lighting for keeping corals. MAny people are using them now to keep sps. Another ballast you could try is a workhorse ballast. I have one and it doesn't run hot at all. Plus they are much cheaper than icecaps.

[Mr Cob]

Thanks for all the suggestions and advice. I greatly appreciate the time everyone takes in helping noobs out.

I ended up buying reefcrazy's Ice Cap ballast w/ end caps and acrylic mounting brackets. It has 4 VHO bulbs at 110watts each bulb.

I just finished mounting it in my canopy and I'm very happy with it. :)

Thanks again!