two questions?

[cavipower1]

were can i find a good quality mh retrofit and a good ro unit that is small only need about ten gallons a week? wanna budget but still have some good quality stuff

[cpreefguy]

check www.coralreefbazaar.com for the retrofit. Fredrick is a great guy and sells quality stuff, as for the RO unit, Id suggest checking out www.BuckeyeFieldSupply.com
HTH

[Fish4life]

ebay the ro unit. find a generic ro/di unit, don't pay for the name.

hellolights.com is a good place for retro MH.

cheers,

kurt

[tony]

i disagree on the RO unit, spend some money and get a decent one

ive read too many horror stories about the no-name ebay units. there is a rather lengthy thread somewhere here on that very subject with lots of input.

check out buckeyefieldsupply. russ will treat you right! also cpreefguy was dead on with his recomendation of coralreefbazaar.com also. ive bought all my MH bulbs from him.

[cavipower1]

how much would a good ro unit be? theres some on dr fosters site for like 75 bucks and they put out like five gallons a day which is enough for me, i may just purchase that one

[tony]

drop russ a pm or email (buckeyefieldsupply) and see what he can do for you before you buy that one

[cavipower1]

http://aquaticlight.com/retrofit.html just found this wondering how itd be, i think its cheap enough to give it a try lol

[cpreefguy]

5 gallons a day means you have to wait a whole day for 5 gallons of water, Im not that patient lol
I have a 100gpd unit, I make 5 gallons at a time and instead of waiting a whole day for my water, I have it in about an hour.
HTH

[RayAllen]

www.hellolights.com

[erikharrison]

2 questions, 50 answers.

Your best bet in this hobby is to not skimp on lights, or filtration. You will end up with alot of money invested on what is living in your tank, so take that into considerration before buying so you do not have to buy the same thing twice. If you could suggest more specific things like ballast brand, reflector type, and bulb brand/type/k rating we can help you further along. I would favor the advice you find here rather than to blindly go buy something that may end up catching fire or just falling apart. There is a method to saltwater, and if it is followed, you will be extremely pleased. If not, it will be a discouraging, money splurging hole of a hobby.

[cpreefguy]

Well said Erik!

[Bill S]

Same things TWICE? Only TWICE??? I have the 3rd set of lights on my 55...

[cavipower1]

ive got some pretty good fixtures i just bought a 24inch four bulb t5 fixture just gotta figure out wats wrong with it and right now i have a 196w pc light, its just that i love how the shimmering looks, i know u got to spend the money to do it right but i know there is also some ways to cut back on costs and still get quality stuff lol if that makes sense haha, oh and the five gallons per day is cool i can just turn it on a couple hours before i go to sleep

[cavipower1]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Brand-New-48-8X-39-watt-T5-HO-Aquarium-Light_W0QQitemZ330206674151QQihZ014QQcategoryZ4631 4QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

just saw that looks enticing lol should i be the guinea pig?

[cavipower1]

oh and just to mention i still cant decide between mh or t5's since i just saw there isnt only four bulb but also eight bulb fixtures out there, mayne over my 33g long im planning would look great haha

[ismvel]

Want to save money and get into MH lighting? Check out the for sale section...

http://www.maast.org/forums/showthread.php?p=586171#post586171

seems pretty reasonable to me....you would just have to get bulbs....

[brewercm]

Those are great ballasts and two for $125 is a great price. I'm running three of them and have been for a while. Just as good as Icecap without the extra price.
Them I'd recommend just checking out some places for the type of reflector and bulb you want.
My favorite online lighting places are below.
http://www.hellolights.com (http://www.hellolights.com/)
http://www.coralreefbazaar.com (http://www.coralreefbazaar.com/)
http://www.oceanencounter.com (http://www.oceanencounter.com/)

[cavipower1]

http://cgi.ebay.com/48-Aquarium-Light-T5-HO-6-x-54-NEW-Moon_W0QQitemZ110217496505QQihZ001QQcategoryZ46314 QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/T5-Tek-Light-4-x-54-watt-HO-48-Fixture-Free-Shipping_W0QQitemZ120159200298QQihZ002QQcategoryZ4 6314QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQtrksidZp1638.m118.l12 47QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/Brand-New-48-8X-39-watt-T5-HO-Aquarium-Light_W0QQitemZ330206674151QQihZ014QQcategoryZ4631 4QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

all these look pretty good and all have warranty on almost every part of the fixture. after seeing a tank with the t5's in person im now debating wat i should get lol

[cavipower1]

oh an dthey all have individual german reflectors too

[cpreefguy]

Out of those, Id go for the Tek Light.

[cavipower1]

im wondering if 4x54 is enough light for my clam in a tank thats 12 inches high it should be right? i read that t5s are pretty effective for clams and sps up until about 24inches. oh and the first link on there some one bought it and put it on their 75 gallon and it looks real nice just waiting on a review theyve been using it for about six months alredy

[erikharrison]

The Tek light will grow anything. The only three that can really compete for the best are the Tek, Giesemann, and Aquactinics (with the icecap slrs).... I may have missed one, but the fact remains! Seans new tank (cpreefguy) is going to be T5 driven only, and he knows what he is talking about FOR SURE. You can rest your head and sleep well with those lights.

[cpreefguy]

If you really want to make a solid investment, check out the ATI Powermodule :D
http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5_Fluorescent/ATI/Powermodule_Fixtures/48_inch__4x54W_Powermodule_T5_High-Output_Fixture_w!_Bulbs_by_ATI

[erikharrison]

I knew I was forgetting one! That thing is awesome! Sean weren't you like the first or second or third person in the US with one?

[cpreefguy]

Im the only one in the US with the 24" version :D
I was running a Tek Light and liked it, but would highly recommend the powermodule to anyone.

[coraline79]

From what I understand t5ho is mainly based on the quality of the bulb and reflector. These are 2 things that can be upgraded in almost any fixture. Get the t5ho's that fit your budget. There is one out on ebay right now 36 inch 4x39 watt all aluminum light for 100 bucks. If you want to spend a little more, then go for 2 actinic t5ho retrofits and put the inexpensive mh 175watt between them. that looks to run you about 150 +shipping. To me it sounds like you are on a budget, and you gotta work with the money you have(believe me I know). Some of us spend a ton of money on our tanks, and for some of us it isn't an option. For the entire setup of my tank(liverock, sand, tank, sump, pump, skimmer, lighting, overflow, and powerhead), I spent about 450. I am currently running a 39wx2 glo light t5ho(with a poor, single reflector) that I got from Ed for 75 buck. This light has been great so far for my green slimer and monti caps, as well as all my rics, leathers, and shrooms. I will be adding another set of t5hos to the tank when I come across another good deal. I think the 4 bulb setup would be your best bet if you only have a 12 inch deep tank. My tank is a 36x16x12, 30 gallon.

[cpreefguy]

^^^ to add to your first statement, the ballast and active cooling are very important. Active cooling will dramatically increase the output, and life of the bulb.

[coraline79]

^^^ to add to your first statement, the ballast and active cooling are very important. Active cooling will dramatically increase the output, and life of the bulb.

When you say active cooling are you refering to a fan? Mine barely get warm to the touch, they are 78 total watts. They sit in a cast aluminum fixture.

[cpreefguy]

Yeah, moving heat away from the bulbs is very important, keeping the bulbs at their ideal temperature can increase the PAR value by 25%

[cavipower1]

yea well ill prolly go withthe tek light, just cuz im gonna be starting a 33g long and wanna get a pretty good light but at the same time 48" fixtures are pretty expensive lol

[Darth-Tater]

I bought mine from ebay 2.5 years ago. I change the filters egularly and it produces 100 gallons a day. It has never missed a beat. paid $69.00 for it. Yes I would do it again. The tds read 0-3 depending hpw old the cartridges are

Tater