light's

[p00num3lli]

im new to the hobby.. and i had bought a 300$ power compact fluorecent light's... since i was new and i didnt have anybody to talk to for help at the time i didnt know that those lights would only be able to take very few corals that need low lighting.. which there arent many:cry_smile::cry_smile::cry_smile: and thats what atracted me to the marine hobby.. corals(i had freshwater for years, but it just bored me cuz of lack of color and such less than salwater)the guy i bought them from said o yea it would b ok it can take corals.. i was stupid and didnt know.so i got them. i now know i made a mistake...:cry_smile:soooooo im going to save up for t5's after i buy a skimmer and other important stuff.. but my real question is would the switch from my lights to a whole new t5 system be to much of a shock?


i will be selling my lights when i start saving for the t5's. so if anyone would be interested in buying one i would happily sell because with out the help of the $ from my lights wen there sold it will take me a while just to pay for the t5s:cry_smile:.it will be a while be4 i sell them though..probably 2-3 months. if you are interested send me a message and i will give you information.

thanks


(for sabob)

it has 4 bulbs

dept of tank:18 in.

2 coralife 10,000k 65 watt 21 inch straight pin arrangement daylights

2 coralife 10,000k 65 watt 21 inch straight pin arrangement actinic

[SABOB]

Post the specifics of your lights,how many watts,how many bulbs,color of bulbs etc.Also the depth of your tank would help figure out what corals you can and can't keep.

[jrsatx20]

i've kept a green carpet, toastool, zoas, cabbage leather, birdsnest, kenya tree, gsp under 260 watt pc lights

[CoryDude]

Everytime I read your posts, it's like a trip down memory lane. I also purchased a deficient light system (4 X 40W, barely enough for a fish only) when I was young and new to the hobby, and was pretty bummed. You'll make more mistakes, but it sounds like you have a lot of enthusiasm for the hobby and a great resource of experience here w/the charter members. Best of luck to you!

[Gilbert]

there is alot of different softies that can be put in the light that you have, check out some of the zoas that they people on MAAST have. But as far as going with t5 that wont be much better, if sps is what your looking for you should buy some metal halides. you can always find them here on the sell/trade section.

[ErikH]

There are plenty of T5 driven tanks loaded with SPS. The bulbs last up to 18 months, and if you put fans on them, it increases the par by up to 20%. The trick is to use single reflectors. The icecap retrofits with the slr reflectors are boss. I love my halide though, I am a shimmer fan. :)

[joelb]

no, it will not be too much shock for the coral if you switch to t-5's. they will love it.

[mattymalcolm]

I believe you should go with Metal halides and eihter t5, powercompact or atinic. I f you want to be able to have any corals you want.

[alton]

With a depth of 18" and 260 watts of CF's you can add Frogspawn, Brains like wesophyllia and many more LPS to your list. Just remember to change your lamps out every 8 to 10 months. For some reason we are getting the wrong message here on MAAST that if we have a CF Light we can only keep fish with live rock only tanks or a few softies. Remember it is the depth of the tank that requires large amount s of light. And remember if you switch to T5HO's and you buy a fixture that does not have individual reflectors for each lamp you are wasting your money again.

[p00num3lli]

thanks guys. i know i can still have corals.. just alot less to choose from. i have been looking up on drsfosterandsmith at there corals...they have alot of corals, but not to many with low to medium lighting needs.and my favorite are sps.... but i have to 4get them for now. but i sould be ok with zoas,leathers, some brains and some softies?

[brewercm]

Ah yes, the lesson learned by many a reefer. I went from standard 40 watt to PC lighting, finally to MH and have done several versions of that now.
What I'm now running are three 250 watt DE bulbs (2 12K reeflux, 1 14K hamilton) and two VHO actinics.
Good luck and keep us posted, by the way you can find great deals on lighting in the for sale forums from time to time, just be ready to act quick. Also when you get ready to sell you PC system you will take a beating on what you paid to what you will get. Just trying to be honest with you on that part, another lesson learned by many.

[Gilbert]

HAHA yeah exactly like cliff said, i just sold a 8month old 36" coralife pc's for $70 when they sell in the stores for $249