A little experiment

[Sherita]

I decided when setting up the 2'x5' frag tank that I wanted to experiment a little with the lighting. It seems to have almost become a competition to see who can spend the most on their lights, a competition I have no interest in taking part in. So I decided to go the opposite direction. I bought a cheapo Chinese 48" 54w 8 bulb T5HO grow light, rewired it so that I have two cords controlling four bulbs each (one cord for actinic, one cord for daylight), and installed cheapo Chinese T5 bulbs. So far, the light output far exceeds anything I would have expected, so much so that I am about to install charcoal windowscreen under the light to cut it down some. The light came with a highly polished aluminum reflector, and an enameled steel housing that is quite sturdy. The only down side was the need to rewire it for two cords instead of one so that I could run it through my controller.

The corals are loving it, the electric meter is loving it (no halides on this tank!), and I'm tickled to death with the amount of growth and color I'm seeing on the coral. Granted, this isn't a "blue light special" tank with massive amounts of blue that distort the true color of the coral. But since I actually enjoy seeing what the coral looks like naturally (been a diver for years), and the whole idea in this tank is growth...........well, color me impressed.

The light cost me $165 shipping included
the bulbs were $8/each, so $64 there plus $8.99 shipping

Total cost: $237.99

I'm going to check and see if I can find this light in a 36" model. If I can, there will be two of them over my 6' 210g tank when it goes up. Not investing in ridiculously expensive lights leaves more money for the things I want.........rare corals and rare fishes :)

[Triggerman]

Well said and a great idea...I think there's a place in this hobby for all price ranges of lighting and all the other equipment for that matter. I think newcomers get intimitated by some of the high prices upon entering the hobby, but they don't realize you can achieve success from equipment that is far less expensive and sometimes can give you better results. Ultimately this is an expensive hobby, but you don't have togo full highend to have a great tank.

There should be a study on Depreciation value on equipment in the aquarium hobby....Our hobby changes faster than most, there will always be bigger and better.

[EpicWin]

Hey sherita. Here is the deal of the century. Check it out. 36" current t5 for 200. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3733+13822+18700&pcatid=18700

[Sherita]

Hey sherita. Here is the deal of the century. Check it out. 36" current t5 for 200. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3733+13822+18700&pcatid=18700

That is a heck of a deal for sure. But I've got to have an 8 bulb or larger system for the 210. Otherwise I'm afraid I won't have enough light on the sandbed for my chalices and acans. Of course, that's assuming I go that route. I've also thought about reefbreeder leds, or mh/vho combo. Since the tank isn't on the stand (because the stand hasn't even been built yet), there's no rush to decide. Since all the sps are gone, I probably won't go mh/vho.........but I might. I've got to get the 90g tall cube up first, so I can break down the 72g. The 72g is sitting where my desk needs to go, and my desk is sitting where the 210g will go. It's ridiculous.

I like to do things differently. I also like to show the newer folks that it can be done for a reasonable expense. This can be a terribly expensive hobby if you make it that way, but it doesn't have to be out of reach of the average person. Sometimes I really do think that the whole game of one upmanship on expense scares a lot of folks away.

Besides, I like to try different things. And I've answered one of my questions..........can I grow corals under a cheapo grow light? The answer is yes. I already knew that the cheapo bulbs worked just fine, been using them about three years. It's fun to experiment, as long as one is prepared for the possible consequences :) And the cheapo light is growing corals just as well as the more expensive lights I have around this place. Now I just have to see how long it lasts.

[rrasco]

Which fixture did you get Sherita?

My first reef lighting was a 30" 4x24w FNI T5 fixture. Worked great for me.