Sorry about the poor pics. It's kind of hard to get in there to get a good one. I have one fan at each end of the tank, and they blow across the end of the bulb near the endcaps and circulate the air out the back of the canopy. I didn't keep the packaging, but I think they rated at around 22 decibles. They're really quite and put out pretty good air flow. (I think it was something like 27 cfm, if that's the correct unit.) One of the best parts about these, though, is that they come with a "quick disconnect." That is, I made a connection to a 12 volt DC plug, but the other end is not connected to the fan. It has a small connector instead. The fan has a small cord with the other connector. So, you just put the two connectors together and bingo. (I know that sounds confusing, but I don't know all the technical terms for these electronic components!) What I like is I can disconnect the fans if I want without worrying about unplugging everything. Oh! I lied. The BEST part is they were only like $5 a piece!
T-5s are the way to go. We had a mix of MH and PCs on the 240. PCs really aren't that great. They are also easy to break and we had a number of retro kit sockets burn as well. The bulbs are pricey, also. Ace was happy to ditch them in favor of VHO bulbs. But he is using them for actinic only. I have a mix of MH and T-5s on my 180 and have been happy. We're still trying to get the bulb combination right, but it's just trial and error. Look at reefgeek.com for bulbs. Also, over at Reefcentral there is a discussion on T-5s. I'll try to find it and post it in this thread.
checkerkitty I did see those t5 at the site. I still don't know which one happens to be cheaper. to buy a set of T5, or to get in touch with Ace and have him build me a canopy, then for me to buy the parts to insert in it.
T-5s are great! I have a 75 gallon with 4-65ho and I cant complain. T-5s put out a more concentrated source of light then compact which penetrates the water deeper a lot like metal halide but does so with a lot less heat effect to the water. They do have more color range like coraline79 allready said. Make sure to do your home work on your corals about placement and light requirements, it will save you a lot of money in the end.
once I get my lights I will start asking questions about the type of corals to get. I'm not going hardcore, just a little nice piece to get a "wow" whenever someone comes to the house
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