20" Light or Complete Nano Tank??

[Chris5]

Here is my dilema, just realized I have a 20g collecting dust in my attic, so did some preliminary research on 20" lights and dam they are expensive, i think the cheapest Ive found for a pc setup is $130 for 80wts ....(orbit)

So whats a guy to do, buy a light for my 20g bare and have to spend another $50 anyways for misc things, or throw in $20-$40 more dollars and go for a complete setup (via AP 24g with 64wts) ...???

And yes i know MH is the way to go but im not looking to get crazy right away and since money is tight i would be happy just to have a nice plain old setup right now minus the mh....(half the fun is getting all the good stuff down the road anyway lol ...) :redface:

 

[Henrye]

Keep the tank, buy a decent, affordable fixture. All a complete setup will give you is the additional cost for a glass tank with a rear overflow. Personally, I have and like the AP. I treat the rear as my own tiny sump. But, after frustration with temp control with the standard hood, and lights that were OK, but not everything I wanted. So, after paying ~$250 (when they first came out) I tossed the hood and got a 150 MH Sunpod for another $230. Now, you can buy the AP tank with Sunpod for around $320, so the tank and plastic wall costs about $90, which is a little high, even for a front curved tank.

For a 20g, take a look at this light, http://www.cadlights.com/product_info.php?cPath=25&products_id=68 for $99.
Also, look at this T5HO
http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merc...duct_Code=FI-ML-T2424&Category_Code=Finnex-T5 for $99
For pc, there's this 130W
http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merc...roduct_Code=ESU-53102&Category_Code=Aqualight for $120

All will make you happy, give you enough light for most things, and you can spend the extra $100 from not going MH on other things (like livestock ), and certainly better than an additional $200 for a boxed set like the AP 24 w/ MH, or $100 more for an AP with a stock hood.

Henry