Cheapest reef lighting?

[goby2]

Whats the cheapest way to light a 220 gallon tank? I want there to be enough light for anemones and corals but I cant spend too much as I'm saving for a new bike. I saw a few 400 watt metal halide fixtures on ebay for about $50-$60 shipped. Is that the way to go? The tank is 30" deep.

 

[ChrisRD]

For a 30" deep tank where you want to keep anemones, 400 watt halides sounds like a good plan to me...

 

[Anonymous]

Agreed.

The sun in Ohio is cheaper, but not as dependable! :lol:

 

[goby2]

Would I need two of them? They are designed for industrial lighting purposes or greenhouse growlights. That would still be good for an aquarium, right?

 

[Unarce]

You'll want to verify what bulb-types and spectral output are available for these fixtures. You may find that you can't use MH bulbs for aquarium use. If the kelvin rating is too low, you'll end up battling algae problems. The photosynthetic inverts won't like it much, either.

 

[WRASSER]

You could go with a combo of power compacts and VHO.

 

[Anonymous]

I kept BTA's in a 30" deep under VHO. I used four 110 watt URI bulbs. Unless you want to keep SPS on the bottom of your tank you can use 250 watt MH.

 

[Mihai]

Sorry, but I don't think there are any cheap lights for a 220 gal that can support anemones.

You can go either low lights (normal output, say 4 of them and not have anemones). That can be as low as $40 total.

If you insist on anemones you'll end up spending at least $300 ($400 is more likely).

For metal halides (which are probably the cheapest option in the long run considering their efficiency) you need the following:
- the bulb
- the fixture (usually with a socket and a reflector)
- the ballast

They all have to match - some bulbs do not work in some fixtures, some ballasts do not work with some bulbs (many types of ballasts and bulbs).

After a lot of reading I concluded that for my 90 gal the best bang for the buck is to get two double ended 250W fixtures with 14,000K bulbs. I went for the PFO ballasts and fixtures (good value from my research).

I think that either the tank/anemone or the bike has to wait.

Mihai

 

[goby2]

http://cgi.ebay.com/400-WATT-METAL-HALI ... dZViewItem
That includes the balast, reflector, housing, and bulb. I would probably have to get a better bulb though.
Does anyone see anything wrong with this?

 

[jandree22]

I think that either the tank/anemone or the bike has to wait.

He could always just get a Huffy from Wal-Mart :wink:

:lol:

 

[Unarce]

Does anyone see anything wrong with this?

I would try to get some specs on the type of bulb you're getting. Maybe other types can be used with that fixture. For $50, you won't be too much in the hole if you find out there aren't any aquarium bulbs that will go with it.

 

[goby2]

I think that either the tank/anemone or the bike has to wait.

He could always just get a Huffy from Wal-Mart :wink:

:lol:

http://www.cannondale.com/bikes/05/cusa ... 5RR1D.html I think I'll hold out for this one. It will take me a while to save $2000 though.

I would try to get some specs on the type of bulb you're getting. Maybe other types can be used with that fixture. For $50, you won't be too much in the hole if you find out there aren't any aquarium bulbs that will go with it.

I don't know anything about metal halides. Can someone recomend a bulb?

I do actually need a growlight if it doesn't work out for the aquarium.

 

[Anonymous]

I would go for halides. Over all they give you the best bang for your buck when it comes to light intensity and cost of bulb replacement.

 

[jandree22]

I think that either the tank/anemone or the bike has to wait.

He could always just get a Huffy from Wal-Mart :wink:

:lol:

http://www.cannondale.com/bikes/05/cusa ... 5RR1D.html I think I'll hold out for this one. It will take me a while to save $2000 though.

that bike is yummy 8)

I personally would love a new set of skis, but they'll cost about the same as that bike :roll: