NYC Reefer's light unit

[jcolon2]

Hello.

NYC REEFER posted a 48 inch t5 current usa unit. It has 8 bulbs totalling 432 watts for only 140 dollars. 1 ballast does not work and needs to be replaced. How much would a ballast cost for this unit? I have been on this forum psoting threads like craazy lately about lighting as to whether I should go with mh, t5, or stick with my vho t12s. I was going to stick with vhos. Should I buy this unit in your opinion. I have a 55 gallon tank and want to keep sps. http://www.manhattanreefs.com/forum/sale-trade/90802-8-bulb-t5-ho-retro-fixture.html

 

[FMF0331]

Lights

I hear mh are best for sps. I have mh for a softie tank and clam tank

 

[jcolon2]

I really can't do mh seeing as they are expensive and my room heats up overly quick. It is between vho and t5. And I already have the vhos (although I need new bulbs and they almost add up to the price of this man's fixture). I am wondering would this be appropriate for my tank and is it a good deal? Isn't there much debate between mh and t5 with regard to sps though>?

 

[charliethetuna88]

J add the halides to ur fixture ,change out the vhos to atinics and add 2 2d0 mhs to it .u will have a great unit then bro way more than enough light

 

[charliethetuna88]

250 watt

 

[charliethetuna88]

And if u add the mh u can get a 20 k raduim like u seen I have and u won't need to run the vhos if u don't wanna

 

[jcolon2]

vhos

Charlie,

I took apart the vho fixture. So basically now all I have is two ballasts. One ballast is a bit faulty too : / I have to buy 4 new bulbs (I would only power one ballast rather than buy the other). so I would have 440 watts total over the tank. The vho bulbs come out to 95 dollars total on Amazon. I have to buy the endcaps and do the wiring : / The metal halide ballasts and bulbs are expensive and I can't afford them (I have some money on me right now but not enough. And I prob won't in the future). Plus, I am adding a canopy and my room is very hot as is. I don't even need a heater to maintain my tank at 78 degrees. Basically it'd come down to me purchasing this unit or reinstalling reinstalling 4 vhos. Sorry, not trying to seem as if I made my mind up already and am debating everything. Just seriously confused about this one.

J add the halides to ur fixture ,change out the vhos to atinics and add 2 2d0 mhs to it .u will have a great unit then bro way more than enough light

 

[jcolon2]

Charlie, is the following what you are saying? Keep my 4 bulb vho unit but switch the bulbs to all super actinic. Then add 2 metal halide bulbs/ballast totalling 250 watts? How much money are we talking total, presumably?

 

[Alex]

You can grow SPS with T5 bulbs many on this site have them. As for the ballast I believe you can get a workhorse ballast for a few bucks.

 

[wonderballz]

I actually was able to resurrect a dead piece of SPs I got from TheDLo under my 6 bulb T5 set up. It was stuck behind his rock and it bleached, and I put it in my tank. It lost pretty much all of its skin and had zero polyp extension, so I left it in the back of my tank. I was looking for scrap rock about 2 months later and the frag had skin and polyp extension. I think if you have enough wattage, you should be able to do SPS under T5's in a 55G.

 

[wonderballz]

I didn't really give you any new insight on price of the ballast, but I think 8 bulbs of T5 would be fine