bjbass;4131615; said:
Thanks for your reply!!
I am not going to do any plants. I am going to do a sand substrate and driftwood. Thoughts?
You could do shop lights with power glo t8s or t12, depending on what shoplight you pick up. That would probably be the most cost effective way.
You could do power compacts. They are antiquated technology that put out some heat, but for your application, they would put out respectable light and you can customize your light output... 10k light spectrum would look nice. The heat shouldnt be a big issue.
T5s are kind of expensive, but affordable ones can be had at fishneedit.com and their light fixtures are pretty good qaulity. They are more effecient then the power compacts, and dont put out as much heat, but will still get warm. 10k would look nice as well.
Then their are metal halides, which for your application is way overkill.
If I were you, I would just find some t8 or t12 shoplights at home depot that run the length of your tank, and do about 4. Should be bright enough, and the power glos have a nice color output that accentuate most fish.
