flourescent lighting Q

[brich999]

ok dont laugh, this may be a stupid question... can i buy big flourescent lights from lowes? they are like 65 bucks for a 8 foot light versus 300 or more for an "aquarium" light. advantages? disadvantages? I found i can get just about all the same light spectrums at lowes and even if they dont last as long, at 1/5th the cost, would they make more sense? I dont really have many live plants and my fish dont need high intensity lights, but i am working on a budget. Thanks

 

[jcardona1]

Absolutely. If you don't want or need T5HO fixtures, there's no reason you can't use those fixtures. Lots of people do, I have as well

 

[throttle]

Save money on the lights and spoil your fish, sounds good to me. You could paint the outside of the light whatever color you wanted to make it blend in more.

 

[ar0wan]

Keep in mind that a lot of the cost goes into the fixture
I have found that you get can get a cleaner appearance with a brand like PowerGlo
but if you're not trying to keep plants standard bulbs are fine

 

[Redearsunfish]

Absolutely. If you don't want or need T5HO fixtures, there's no reason you can't use those fixtures. Lots of people do, I have as well

Agreed!!

 

[dragonfish1ca]

I use 2 4 foot T8 fixtures on my 300 gallon and its more than enough light to grow alge on the bottom rocks lol but no plants in there just fish.

 

[brich999]

thanks for all the help. now do you use the special "aquarium" bulbs or no? what can i do to keep the cool moon lighting like on a power compact without spending hundreds on LEDs?

 

[alexmuw]

I bought 4 foot light at home depot for $10 each (buy 2).

And YES, I use aquarium bulbs made by GE (T-12, 40 W). They are great if you plan on having plants in your tank! My plants grow like weeds.

Good luck!