lighting is it woth it

[bigbaddad]

question being is worth it to buy the expensive ballasts from the lfs or can you do the same thing by buying ballasts from a hardware store and replacing the bulbs what would the output difference be.

 

[bigbaddad]

what about a black light ? 25 buck's and right across the street

 

[mr.reef24]

completely different from aquarium lighting

mr.reef24

 

[sostoudt]

question being is worth it to buy the expensive ballasts from the lfs or can you do the same thing by buying ballasts from a hardware store and replacing the bulbs what would the output difference be.

if you research it and buy the right one it should work.

 

[bigbaddad]

any thoughts on the black light ?

 

[Kevin8888]

any thoughts on the black light ?

Likely does not have even close to a high enough output for effective aquarium lighting, if its a FOWLR or FO, in other words for looks not function, then it would be fine, but for corals its no good.

 

[TheCanuck]

keep in mind black lights get really hot.... i use homedepo light fixtures with Fish Quailty lights.

fixture - 8$

Bulbs 15$

 

[lsky5101982]

If your running a FO tank as long as you can see the fish and get your desired results/effect you will be ok. For a reef tank you might be able to go with hardware store fixtures but be sure to use bulbs designed for the aquiriam world. I have seen several examples of converted shop lights for FO tanks that seem to work quite well.

Blacklight I am not sure because as it was stated earlier they do run rather hot. But that would have to look bad ass.

 

[Mazcote Yarquest]

As previously stated, it all depends on what you are trying to accomplish.

Fish Only (FO) or Fish Only With Live Rock (FOWLR) lighting is not such a concern. (Caveat: research, research, research some fish may require certain wavelengths but I am certain they are rare and expensive!)
Install light that makes you happy. I try to keep my fish with as "natural" light as I can. Deep water ocean fish would get a different light than an Amazonian fish.

Some invertebrates and various other livestock may be photosynthetic and require a specific wavelength and wattage.

Wattage is key to photosynthetic livestock, you can find hardware to make your own lighting but if it is crucial to the livestock, it's likely cheaper to purchase ready made hardware.

I did a quick search and came up with this as one supplier for "components":
http://www.innovativelights.com/