Hi I have decided to use my 180g (6x2x2) for salt water. I am just now buying all the nessecary parts to get it going. Lighting is the next step. My original plan was fowlr but after looking a a few types of anemones I am thinking as soon as there is enough stability and food in the tank adding a couple. I hate to be that guy but I cannot justify $899 for a light is there any short cuts or a lot cheaper set ups that may work or have been succesful? Thanks in advance fo the help.
New lighting for new setup
- Thread starter cancore
- Start date
You would likely have to look into doing a retrofit into a canopy using Metal Halides or T5HOs to save some cash on buying complete fixtures.
Edit: you may also look into motorized light movers so you buy one light and have it shift around.
Edit: you may also look into motorized light movers so you buy one light and have it shift around.
+1 on the Retro. Usualy the retros are cheaper. If you get t5 HO's id say at least 4 bulbs would do the trick. This will limit you on what you can keep due to the depth of the tank. Id sit the nems mid tank on some rock. the chances are they will like it there and not move a whole lot. Depending on what type of ballast your looking at getting, general HO ballast are in the range of 100-150 bucks. Now i believe IceCaps ballast will run 3 x 6 foot bulbs. This would be a lot less lighting but you could always add a IceCap 430 ballast to run 1 or 2 more bulbs. 3 bulbs would probably allow you keep the nems, but its hard to say. softies and leathers would be fine in that amount of light, and some hardy LPS would make it. I would not see SPS working in that amount of light.
There are a few fixtures that are cost effective and allow you to play with the number of bulbs. Current extreme pro would be a good way to go, but your starting to get up there in price. Especially when it comes to buying 6 foot setups. Currents 72 inch nova extreme is in the ballpark of 700 bucks. I would do a bit of shoping to see what your interested in and what you can afford, and play with some retro setups. Geismann also makes good ballasts, but i dont know a whole deal on there specs so i dont know how many bulbs you could run per ballast.
There are a few fixtures that are cost effective and allow you to play with the number of bulbs. Current extreme pro would be a good way to go, but your starting to get up there in price. Especially when it comes to buying 6 foot setups. Currents 72 inch nova extreme is in the ballpark of 700 bucks. I would do a bit of shoping to see what your interested in and what you can afford, and play with some retro setups. Geismann also makes good ballasts, but i dont know a whole deal on there specs so i dont know how many bulbs you could run per ballast.
heres my lighting... cost me 10 dollars per fixture t8... light bulbs cost 10$....
I used 4 48inch light fixtures with lowes bulbs on one side and coralife on the other.
Lighting cost me 50$ said and done.... for a 12ft tank...
Lowes sells the super cheap t8's for 10 bucks now!!
I used 4 48inch light fixtures with lowes bulbs on one side and coralife on the other.
Lighting cost me 50$ said and done.... for a 12ft tank...
Lowes sells the super cheap t8's for 10 bucks now!!
cancore;4025006; said:
lowes hardware store. Or any hardware store that sell shop lights for t8s. I have the corlife bulbs in one side then just regular bulbs in the other side.
not to flame, but t8's will not harness enough healthy light for anemones. You may be okay with softies but the odds of your nem living more then 5 months under T8's are unlikely. Lighting is one of the things in a reef tank you do not want to go wrong with. Even if the bulbs are rated for "corals" its nothing more then to make people think it will work. Proper light is just that, proper light.
sweeTang21;4026660; said:
No don't worry about it I am here to learn a few things before I do something that will cause undue suffering to anything. So what I am basically hearing from you is that T8 or T5 cannot produce the lighting conditions that nems require? This would be good to know so I am not mislead by claims made by coralife etc.