Suggestions on where to buy lighting from

[olsenshouse]

I'm looking to buy better lighting for my coral tank. I don't want lighting I have to hang from my ceiling so any suggestion on where to get hood lighting would be greatly appreciated.

 

[jrgilles]

I'd keep an eye on the used equipment forum here. Great place to get good lights without shelling out a ton of cash.

I got one used for my 75 gal. for $280. I had to put in new boots for the MH bulbs and fixed a wiring connection that had a bit of corrosion, but its all pretty easy work. You can see the stats on my light in my signiture

 

[Xtremedave67]

its pricey for good lighting, but there are many combo units that have the mounting legs onto tank.
as Rob suggests, watch the for sale on here, (or CL) and you may find what you seek, if your patient.

 

[jrgilles]

You'll have to think about what you want to go with. Here are some of the standard systems:

T-5: Work good for coral. Don't produce as much heat as the metal halides. No shimmer effect

T-5/MH Combo: Get the shimmer effect and the blue color from the T-5's.

PC (Power Compact)/MH: Shimmer from the MH's, blue crom the power compact. Power compact bulbs are a bit pricier than the T-5's (I think)

LED's: Low heat, and you get the shimmer effect, as well as being able to make the lights dimable and the ability to do cool things with the colors in your tank (as you have a lot of control over color/intensity of the different colors.) Low power consumption also. Drawback on these is they are pretty new to the hobby, and can cost a lot of money if you don't build them yourself.

Really comes down to personal preference, and weighing in things like cost and if you want shimmering (which I like.)

Hope that helps some.

 

[jrgilles]

yea, craigslist is another good place to try

 

[olsenshouse]

Thanks for the input. I was thinking just a T-5 for now. Get some good lighting for coral. I might upgrade in the future when I get my tank where I am 100% happy with everything and go with the shimmer lighting.

 

[Xtremedave67]

I will go LED on my big build after seeing those Pacific suns on DolphonLvr's OMG I have LED envy LOL

 

[NC2WA]

for T5s (bulbs or fixtures) I recommend www.reefgeeks.com

 

[olsenshouse]

Tried to go to reefgeeks but said that domain is no good anymore? Did they switch to something else?

 

[NC2WA]

I am sorry, I gave you an incorrect URL.

try this:

www.reefgeek.com

 

[Xtremedave67]

Thanks NC2WA, I snatched that advice up as well

 

[jag3534]

I just bought the light fixture for our 90g, its the 36" Current Nova Extreme Pro, 6x39w. I really lke this fixture. We had it before on our 46g, and sold it when we took down that tank. Stupid move, but oh well.
With the NEP fixture, it has mounting legs,or there is a mounting kit the I thinkyou can attach to the hood. On our 46g before, my husband installed some 1"x2"s in the hood to hold the fixture in place.I think he plans something similair for this tank. Right now I have it on the mounting legs over the biocube, Cuz the light is soo awesome!
We plan to replace the bulbs soon with Geieseman, ATI's and such for better PAR output, because the Current bulbs suck.
I researched all the 36" light fixtures for about 3 weeks, then decided this is the best, then shopped all the websites to find best price. Ended up being Drs Foster and Smith for $311 with $9 shipping.
I also priced out doing a retro kit. For $430, you can make a 4x39w fixture with an icecap ballast.

 

[NC2WA]

another website that I have used and like is www.marineandreef.com, pretty good prices.

 

[olsenshouse]

Thanks for the websites NC2WA.

 

[jag3534]

And marinedepot.com, and saltysupply.com. The sunlight supply TEK fixture is really nice. The aquaticlife and aquamedic fixtures seemed alright too. I try looking up reviews and stuff too before I buy.

 

[jag3534]

Oh, and liveaquaria.com which connects to drs foster and smith.

 

[olsenshouse]

checking all these sites for the best deal