Mixed Lighting

Actually, I meant to say 300-400 dollars. These are on the high end of the price range. I'm probably going to look for one of these fixtures used.

 

for that amount you should have no probs finding a unit. I know the 4x54 48 inch tek unit is around $ 300 canadian new plus bulbs which are 20 to 30 canadian dollars so it should be even cheaper in the states and the bulbs are good for 15 to 18 months.

 

They have the same lighting system (after looking at the post that guy recommended) i searched and they have a 6x54 that's $300.

Search www.froogle.com and Ebay they both have them. Hope this helps, and tell me what you get i may do the same thing.

 

a 4 bulb fixture with your PC's would work, just less than ideal. If you can find an 8 bulb 48 incher that would be the best. remember when buying used systems you are buying used bulbs too which can be pricey to replace, sometimes its better to buy the system new.

 

Just curious, i found this on ebay:

48" T5 High Output Aquarium Compact Light 216W Reef CE - eBay (item 380097644357 end time Jan-26-09 21:07:47 PST)

Now my question is, is buying this and switching it retro would that be a good idea?

 

I am building a 120 gal 48 x 24 and I bought an 8x54 retro kit. It's gone up a few dollars since I bought it but it's a great light. Check out www.buildyouraqarium.com they have some interesting lights at resonable prices. I paid $325 for my light. They are selling a 6 x 54 T5 retrokit for around $270. I probably won't need any more lighting for my tank but I had an old 175W Metal Halide retrokit that I threw up there just in case. These fixtures are so narrow too. Mine is 12 1/8" wide. I had to drill 4 holes for the screws which was no big deal. I bought 2 2x39W T5 retrokits from this guy before. My corals all responded nice and look Ma no chiller! That's the best part. Good luck!

 

I just found a 6x54 watt Tek t5 fixture for 300 dollars on craigslist. Should I look into this?

 

That's a good price. If bulbs are not too old that's a really good price. I see them getting sold for about 325 not including shipping on RC quite often.

The cheapest way if you have a canopy would be a retrofit. Either way thats a good price.

 

What's a retrofit? I have a canopy, but its an odd canopy. It was home made by the guy I bought the tank from. I'll find a way to mount it.

 

I retro fit kit is basically a lighting fixture without a case around it. It's just the ballast, end caps, wiring harness etc. You just attach it to your canpoy. Are you going to keep your Pcs and add a T5 system or just replace the pcs with the T5 system?