reef lighting

i would like to upgrade my lighting this month. can someone please tell me exactly what i should buy for a nice set up that will be sufficient for pretty much any coral or clam? i dont want to diy or retrofit, i just want to get something thats pretty much plug and play. also, how will i keep the temperature down? a chiller is not an option. will the lights significantly affect the temp?

 

Gimme some stats on your tank again? I can't remember what you got.

 

i have a 90g tank with a 4 inch sand bed, about 115 lbs. of LR, an eheim canister, a magnum for water movement and carbon, an aquac remora pro skimmer. i would love to have your opinion on exactly what i should buy, and how to keep the temperature in control. thanks!!

 

A 90 eh? And you want clams and corals? You might as well go straight to halide. What are the dimensions of the tank?

Suspending the lights with legs or cables will help with the heat. If you get a fixture, it will have fans in it too.

 

yeah, i was thinking halides. i have heard that T5's are good too. know anything about those? it has the regular 90g dimensions, 48x18x25

 

I don't know much about T5's, but I did read a long thread not long ago on them and some people were bummed with them long term. They ended up spending a lot more money than they thought and were not happy with the results. I'd do a lot of research if you go that route.

They can't beat halides though. I am pretty sure about that.

I don't have much time to dig around for fixtures, but I'll look around later. Maybe someone else can jump in with some links in the meantime.

If you want a halide fixture for that size tank and not retrofit or pendants, be prepared to spend some big money. Maybe over $500.

 

I have just upgraded with 2x250 MH + 2x110 VHO I went with a PFO system. out of the box it was ready to go. I upgraded to 2 IC fans with Thermo sensor controls. Great lighting

Check it out
http://www.pfolighting.com/new pfoAq/AQFrames.htm

This is the PFO website they do not do retail but I'm sure you can find someone who does.

Good Luck Roger, If you want any more info I'll watch this thread

Jason

 

Hey J thanks for helping, I was thinking about your lights. Where did you get them? PFO doesn't sell direct.

Roger - What corals do you 'have' to have and what is your budget?

 

My Local guy ordered them for me. @ PFO there is a "find Dealer" page that can help.

My LFS is the best and the biggest online dealer in Canada, great guys
www.jlaquatics.com
(check out what it costs for stuff up in Canada, these guys are usually the cheapest)

J

 

see my post at:
http://www.3reef.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=lighting;action=display;num=1037477572

here are some pics of the fixture we designed and built.

and the LED Moonlight option/feature
.