Silver Lining

Hello 3Reefers,

So, today I got some new 65w straight pin PC light bulbs in and decided to change out my old ones.

When I got the PC fixture off Craigslist the guy I bought it from told me that one of the actinics was burnt out, however he didn't tell me that he jerry-rigged the whole thing like a amateur Frankenstein. So, when I took it apart the entire thing fell to pieces.

Now, I don't have a whole bunch of livestock, but I do have some xenia, mushrooms, and multiple zoas and polyps, so I needed to get some new lights and quick.

I called up my LFS and asked them if they had any 4 bulb 48" T5 fixtures in stock, and to my delight they had 2 and they were only $69 each! I was like holy cow that's a great price I'll be right over. When I got there I asked them where the fixtures they were talking about were and they pointed at some T8 fixtures. At this point I was getting a bit upset because I had nowhere else to go to get fixtures without having to order online. I was just about to leave when I saw a pile of old fixtures on the ground by one of their tanks, and they were all 48" T5 fixtures. I asked how much they were and they said they would sell any of them to me for $30 each. So, I ended up buying a coralife and a Hagen glo, both 48" dual lamp T5 fixtures and 4 T5 bulbs for $136.

The bulbs I got are a

12000k daylight
460nm super actinic
420nm super violet
Coral growth accelerator

So, overall I think having my old POS PC fixture breaking on me was the best thing that could have happened for my saltwater friends, because now they have a lighting that is closer to full spectrum.

 

yay for you zc!

 

Great ending to a bad situation.

 

Here is a pic of the tank with the old lights.

 

And here is one with the new ones, they look amazing and really make my zoas pop!

 

I have no idea why it's upside down lol

 

It does look good, and nice gravity anomaly.

 

Lol thank you!

 

Congrats, I love my T-5 lights.