So Many Opinions Please help me ! lol

Ive been reading through mounds and mounds of lighting information but everyone seems to have different opinion.

First of all my tank is a 46 gallon bowfront, 36 across and 20 down.
I believe a four bulb fixture would be enough? but thoughts are welcome.
leds are to my understanding the best, but also most expensive?
MH also very expensive and over heat alot.
t5ho seem to me to be a reasonable combo of performance and price. As i stand right now it seems to me this is where im at...



So i think for me.. looking for a good fixture for a reasonable price.. id like to say my price range is around 300-350$ am i asking too much for a fixture for that price?

Im looking for suggestions on companys, specific fixtures anything!
also im a fairly handy person with some experience in soldering and the like, so if theres a good diy project for around that price or less , that would be an idea also..

Side note, Id like to keep a good mix of different sps softies lps. if this isnt an option for my price range thats fine too. ! just looking for the best bang for my buck

Thanks in advance for everybodys help!

 

I think your price range is a good plan and gives you alot of very good options.It might be good to first decide on a type of lighting and go from there.Metal halide offers the good performance that sps growers like but with high costs for energy and replacement bulbs .T-5 fixtures are reasonably priced but you still have the cost of replacement bulbs which is also your only means for changing the color if you wish to do so.Led may cost a little more for a quality fixture but offer flexability,lower energy cost and virtually no bulb replacement cost.Also produce less heat than the others.

 

T-5 HO would be a great option for that price range. 4 bulb with 2 whites, and 2 blues. Stay away from the cheap e-bay fixtures though. The only set-back on T-5 is that you dont get the beautiful "Shimmer" effect. I would go to some of the LFS and see them in action. Dont just buy sight unseen. Take your time and find the one you like. It is a big part of your investment so dont rush into it.

 

T5 would be a good option for you. I have the aquaticlife fixture which has performed well (knock on wood). However, I do plan on upgrading my bulbs to ATI in the near future. The bulbs that come with it are adequate. You could always add a strip light for some "shimmer" effect. I have a hard time understanding LEDs but I know many people on here swear by them and they are cheaper in the long run. I know a lot of people talk highly of the reefbreeders LED's.....

I've always been anxious about using MH because of the high heat. No other reason....

 

reefbreeders

Thanks for the tip on reef breeders... What do you guys think about this fixture for my siZe tank?

 

It would work for a mixed reef,the brightest light would be in an area about 24" wide with less light at the outer parts.I use a 20"maxspect razor over my 40breeder which is also 36"wide and my light spread is like this.I like it for a mixed reef,you can place some lower light corals in the darker area.Reefbreeders also sells some units that are controllable which would be a nice feature to have.My razor has a builtin timer system that changes the intensity of the light(and color) at six different times of day,it's a nice feature to have.

 

If you are a DIYer, probably the LED is the way to go.....

 

+1 on aquaticlife fixtures, I use a 4 T5 and 2 MH fixture and its really well built and very convenient that the timer is completely built in! I also replaced bulbs with ATIs. Here's the price of a 36

AquaticLife T5 HO 4-Lamp Light Fixtures w/ Lunar LEDs

 

I have the same Aquaticlife fixture, and it's pretty good. Has some nice features