Makena95GT Posted October 12, 2013 Share Posted October 12, 2013 -No DIY -Budget is less than $100 -20G tall tank Mmkay so I need opinions on some lights for the tank. My mom finally has the money to get me a birthday gift, and her budget is $100. I'd like to get something as cheap as possible for the sake of saving her money. I was looking at this one http://www.ebay.com/itm/24-96w-Lighting-T5-Aquarium-Light-Hood-Saltwater-Coral-Fish-Actinic-Fluorescent-/140928759485?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20d00236bd Mainly because that's the only thing I could find for a halfway decent price. But it has 3 power cords and is going to take some ghetto-rigging of a few timers and extension cords to get it to work the way I would want because I don't have a timer that is also a power strip. Seriously, I need help. I'd LOVE to be able to have some sort of coral in my tank. Any kind, really, but I want things that are hardy. I'd love to have some Zoas and be able to get some different frags at the swap without worrying about if my lighting is good enough. Please help me with actual suggestions and links. I've been searching but I just don't have any experience with proper lighting so I don't even know what I'm looking for. ALSO hanging lights are out of the question. Just, no. So we're staying away from those as well. I need something that will be easy to set up, just kinda set it on the tank. Something that wont need anything between it and the aquarium. I hate having those glass strips over the top. It ruins the clarity of my light because they get all dirty and are a pain to clean. Pretty please help, and thank you very much. I don't tell you guys enough how awesome you are Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esacjack Posted October 12, 2013 Share Posted October 12, 2013 ebay t5's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Grog Posted October 12, 2013 Share Posted October 12, 2013 I've had good results with Odyssea T5 setups (via Aquatraders and eBay) but keep in mind the stock bulbs are garbage and you will want to replace with ATI/Geissman/KZ very soon after purchase. Has LED moonlights and timer. The built in timer will save you some space and $. They make hanging kits but I've always used the legs that come with. http://www.aquatraders.com/24-inch-4x24W-T5-Aquarium-Light-Digi-Timer-Fixture-p/52323.htm Did I mention the stock bulbs are terrible? You will want to replace them but I suspect this will be the case with any 'budget' T5 fixture. Good thing about T5 is you can get the bulbs every time you get some spare cash. ATI bulbs are just under $20 each and have become my preference. FWIW: I kept frogspawn, condy, zoas, palys, shrooms under the 48" model over my 33 gallon. If you are just getting into keeping corals, I'd suggest a frogspawn. Frogspawn frags are inexpensive, they do well under T5, come in various colors, and are tolerant of human error. Plus they look nice and grow kind of fast compared to other things (at least for me). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobR Posted October 12, 2013 Share Posted October 12, 2013 A cheap T5 fixture would be a great choice with getting started with corals. A 4 bulb fixture like the one you posted or the one Grog posted would def be a great choice. The advantage IMO to the one Grog posted is it has the built in timer so, no extra $$$ spent on timers... Here's another Odyssea from ebay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/T5-Quad-24-Timer-Aquarium-Light-FOWLR-Coral-Reef-Cichlid-96W-LED-/290917683528?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43bc0b9148 I think this may be the same one Robb used in his office build??? ATI bulbs are def the way to go when you get a chance to replace your bulbs, they provide great color and PAR. The other option if you aren't in a huge hurry is to watch the for sale boards for something used to come up, a lot of folks have been ditching the T5's and MH's to switch to LED's so there can be some deals to be had out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
(Bio)³ Posted October 12, 2013 Share Posted October 12, 2013 Just realize with t5 you replace bulbs about every 8 months so with 4 bulbs your looking at 80ish every 8 months to keep good bulbs in and critters happy Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+etannert Posted October 12, 2013 Share Posted October 12, 2013 T5s can keep anything if the bulbs are good, rchavez had a 4-bulb Wavepoint (?? Might have screwed up that brand name) over his 20 tall and kept softies, zoas, LPS and sps quite happily. You might PM him since he took down that tank and might sell you the fixture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted October 12, 2013 Share Posted October 12, 2013 Honestly, I would look for a used 150 MH fixture. 20K plusrite bulbs cost about $15 each which would be your annual cost. I've seen fixtures like this here and on nano reef all the time. I just got a solana pendant for just over $100 about a month ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Grog Posted October 12, 2013 Share Posted October 12, 2013 I wasn't thinking about used choices as the OP had mentioned gift But, if used hardware is an option, a 150 W halide fixture would be an excellent choice. One cord, good color, and you would be able to keep anything you want. 20k plustrite are great bulbs. Honestly, I would look for a used 150 MH fixture. 20K plusrite bulbs cost about $15 each which would be your annual cost. I've seen fixtures like this here and on nano reef all the time. I just got a solana pendant for just over $100 about a month ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makena95GT Posted October 12, 2013 Author Share Posted October 12, 2013 I'm really liking the one with the built-in timer. Pretty cheap via the ebay link and free shipping. But for what I have now which is a single Paly, the cruddy lights should be fine, correct? I -would- go with something used but my mom is pretty dead set on getting me something new since she missed out on getting me anything when my birthday passed, so I'm taking advantage of that Can I get a link to the bulbs I -should- get for the t5 fixture that you guys linked me to? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Grog Posted October 12, 2013 Share Posted October 12, 2013 I've had good dealings with topdogsellers on eBay. That fixture will work great for palys. And you will have some spare change for bulbs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobR Posted October 12, 2013 Share Posted October 12, 2013 There are a lot of online vendors that carry ATI bulbs. Check some of the board sponsors, premium aquatics carries ATI bulbs, and so does get pumped. With a 4 bulb depending on how blue you want it to look, there are a few bulb combos you could run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makena95GT Posted October 17, 2013 Author Share Posted October 17, 2013 Cool beans guys. Looks like this fixture will have to wait till around Nov. 15th. The struggle is getting real over here and we might adopt a big dog. And to be honest, I love that big hunk of pitbull at the shelter a little bit more than having new fancy coral lol He's a beefcake and I want to rescue him so badly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsea Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 You have been given good advice about lighting from successful reef keepers. Depending on your long range goals for this tank, I will say that a 2 lamp fixture will produce good PAR for many things. On a four tank 20 gallon skid that I recently set up, two tanks have double T5 lamps with 50 PAR on bottom. While I would not suggest this for clams, it is good for my application. I have found that less intense is better than more intense. In the case of decorative red macros, the colors shift from orange/yellow/red to a dark burgundy which I find attractive. For your palys you may want more light, but it is not necessary to produce good results. Patrick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neon Reefer Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 Not real sure about your dimensions on a 20 G deep but i would suspect around 20 x 10 x 24 ". Surprised none has mentioned PAR LED lighting. I would suggest OC Reef $75 -85 or Reef Pro $85 - 100 (better quality and color spectrum) I can get you their info if wanted. PM me if needed.. Unless you are wanting to grow some very demanding SPS or clams, IME a 36 watt 90 degree angle multicolor PAR 38 would be excellent for a 20 gal deep. All the benefits of LED in a simple small package and = to ~ 75 - 90 watt MH. Great penetration and enough spread to cover your smaller width and length. Just put iunto any standard socket. Can be set up with a simple clamp,on fixture and many are dimmable, if not just use a dimmable table lamp switch from home depot about $15. 150 watt MH is going to have too much spread on that tank and would be overkill for Zoas and LPS corals which I beleive you are intetrested in. They have a commercial type appearance and produce huge amouints of heat and like CF or T5s need to be changed often at more expense over a short period of time than the fixture itself. And T5s will not have the penetration of 90 degree optics on LED. I think yout tank will need the penetration of LED to get a better PUR at 24". . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsea Posted October 17, 2013 Share Posted October 17, 2013 A standard 20G tall is 16" deep and 24" long. While I hear 8 month replacement of T5 lamps, remember that the recommendation comes from the manufacture who is selling you their product. I let my PAR meter tell me when to change and I often use bulbs for 18 months. If you want a sleek appearance, then the PAR Led that Neon Reefer mentioned is good. I like BML lamps, however they are more pricy then some others. Patrick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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