Should I, or shouldn't I?

[Morticus]

I've gotten to know a guy from a lfs for the last year or so, and he has given great advice. I went to a reptile show to sell a male albino burmese python (If I sold him I'd get about $200), and he offered me a trade, and this is what it is:

A MH/Flourescent/Actnic light combo, 175 watts of MH and he isn't sure about the flourescent, but says they are comparable to PC. He said that it retails for $1500 and the reason he would trade it is because he has it on an acrylic tank thats top is so scratched that it doesn't do much good. He said that I'd need to mount it pretty high above the water or I'd have sunburned corals. They have the same fixture on a coral tank at the store that I am going to look at in the next couple days.... anything to look for?

Thanks.

 

[fishfreek]

A MH/Flourescent/Actnic light combo, 175 watts of MH and he isn't sure about the flourescent, but says they are comparable to PC. He said that it retails for $1500

HAHA. Now thats funny. Given your description I can tell you its not going to be worth $1500. When you go to the store get the specifics on the number of MH bulbs, the wattage of the bulbs, the type of connector on the MH bulbs as well as the brand of ballasts, and type of ballast (electronic or tar). In addition get more info on the florecents as in what type of bulb, what kind of end caps and the ballast type. If its a comerical model get the make and model number aswell.

 

[klam]

For $1500 you can get a real nice MH setup with all the bells and whistle.

Is it worth it for you to trade the snake for the MH? Would you rather have $200 or MH lighting system? It would be difficult to put together a new MH systems for $200 considering a single bulb might cost between $50-$90. But you will probably have to replace the bulb anyways if you do the trade. Be sure the MH system is in good working condition or you might end up dumping money into fixing it. Power the MH on to make sure it works before you trade it.