is this a good light fixture for a 75 Gallon reef tank?

[bazeball05]

The ad on craigslist is for a 48" 250 x2 metal halide fixture with suppl. Actnics & moonlights.
http://denver.craigslist.org/for/3405354521.html
They want 200 dollars for it, is that a good deal? Is this enough light for a tank to be handle coral?

 

[bazeball05]

What is better, mh or t5?

 

[bazeball05]

Or is a T5 better way to go? It's cheaper

http://denver.craigslist.org/grd/3400255528.html

 

[h8z2luze]

Well this is the same fixture from what I can tell. Odyssea 48 inch Metal Halide Fixture 2x250W HQI + 4x54W T5 +6xDual LED Some people like odyssea some hate them. I plan on buying one. To my knowledge T5 wont support as many corals as Halide but Halide is more expensive to run. Its a personal preference thing. I run a 175W Halide pendant over my 36" tank and everything looks really good. So I think I will stick with them. But I do want the t5 actinics to get that blue color. I know my buddy has this fixture on his tank and he likes it but says he has to replace bulbs about every 6-8 months. If I were you for a extra $100 I would buy it new.

 

[Rutrag]

Metal halides typically punch deeper into the water column, but do create a lot of heat. Halides will also get you a shimmer effect which I (and I think most people) like. Looking at the picture, it looks as though that fixture has 4 T5s in it, so you're going to get more light out of that I think than a 6 bulb T5 system all other things being equal.

Odyssea offers inexpensive Chinese-made equipment. Quality seems to be hit and miss all over the board. Some questions I would be intersted in knowing before I would buy used are:

How old are the bulbs?

Are they the stock (original) bulbs?

If the bulbs are stock bulbs older than 6 months, you'll probably want to replace them in short order, which will run you about $180 or thereabouts. If they are aftermarket bulbs, see how old they are and what the brand name is. (Geisseman and ATI are good T5 manufacturers, Phoenix seems to be the gold standard in halides. There are some other good ones around as well.) If they are older than 9 months, you need to plan on replacing them soon.

If you're going to have to replace bulbs soon, for just a little more cash, I bet you can buy a pair of LED fixtures which will give you shimmer, and you shouldn't have to replace for 10 years or more. there are several individuals on the forums who have had good things to say about the Taotronics units.

 

[bazeball05]

Okay, I will ask how old the bulbs are... would you recommend I do more of a DIY metal halide? How much wattage (hahaha) would you recommend for a 75 Gallon? Is a mixture of t5 and metal halide the best combination?

 

[h8z2luze]

I too am going back and forth between the odyssea unit and the taotronic led's. I just KNOW the Halides work lol. I have seen tanks lose color going from MH to LED even with the Kessil 350's so LED's still make me nervous...

 

[needmorecowbell]

I too am going back and forth between the odyssea unit and the taotronic led's. I just KNOW the Halides work lol. I have seen tanks lose color going from MH to LED even with the Kessil 350's so LED's still make me nervous...

Yes that is true, but some things also gain color. My zoanthids look different, but in a good way. Same goes for a couple of my lps. You really have to weigh the pros and cons. Look at how much it costs to run mh compared to led.. It's pretty significant especially when you add bulb replacements to the bill.

 

[Rutrag]

Okay, I will ask how old the bulbs are... would you recommend I do more of a DIY metal halide? How much wattage (hahaha) would you recommend for a 75 Gallon? Is a mixture of t5 and metal halide the best combination?

You can't really go by wattage. Back in the day, everyone was using T12 or T8 normal output fluorescents, and we were making an apples to apples comparison. However, watts are a measure of energy used, not brightness. For instance, you can replace a 60 watt incandescent bulb with a 15 watt compact fluorescent bulb and not lose any brightness (although the color may be different -that's what we call temperature.). Brightness is generally measured in lumens, but a better measure is PAR (photosynthetically active radiation). Unfortunately, it's about impossible to get either measurement without having the fixture and an appropriate meter.

The fixture you posted from Craigslist is AOK in terms of brightness for whatever you'd want to keep, provided you get decent bulbs.

 

[h8z2luze]

Yes that is true, but some things also gain color. My zoanthids look different, but in a good way. Same goes for a couple of my lps. You really have to weigh the pros and cons. Look at how much it costs to run mh compared to led.. It's pretty significant especially when you add bulb replacements to the bill.

Are you running the taotronics?

 

[needmorecowbell]

Are you running the taotronics?

The dimmable versions, they are 120 watts.

 

[h8z2luze]

The dimmable versions, they are 120 watts.

I cant find them anywhere! I found the non dimmable ones.....

 

[bazeball05]

How much do the taotronics led cost?? Is costs of running metal halides that the expensive? What's the best cheapest light set up for reefs

 

[h8z2luze]

How much do the taotronics led cost?? Is costs of running metal halides that the expensive? What's the best cheapest light set up for reefs

My friend went to LED from MH and he said it saved him $25 a month on his energy bill.

OOO found the dimmable one!

http://www.amazon.com/TaoTronics-TT-AL09-Dimmable-Aquarium-Output/dp/B0092LXQRM


also found a review..

http://www.3reef.com/forums/led-aqu...aotronics-light-review-good-bad-134342-2.html

 

[Rutrag]

$120 each for non-dimmable, $180 each for dimmable. You'd want two for a 75.

"Best" and "cheapest" seldom go together in this hobby.

As far as entry level cost, halides are probably the cheapest if you DIY. They do cost the most to run in terms of electricity. The bulb cost is probably the lowest. (Expect around $50 per bulb.)

T5HO are next. You can DIY these as well. As far as an "out of the box plug & play" solution, these are probably cheapest. They are middle of the road in terms of energy usage, but more expensive in terms of bulb cost. (Expect $20 per bulb. Normally 4 or more bulbs per fixture.)

LEDs are the new kids on the block with the highest up front cost, but they are getting progressively cheaper. There are some companies that sell DIY kits as well. There is no bulb replacement cost (or at least there shouldn't be) as the fixtures should last 10 years or more. They are definitely the most energy efficient. Some fixtures you can replace individual LEDs if they go out, some you can't. I'm not an electronics soldiering wiz, but I believe that is kind of what you're looking at as far as repair.

Remembering that watts are a measure of energy used, the fixture you found on Craigslist is going to use 516 watts (300 on halides, 216 on T5s). You could probably use an all halide system using two 250 watt bulbs for 500 watts. I use a six bulb T5HO system on my 75 using 324 watts. Two of the Taotronics will use 240 watts.