90 gal.tank needs light

[junkfood john]

Bought the filter. Now I need light for my tank. Can anyone direct me in the right direction .I have a 90 gal. tank I'm setting up for FW but in the future SW. I would like a light unit with enough watts that would work both for FW and SW. I can change bulbs when I switch to SW if I have to. It also needs to work from a timer. I would like to know how much lighting I need, can I do it with a two bulb unit, What kind of bulbs I need, and where to find the best quality and price. I'm also looking at a led moon light for accent if anyone knows abought these. Thanks John

 

[neilanh]

I'd recommend a 6 bulb T5 fixture. I think that would work for SW, and would definately be adequate for FW with 2 or 4 lights running.

 

[junkfood john]

The T5 6 bulb is a little out of my price range. any other suggestions? Thanks, John

 

[cmor1701d]

I agree with Neilan. You can normal output flourescent for now and buy the T5 later. Many fixtures come with LED moonlights today or you can buy them seperately online. All fixtures can be controlled by a timer. I use outdoor timers from Lowes.

 

[Ziggy953]

Are you a handy person? If you are then you can purchase DIY kits for a fraction of the cost for complete fixtures. Building a canopy isn't that tough and doesn't have to be very fancy. TEK has 48" 2x54w T5 kits for about $100. You could pick one up and then add to it until you have the amount of light you are looking for. If you want to go with MH then I strongly suggest DIY. Ballast, sockets, reflectors and bulbs are much cheaper then buying a fixture.

 

[junkfood john]

Can anyone tell me the diffrence between a T5 and T6 light ficture. Thanks John

 

[roka64]

It's the size of the bulb, I believe.

 

[cmor1701d]

The T# refers to the diameter of the bulb in eighths of an inch. A T5 is 5/8 of an inch where a T6 is 3/4"; a T8 is 1" and a T12 is 1½" in diameter.

 

[junkfood john]

Is one unit better than the other. I see that the T6 unit is cheaper than the T5

 

[roka64]

Do you have a link so we can see what you are comparing?

 

[junkfood john]

HI, I'm not sure how to post a link here. Can you help? But for now, there is a T5 and a T6 on ebay. Both are 216 watts and have 4 bulbs and the T6 has moon lights on it. The item # for the T5 is (200121316209) and for the T6 is (380024137820) Thank you, John

 

[roka64]

You just copy and paste the URL into your response.
T5
Perfecto Marineland 48" T5 High Output Light FREE S&H - eBay (item 200121316209 end time May-14-08 05:40:25 PDT)
T6
48" T6 High Output Aquarium Compact Lighting 216W, > T5 - eBay (item 380024137820 end time May-10-08 03:51:04 PDT)
This may be a case of "you get what you pay for". The T5 is made by Marineland (not sure on the quality) and the T6 I can't find a name brand. You may want to save up and get better quality lighting. If anyone knows about the quality of these two items, feel free to correct me.

 

[cmor1701d]

Neither fixture appears to have individual parabolic reflectors over each bulb. That will greatly reduce the amount of light hitting your tank. Take it from someone who is on their 3rd light fixture. Save until you can afford a quality fixture rather buying something inferior.

 

[neilanh]

Check out www.catalinaaquarium.com Their fixtures are pretty good and have been getting good reviews.