Flaxon-Waxon
Aquarium Advice Addict
I saw a couple links posted for some cheap (ish) lights but can't find the threads. Any help here? Looking for a new 48" T5 HO for my 75 gallon. Thanks!
Inexpensive lighting??
- Thread starter Flaxon-Waxon
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CorallineAlgae
Aquarium Advice Addict
FishNeedIt has cheap but nice T5 fixtures. Hard to beat. AquaNova is another brand worth looking at.
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Flaxon-Waxon
Aquarium Advice Addict
Any of those have the actinics and daylights on different power lines? I want to be able to phase with timers... I'll have to check it out thanks! Anyone else know of any places to check out??
try
Aquarium Supplies, Reef Aquarium Supplies, Aquarium Products, Saltwater Aquarium, Fish Tank Supplies, Freshwater Aquarium, Marine Aquarium
they have some nice inexpensive lighting
Aquarium Supplies, Reef Aquarium Supplies, Aquarium Products, Saltwater Aquarium, Fish Tank Supplies, Freshwater Aquarium, Marine Aquarium
they have some nice inexpensive lighting
I have a 36" version of the lights ordered from 24"/30"/36"/48" INCH HO QUAD/6PC T5 AQUARIUM SALT FRESH WATER LIGHTS FIXTURE | eBay , I don't have them yet, they will show up tomorrow. Be nice to see any experts opinion on it, the price seems so much lower than similar lights and seem to have all the good features so there may be something I'm missing.
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Flaxon-Waxon
Aquarium Advice Addict
Thanks algae and seaweed lol
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Flaxon-Waxon
Aquarium Advice Addict
Any reason you need T5HO? I use a $8 fixture over my 75g. Dual 40w (I think) T8 bulbs. Picked it up from Lowes or Homedepot.
Edit: Here's what I got, I think they went up a bit in price but they are 40w T12's.
Shop Utilitech 48" Utility Fluorescent Lighting at Lowes.com
Don't let the reviews fool you either, they all complain about ballasts failing after years, which they all do. Costs you $2 for a new ballast. I have about 5 of these in my house, 3 in garage, 1 over tank and 1 over laundry area. Only 1 out of 5 were a bit noisy so I put that one in the garage.
The nice thing is they come with hooks and chain so you can hang them.
Edit: Here's what I got, I think they went up a bit in price but they are 40w T12's.
Shop Utilitech 48" Utility Fluorescent Lighting at Lowes.com
Don't let the reviews fool you either, they all complain about ballasts failing after years, which they all do. Costs you $2 for a new ballast. I have about 5 of these in my house, 3 in garage, 1 over tank and 1 over laundry area. Only 1 out of 5 were a bit noisy so I put that one in the garage.
The nice thing is they come with hooks and chain so you can hang them.
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Flaxon-Waxon
Aquarium Advice Addict
Yes because it's a salt water tank and I intend to do corals..
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Flaxon-Waxon
Aquarium Advice Addict
Lol thank you sir
CorallineAlgae
Aquarium Advice Addict
If you want a very cheap fixture you could look at an Odyssea T5. My brother has one over his 75 and it's growing corals very well. Cannot beat the price. I have one over my freshwater planted tank but I'm about to switch to LEDs. Google Odyssea T5 and you'll go right to it. Can't link on my iPod. They're bottom end but that's normal at their prices.
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Flaxon-Waxon
Aquarium Advice Addict
Nice thanks, I was actually JUST looking at those! Are the days and actinics on different power lines do you know??
CorallineAlgae
Aquarium Advice Addict
Benamayer said:
Nope. One plug for both lights sadly.
Ok I will go against the norm here. I have had several cheap fixtures and they are exactly that cheap. Now they both allowed me to keep corals but had to be compensated with additional lights and many upgrades made (start adding hidden costs onto the great price).
The reflectors on the Odyessa and Catalina aquarium stuff are very poor (at best) and bulbs of course junk. An absolute must is positioning away from oversplash as the reflectors/bulb clips/and end caps will rust out in no time. Raising the fixture helps of course but these set ups are already struggling to get light down where you need it so plan on adding two more "bulbs" to make up for it.
I had to replace ballasts in the Odyessa units not too long after purchase but the Catalina aquariums have been fine (work horse ballasts). Overall the Catalina fixtures have held up the worse and had the worst reflector quality and geometry. I still use an upgraded Catalina unit on my 20 long (6 x 24 to make up for poor reflectors) but after 60 bucks of various upgrades and 130 in bulbs..... Reflectors could be replaced but only 4 of any decent reflector will fit in the space as currently the bulbs are jammed in like canned sardines.
I have a TEK Elite and have absolutely no complaints besides I should have bought one in the first place as the money spent on the "budget" fixtures passed the purchase price of the TEK with bulbs.
If you are DIY type the Hellolights kits are a good bang for the buck. When my mother decided she wanted a salt water tank, at 60, she bought a 20 high and has had no issues with keeping corals at all with the Hellolights stuff.
48 Inch 2 x 54w T5 HO Retrofit Kit
So when looking at costs of ebay fixtures you really need to figure.. Actual cost= fixture cost + new bulbs + odd and end replacement parts + amount of corals that you loose trying to see what you can keep + time spent replacing.......
The reflectors on the Odyessa and Catalina aquarium stuff are very poor (at best) and bulbs of course junk. An absolute must is positioning away from oversplash as the reflectors/bulb clips/and end caps will rust out in no time. Raising the fixture helps of course but these set ups are already struggling to get light down where you need it so plan on adding two more "bulbs" to make up for it.
I had to replace ballasts in the Odyessa units not too long after purchase but the Catalina aquariums have been fine (work horse ballasts). Overall the Catalina fixtures have held up the worse and had the worst reflector quality and geometry. I still use an upgraded Catalina unit on my 20 long (6 x 24 to make up for poor reflectors) but after 60 bucks of various upgrades and 130 in bulbs..... Reflectors could be replaced but only 4 of any decent reflector will fit in the space as currently the bulbs are jammed in like canned sardines.
I have a TEK Elite and have absolutely no complaints besides I should have bought one in the first place as the money spent on the "budget" fixtures passed the purchase price of the TEK with bulbs.
If you are DIY type the Hellolights kits are a good bang for the buck. When my mother decided she wanted a salt water tank, at 60, she bought a 20 high and has had no issues with keeping corals at all with the Hellolights stuff.
48 Inch 2 x 54w T5 HO Retrofit Kit
So when looking at costs of ebay fixtures you really need to figure.. Actual cost= fixture cost + new bulbs + odd and end replacement parts + amount of corals that you loose trying to see what you can keep + time spent replacing.......
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Flaxon-Waxon
Aquarium Advice Addict
Lepomis- thanks for your response. Now when I started looking at new light, I didn't necessarily want the cheapest I could find, but also don't want to spend $1000 on a fixture. The Odyssea does seem to get pretty good reviews (for the price, which seems to be operative phrase- for the price) but the LED's burn out quick, etc. is there a decent fixture I can buy that is a step above the Odyssea that I won't regret? Another option is to somehow rewire my WavePoint so the actinics and days are on separate switches.. Is this a possibility??
CorallineAlgae
Aquarium Advice Addict
You could rewire it with two new separate ballasts. Not really saving money there. Have you googled the other brands mentioned to see if they meet your needs? Check a few of them out and if you're torn between a couple of fixtures that have separate fixtures we can give better input.
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Flaxon-Waxon
Aquarium Advice Addict
Well I saw a 6 bulb on eBay with LCD timers for $299, I just don't know the brand 8-( so I'm kinda stuck and I guess I'm just looking for something decent that has separate power for days/actinics... My WavePoint 4 bulb was only $250, and would be perfect if it was phase-able... I consider that inexpensive and it actually has really good bulbs with it...
300 bucks for a light that you will need to replace to quality bulbs (ATI, UVL, Giesemman, etc..) so now we are at 425 bucks for a no name light. I would almost guarantee those "reflectors" are about as effective as something you could peice together from aluminum cans cut in half.
For that price better options are available. Quality reflectors, bulbs, and solid ballasts make a big difference and a 4 bulb unit with these would very likely be a better fixture. Right now a TEK elite (4 bulb) with your choice of bulbs will run around 400 bucks from Reefgeek (not including the 25 dollar MACMA discount). I know what one I would rather have, without even having to discuss resale value if that occurred.
Now once we get in the 400 to 500 dollar range and thinking bulb replacement next year.............. LED ..........
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Flaxon-Waxon
Aquarium Advice Addict
::sighs::
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