which light?

[pelochas]

i have a 75g sw tank. i have a few weeks or long way to go to get the tank up and running. if i wish for a great looking aquarium with fish and live rock with coral and all the other neat things, what light or lights should i be looking for?

what is the best value "economical" light and what is a high quality "luxury" light?

my tank is 48 long x 18 width x and 22 deep

btw, i wish to have my tank's wood hood on and dont want a light that will not work with the hood on the tank.

thanks,

 

[Nels22]

light won't go through wood so i'm not sure any lights will be very good if the hood is very big, if you want a tank with corals you will need atleast 3-5 watts per gallon for low light corals, i would try to get even higher, i think a mh would be the best for you but i'm not sure about the wooden hood.

 

[pelochas]

i meant a light that will go under the hood or top.

 

[jackdp]

Metal Halide lighting would definitely allow you to keep the widest variety of invertebrates. You would probably want 2x250 watt fixtures at the least and maybe even 400 watt units. You could mount these into your wooden hood but even if you added several fans for cooling I suspect the lamps would creat too much heat for your tank. Better to have MH lighting in pendants suspended over the tank. Unless a chiller is in your budget. Next best thing would be several compact fluorescent retro kits mounted in your hood, they won't create as much heat, but also won't give you the PAR that you'd get from the MH. Look at the different kits available from http://www.hellolights.com.

 

[Salttanker]

You can even check with Daryl at captivereefs.com, which is a sponsor here on this forum.

Mike

 

[pelochas]

i shop at ebay at the time and was looking into the lights for my aquarium. i buy most of my stuff there sometimes.

i see this ebay listing all the time and see that it sells very well. does any one have one and have any experience on this light. would this be a good starter choice. i wish the MH but costs way more. usually this ebay light has a final maximum bid of around $85. is the price well worth it?

http://cgi.ebay.com/48-inch-JEBO-HI...710112982QQcategoryZ46314QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

TIA

 

[Salttanker]

I have heard mixed reviews on the Jebo. Some say they are fine, and others say the support is not up to par. I like the Coralife brand. They are expensive compared to some, but you can't beat the quality.
Make sure the Jebo comes with some type of warranty though.

Mike