View Full Version : find cheap lights
ryry123
03-16-2008, 8:21 PM
i have a 180 gallon acrylic aquarium that i am working on, (setting up) 6'x2'x2' and i need lighting for it. does anyone know any really cheap lights that you can buy. and i need them to be bright enough right now i have two 18 inch lights on it and it is sad and dark. anyone have any suggestions.:help:
How about 3 or 4 4' shoplights with T8 or T12 daylight bulbs...staggered to cover the 6' length? ~$7 each per shoplite at home depot and about $3-4 each per bulb, maybe less. That would give you enough for lo-light plants. I believe they also carry a diamond-plate aluminum shoplight ($20-30) that's a bit more water resistant, if you have an open-top tank.
Not going to get much cheaper than that unless you have a metal halide fixture lying around por nada...and that's not the right shape anyway.
ryry123
03-16-2008, 8:35 PM
wow thankyou, cheaper then i thought
Fishfiles1
03-16-2008, 8:37 PM
your better off spending 100 bucks for the dubble high output T-5, 5' set up with one white bulb and one pink buld, thats good enuf for high lighting plants, or you can spend 50 for none high out put witch is good for meduim plants
legendaryfrog
03-16-2008, 9:57 PM
your better off spending 100 bucks for the dubble high output T-5, 5' set up with one white bulb and one pink buld, thats good enuf for high lighting plants, or you can spend 50 for none high out put witch is good for meduim plants
He didnt say he was going to have plants, so thats really unnecesary to deal with HO bulbs and whatnot.
As previously mentioned, your best bet is the shop lights from home depot. I saw a double bulb 4 foot fixture for 15 dollars today.
Mgamer20o0
03-16-2008, 11:37 PM
shop lights will do fine even if you want plants.
Fishfiles1
03-17-2008, 4:42 PM
ya low light plants
Mgamer20o0
03-17-2008, 4:44 PM
just depends on how it gets set up. many people dont want plants. i had some med to high light plants under shop lights and they did fine.
Plecosterone
03-17-2008, 4:52 PM
Shop lights are all I use and have no problems growing almost anything. Overdrive them for even more light. I only use 2 - 32 watt overdriven bulbs on my 90 gallon. I put 4 on it when I build the hood but it was WAY too bright.