Is this light actually worth it?

[blinxxpunk182]

so i found this light on ebay new and in the box. it doesnt have a brand name but is this worth buying and can i keep most corals under it?


http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u190/blinxxpunk182/1.jpg



48'' long X 9'' wide and 2.5'' tall

T5 HO Aquarium Light w/ Moonlights

6 X 54 Watt T5 HO

3-10k (sunlight bulbs) INCLUDED

3- actinic bulbs included –( Blue bulbs) INCLUDED
8- 1 watt Blue LED's included (moonlights!)


(We also have 6500k bulbs - let us know if you are interested and we can set up a special auction for you)

MADE IN USA

5 YEAR WARRANTY

Ballast is highly efficient Electronic ballast w/ 5 year warranty

LIGHT IS PLUG AND PLAY READY TO GO UPON ARRIVAL

2'' tall legs are included as well to give a better distance between light and water. Light can just rest on top of tank if that is where you prefer it to lay.

Light is very well ventilated and it is T5- the coolest running high output light in the industry.

Reflectors are the best in the industry- German Polished Independent Reflectors- This will triple the intensity of the light.

There are 3 Chords and 3 switches with this light

1- chord turns on 3 T5's
1- chord turns on other 3 T5's
1- chord turns on the Moonlights

There chords can be used with timers so the lights can come on in a pattern that you prefer and that is most beneficial to your aquarium.

Light is glossy black in color

[blinxxpunk182]

oh and it only cost $250.00 and $35.00 s&h

[Ace25]

Ya, I have seen those as well, and they are very tempting for the price, thats for sure. My one word of caution about those is the ballast WILL burn out in the first 2 years, probably one. At that point it is always a headache to get it replaced, takes weeks, in the mean time your losing your corals because of it. But if you could save up for an icecap ballast to replace it as soon as you can afford it hopefully you will beat the ticking timebomb and have the ballast upgraded before the original ballast dies.

[blinxxpunk182]

2 questions lol..... how much and how many watts and also. can i keep most or all corals under this?

[blinxxpunk182]

it will be on a 55. sure you know that but just makng sure lol

[Ace25]

I would definately change out one of the blues for a 10k so you have 4 10ks and 2 blue. With that you can keep almost anything with that light on a 55G tank.

If you have 4 daylight bulbs you will have almost 11 PAR per gallon, which to me is good for just about anything. With the way it is you will get around 8. I try to get above 10 to feel safe for most coral lighting needs.

[blinxxpunk182]

great. thanks

[blinxxpunk182]

oh i didnt realize that you didnt answer..... about the ballast. lol.

[Ace25]

I would get 2 IceCap 660 Ballast for that fixture down the road. They are around $160ea new online, on ebay or other places like that you can usually find a used one for under $100.

[Danyal]

the ballast isn't 100% going to burn out, some people have these for years without problems and others have them for just a couple weeks before having issues. for the price i'd say go for it.

[kcress]

The main reason these type things burn out is over heating. Check the ballast temp and if it is really hot do something about it. That will maximize whatever life you'll get.

[blinxxpunk182]

cool. all great answers. thanks guyss :)

[Danyal]

oh, if that's all that messing up the ballasts then wire in a few fans, should be pretty easy to do and if you've got one cooling the bulbs themselves then iirc, you can get a 15% increase in output(i believe it was grimreefer on RC that tested this out and got great results)