Whats your personal preference(lighting)???

[titansfever83]

I tried posting this on MFK and got very little feedback. Sooooo...

Please list your lighting Pros and Cons. What are brands you like, dislike, etc for a heavy planted tank?

[Squawkbert]

For 3' tanks, I really like 96W PCs - 8800K bulbs w/ AH-Supply kits.

[inkyjenn]

i actually really love my shop light i got at home depot. its 48" long. holds two 40 watt bulbs. i got one for my 55 planted tank. i know its technically less than 2 watts per gallon, but my plants are thriving. the fixture itself is made of that diamond plate stuff. aluminum so no rusting. the bulbs i bought are 6500K. granted i keep low light plants (wisteria, hornwort, crypts, anubias and the like), but my plants are growing like crazy.

http://www.acehardwareoutlet.com/(rwewm2i05ql2syulduq1whap)/productDetails.aspx?SKU=3230760 (http://www.acehardwareoutlet.com/%28rwewm2i05ql2syulduq1whap%29/productDetails.aspx?SKU=3230760)

[jmhart]

Squawk, where do you get your 96w 8800k bulbs?


Also, I've been very happy with power compacts. However, when I have a larger tank(~120g) I'm thinking about going with a mixture of t-5 and metal halide.

[Squawkbert]

Champion had them on clearance - whatever they were, they have great color - but they also have a nasty habit of breaking for no obvious reason.
I'm still ahead, having bought 4 for what I'd usually pay for one...

At any rate, I wouldn't recommend them, nor do I think much of AH-Supply's bulbs (my 1st one from them broke after 3 months).

So, I have no rock solid bulb brand to recommend though I hear good things about Geisemann - but I think they only do T5 (an Excellent alternative to PC, if your tank is the right size).

[Mgamer20o0]

i have a lot of cf... big fan of ahsupply.... but.... i really want to start getting some t5 ho.... not sure why ahsupply doesnt start to do t5 ho but i want some.... been holding off.... i hear a lot of good things about the hagens t5....

[steppen]

I have 2 96W 10,000K on my 36" 65 gal tank.

[Cory Keeper]

Don't have one as of yet. Though that may soon change when I get my LED system going.

[Riiz]

I used to use Coralife CF fixtures exclusively cause of the price I could get them at, combined with 55watt GE 9325k bulbs and regular 65watt 6700k bulbs.

But my new toy is a 6x54watt t5HO Current Xtreme Pro, I dont run all 6 bulbs, but all bulbs have individual reflectors, and allows a me to get a wide spread from the first bulb to the last, for optimum coverage.

But shoplights and cfl retrofits I still use when making something cheap or has undemanding plants or for friends and family that want a cheap setup as well.

[titansfever83]

I used to use Coralife CF fixtures exclusively cause of the price I could get them at, combined with 55watt GE 9325k bulbs and regular 65watt 6700k bulbs.

But my new toy is a 6x54watt t5HO Current Xtreme Pro, I dont run all 6 bulbs, but all bulbs have individual reflectors, and allows a me to get a wide spread from the first bulb to the last, for optimum coverage.

But shoplights and cfl retrofits I still use when making something cheap or has undemanding plants or for friends and family that want a cheap setup as well.


Thanks Riiz! how long have you had the Current Xtreme?? I have heard good and bad reviews. Many say the fans are very loud and have to be replaced in a year because they burned up. But the price of Currents are decent compared to other t5HO.

[Riiz]

The fan noise isnt really a bother, but I've only had them around a month. Replacing the fans shouldnt be that hard, but if they do fail, I dont mind replacing them with something quieter.

[DAVIDFBT]

CFs and Shoplights. I only have 1 actual light fixture designed for aquariums, and that is in my low light shrimp only tank.