Help me find a cheap light.

Taysius · Dec 14, 2010

So I've been in the slow process of setting up my new 75g. I'm looking for lighting and there are tons to choose from that also have very big price tags. I'm looking forward to maybe getting a Petsmart gift card for Christmas so was hoping to put it toward a light. The only light I found that might work is this:

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2754545

Would it be plenty of light to grow low tech/low light plants such as crypts, vals, and swords?

I am also open to other suggestions for cheap lighting. As of right now I will only be able to light one end of the tank with a couple of lights from small tanks.

Thanks!

rockhoe14er · Dec 14, 2010

It would work. I would try to look on craigslist for a cheaper light or some of the classified ads here. I've seen lights show up from time to time.

Also you can hang shop lights above your tank from home depot for 1/10 of the price.

Taysius · Dec 14, 2010

rockhoe14er said:
It would work. I would try to look on craigslist for a cheaper light or some of the classified ads here. I've seen lights show up from time to time.

Also you can hang shop lights above your tank from home depot for 1/10 of the price.

My husband already said no to hanging shop lights. It was one of the first things I brought up to him concerning lights.

Craigslist here also has near to nothing for cheap aquarium wise. Other day there was a guy trying to sell a 29g for $400. I keep my eye out but no luck so far.

Thanks for the suggestions.

rockhoe14er · Dec 14, 2010

Taysius said:
My husband already said no to hanging shop lights. It was one of the first things I brought up to him concerning lights.

Craigslist here also has near to nothing for cheap aquarium wise. Other day there was a guy trying to sell a 29g for $400. I keep my eye out but no luck so far.

Thanks for the suggestions.

That's fair enough hanging lights aren't for everyone. do you have a petco in your area? sometimes they can have cheaper items then petsmart or vice versa.

platytudes · Dec 14, 2010

Wow, $125 for three fluorescent bulbs?

Seems very steep, especially when there are such nice HO T5 fixtures available for cheap:
http://www.aquatraders.com/Odyssea-48in-2x54W-T5-HO-Light-Fixture-Plant-p/52123p.htm

I have this light here, the double 48" fixture:
http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=19759&cmpid=03csegb&ref=3312

I got it at Petsmart on clearance. It came without bulbs, so I had to buy bulbs from Big Al's - all together it ended up costing me about $125. I wish I could just get that back out of it, because I have the light in my closet put away after about a month of use.

Unfortunately, shipping adds greatly to the cost, and I'm not sure light bulbs are all that reliable to ship...considering I've received broken bulbs in incredibly well packed boxes from manufacturers before!

Taysius · Dec 14, 2010

rockhoe14er said:
That's fair enough hanging lights aren't for everyone. do you have a petco in your area? sometimes they can have cheaper items then petsmart or vice versa.

Yep, I have access to both places. Just depends on where I get a gift card to in the coming weeks. That is unless I can sweet talk my husband into getting a light sooner. I've just been looking online a bit since all pet stores are in the next town about 45 minutes away.

Taysius · Dec 14, 2010

platytudes said:
Wow, $125 for three fluorescent bulbs? Seems very steep, especially when there are such nice HO T5 fixtures available for cheap:
http://www.aquatraders.com/Odyssea-48in-2x54W-T5-HO-Light-Fixture-Plant-p/52123p.htm

I have this light here, the double 48" fixture:
http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=19759&cmpid=03csegb&ref=3312

I got it at Petsmart on clearance. It came without bulbs, so I had to buy bulbs from Big Al's - all together it ended up costing me about $125. I wish I could just get that back out of it, because I have the light in my closet put away after about a month of use.

Unfortunately, shipping adds greatly to the cost, and I'm not sure light bulbs are all that reliable to ship...considering I've received broken bulbs in incredibly well packed boxes from manufacturers before!

Wow, that first one is a great price. Something I may be able to talk him into. I'm not very fluent in the HO vs NO lights but I am guessing it would give plenty of light for me with no big algae issues?

platytudes · Dec 14, 2010

Yep, the new T5s are much brighter and more energy efficient than the old T8/T5 normal output fluorescents. You can still have algae issues with them, as you can with any lights, but it's not an excessive amount of light by any means for a 75 gallon...in fact, I think it would still be considered fairly low light to have 108 watts over 75 gallons.

What dimensions are your 75, btw? I've seen some "extra tall" ones which have the same profile as a 55, only taller. I prefer the 18" deep ones myself.

Oh, and what sort of hood have you got? Or will it be an open top tank? I did not like the mounting fixtures that came with my Hagen GLO light *at all*, seemed like they would have worked on a rimless tank but not an ordinary frame tank...had to end up using Versa top glass hoods, which I am not a huge fan of either.

All of these things, plus the fact that my goldfish nibbled/destroyed every plant, including Java fern, moss, Crinum, Vals, Anacharis, hornwort (...ugh...you name it) made me just put the light away and switch to my old 18 watt fluorescent hoods and no live plants.

rockhoe14er · Dec 14, 2010

Taysius said:
Wow, that first one is a great price. Something I may be able to talk him into. I'm not very fluent in the HO vs NO lights but I am guessing it would give plenty of light for me with no big algae issues?

If only that were true...... The HO means High output. These lights can really pack a punch. They give you tons of light. NO means normal output. T5's are great but produce a ton of light. When you go into having a high light tank algae can become a real problem.

in the sake of simplicity stick with a low light tank because their much easier to maintain and algae isn't as big of a problem. If you want more plant growth then try pressurized co2/diy co2. If you still want faster growth then start dosing fertilizers, if you still want faster growth then increase your lights. If you have high lights with no important plant nutrients then algae will cover your tank very quickly and can be very very very frustrating.

I would go with a single T5 bulb for your tank and that should be fine. You can get the fixture suggested above but only use one bulb. If you start to really like planted tanks and want more/faster growth then i'd suggest you get co2 and fertilizers before you get any more light.

Taysius · Dec 14, 2010

It's a standard 48/18/20 tank. By algae issues, I was just hoping I wouldn't be asking for trouble with that light. Everything sounds pretty good though.

Reading Sean's reply makes me a little nervous about the amount of light but if I can simply take out a bulb then that would still work for me.

I do love my planted tanks already but so far my largest is 29g. I just have 4 13w CFLs on it and throw in root tabs and a little Flourish comp/excel from time to time. Never tried CO2 but I know that I'd get pretty slack on changing out the DiY. Kind of why I never attempted it. Maybe someday I'll be able to spring for pressurized but that's a thread for another time.


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