Whats the deal with light bulbs

[babablackman]

so yeah lighting, what is the deal with that. ho-t5, halide, led, sho cfls. which of these would be best suited for a 210gl planted freshwater tank

( would like so info on the sho cfls please),

 

[TabisFish]

I'd go with a 4bulb t5ho on a big ol' 210. They're fairly tall

 

[jm1212]

personally, I am a fan of CFL's, since you can get quite a bit of light in a small space without much waste from heat. halide lamps are probably best for corals, since they have a very intense light that may burn plants, and they also give off alot of their energy as heat.

 

[Khemul]

Standard 210, 30" tall?

The main thing is light penetration. Halides are pretty good at that, but can easily be too powerful. LED are arguably extremely good at that, but require a bit more then the standard DIY project (you can get them already built, but they get rather expensive). T5HO setups on a tank under 24" give you a quick jump into the high/very high lighting range. With a taller tank you'd probably be more in the medium with a dual bulb setup. A 4 bulb would probably push things over the edge (not necessarily a bad thing if you know how to balance things out). CFL's are nice for smaller tanks but it is often cheaper to buy a T5HO fixture (both in initial cost and bulb cost) for larger tanks.

 

[tanker]

Standard 210, 30" tall?
.

30" tall?? How do you reach the bottom?? My arms are no that long.

But if the tank is 30", then I would recommend MH. 150W bulbs are not too hot, and would reach the bottom, but you would need 3 bulbs. Each bulb has about a 24" coverage area, so 3 bubls would cover about 72" (wide)

 

[babablackman]

lets just say my shirts get wet, its almost like snorkling

 

[babablackman]

the cfls i was looking seem cheaper in regards to the fact that each bulb is like 10inchs long and cost 35$ plus the 5$ for the lighing fixture, and i was thinking of getting four of em, i see them being used by hydroponic farms.

 

[tanker]

Unforunately with such a tall tank, not much light will reach the bottom from 10" bulbs.

PS--Does it have to be planted. You can have lots of drift wood and make it an Amazon style==Angels, Uarus, Festivums, Hatchets, Cardinals, Black Phantoms, ect.