Michelle Posted January 30, 2007 Share Posted January 30, 2007 Hello everyone. I'm new to the hobby and am looking for a good lighting sytem to go with my 46g bowfront. I would like to have the 'shimmer' effect. Any suggestions and does anyone have any for sale or know of anyone who does? Thanks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R-3 Posted January 30, 2007 Share Posted January 30, 2007 WELCOME!!! What corals are you wanting to keep? That is the first question. There are several lighting options though. You can for NO (normal flourescent), PC (power compact), VHO (very high output), T5 (a thinner version of vhos, kinda), or MH (metal halides). Its a 3' tank right? Do you have a canopy? Later Ryan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piero Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 yes welcome! Everyone has their preferences, but I do like T5's if you choose fluorescents because they use very littel space, and I prefer double-ended HQI if you go Metal-Halide and want the 'shimmer' of a point-source lighting solution. Many people prefer the mogul MH bulbs (screw-in) for various reasons, including the number of various bulbs available for that type. But I prefer DE HQI for the small form factor. Now they have 400w DE's too and I believe those reflectors that are very popular recently(cant remember name) are now being made for DE HQI. RC Equipment Forum link Lighint archives link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holly Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 The "shimmer" effect is a MH thing, isn't it ? I've never seen a great shimmer from fluorescents only...but I'm new at this too so maybe someone can correct me on this If your tank is 13"D and 36"W, you could buy the same T5 set-up I just got and am VERY happy with. I was looking for a fixture I could just sit on top of the tank without having to prop on legs and didn't put out much heat. This one comes with a built-in fan. For $30 extra they'll put in 8 LED moonlights. (They put them on one far side, though, NOT the middle, just to let you know. Still, it's a good amt of moonlight and I like mine. It'll be even better on a bowfront.) It's about $300 (w/o moons) but that includes the eight T5 39W bulbs of your choice. Literally, you unbox the unit and put it on the tank - NO DIY required except plugging in a few of the bulbs. It just looks like a neat black hood with the fan, bulbs, everything. Works great. I'm very happy with mine. http://cgi.ebay.com/T5-T-5-HO-Aquarium-light-36-inch-8-X-39-watt-new-Hood_W0QQitemZ250082580663QQcmdZViewItem ^This one isn't the seller I actually got it from, but it's the same fixture. You could check EBAY a bit more and see if you can find it cheaper; I just did a quick look. My tank is 20" deep, so the T5s are fine for that. It doesn't quite have the exceptional shimmer you talk about but the lighting is good, and I'm glad I got it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldbrownies Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 Hey, have you read "Natural Reef Aquariums" by John Tullock? He goes through a pretty thurough but easy to follow explanation of what to look for in lighting and what you need by means of out put for general "brightnesses". Its worth the read. Check out the local reef stores, and surf through pics on reef sites and online stores like liveaquaria.com, scientificcoral.com and reefermadness.us, find a short list of corals you like and want to keep and research them and thier needs. I would suggest though, since its your first reef, get a hood that is large enough to house halides, but start out with VHO's, you should be able to keep mushrooms, xenia, zoanthids and few other low light tolerant corals. I know you want shimmer lines (we all do!) but you can start a basic tank, save up the money for the really nice Metal halide lights, get used to the care of it and get get a feel for the parameters and what effects them. Then after everything becomes stable and you see growth and reproduction of the corals, spring for the halides, and you can just use the VHO's that you had in the hood for your actinic lighting, and if you got a hood big enough for the halides, you can just retrofit them in. Check out the local corals and those sites though, find the species you really want, the ones that make you want to tank so bad it hurts, and look into their requirements. And try to start off with something that can be modified with the needs of your tank, remember our reefs are VERY dynamic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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