Some questions on lighting my 75 gal

[eros]

I just aquired a used complete 75 gallon setup. The existing lighting setup is dual 96 watt PC's along with 2 36 inch 30 watt T8's. I believe each fixture has one 10K bulb and one actinic bulb. I was wondering if this light setup will be good or if I should look into upgrading to a 4 bulb T5 setup. They tank will be setup fish only with some polyps and a frogspawn, may add a few lower light corals later. What do you guys think? Keep the exisitng or upgrade. If so what do you suggest. Budget is a large factor and heat is too (hot central California weather). BTW, I think all the bulbs need to be replaced anyway, I was told they were quite old so now would be the best time to upgrade. Thanks
Steve

[Fish_wiz2]

Really if your keeping fish only with some corals that are low lighters then save your money for something else but if you can do 4 t-5's because i remember somewhere here on RC that the better the light the better fish coloration

[eros]

Thanks for the advice. I know I have slightly more wattage with my current bulb combo (2 96 watters plus 2 30 watters vs. 4 54 watters) but I also know that the T5's are higher efficiency, but I'm not sure how much. I know reflectors come into play also, the dual PC's have one reflector for them but the T8's just have foil lining the top of the canopy above thier mounting brackets, one on each side of the PC reflector. Probably not very efficient. So the lighting setup front to back is T8-/PC-PC\-T8. Whats the lowest price T5 fixture I should consider? I just have a hard time buying all new bulbs for an inferior lighting setup if I can upgrade to T5's without spending too much more.

[Fish_wiz2]

A good fixture for the price would be a current usa sundial:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...6&pcatid=18486

It has a decent reflector, moonlights, fans, and timers plus legs to keep it off the water surface cooling the tank.

[mrbncal]

Originally posted by eros
Thanks for the advice. I know I have slightly more wattage with my current bulb combo (2 96 watters plus 2 30 watters vs. 4 54 watters) but I also know that the T5's are higher efficiency, ....... I just have a hard time buying all new bulbs for an inferior lighting setup if I can upgrade to T5's without spending too much more.

By the time you replace the light bulbs you could have a nice chunk of the t-5 fixture(or retro ) paid for. I vote t-5. When I replace my 150's I will go with t-5. There is a thread on here that answers all the questions about fixtures and bulb combinations that would be a great read for you....I'll try to find it. You could go to the lighting forum and see it I bet. Its pretty active. DONT waste your money on compacts. Get the t-5 and reflectors.

[eros]

What about these retro kits, since I will be mounting the the top of my canopy.

[mrbncal]

link didnt work for me

try

http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_Aquari..._subindex.html

http://www.hellolights.com/index.asp...S&Category=705

[eros]

I was trying to reference the link to the Sunlight Supply retro kits with Tek reflectors. Here's the link again.

http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_Aquari...it_system.html

The Hello lights seem to be a better deal. Are they any good? I dont think the Sunlight Supply kits come with bulbs so it seems the Hello's would be a bit cheaper since the bulbs are only an extra $10 each with the balast. I may buy one 2 bulb kit now and another later as long as the quality is good.

[kau_cinta_ku]

IMO I would stick to either the tek or the icecap retro's reefgeek is another good place to look for them.

I used to run the icecap 4x54 watt over my 75 gal. and was able to keep anything I wanted. but I was also overdriving the bulbs with the icecap ballast.

[mrbncal]

One nice thing about going with the ice cap retro (660 or 430) is you can expand it to fit your needs later if you upgrade your tank. All you would need is upgrade your reflectors, since the ballasts will power a variety of bulb combos and sizes.

[eros]

Will a 660 power 4x54 watt 48 inch bulbs? Will the 430? What is the difference between the 2?

[Tswifty]

The 430 will only power 2 - 48" 54 watt bulbs

The 660 is needed for 4

[Magga Pie]

I have 4-65 watt pc bulbs on my tank. I have lots of zoas, a huge frogspawn, a nice metalic hammer, and 5 ricordia.

[fishnut__2]

i had ho lights, they sucked

went to 65watt pc they got hot, alright

now have current 4 x 54 watt t5 ho, better no individual reflectors, cheap legs paid 200 new with lights. i have since upgraded bulbs, much better. also runs cooler..

i keep zoos, frogspawn,anem,some low level sps,mushrooms.

just keep corals toward top.

thiking about upgrading to this
http://www.catalinaaquarium.com/index.php

met a guy with the solar and loves it........

[eros]

Originally posted by fishnut__2
i had ho lights, they sucked

went to 65watt pc they got hot, alright

now have current 4 x 54 watt t5 ho, better no individual reflectors, cheap legs paid 200 new with lights. i have since upgraded bulbs, much better. also runs cooler..

i keep zoos, frogspawn,anem,some low level sps,mushrooms.

just keep corals toward top.

thiking about upgrading to this
http://www.catalinaaquarium.com/index.php

met a guy with the solar and loves it........

Wow those lights look really cheap. This one would be perfect for what I'm looking for, but the price seems too good to be true. Anyone have any firsthand experience with these fixtures? I tried to fire up the bulbs that I got with the system and they look horrible. I'm not even going to use them. I might be the guinea pig and pick this one up. For the price I dont think I can go wrong.

When you said you had HO lights and they sucked what kind of HO bulbs are you refering to? Are the T5's at Catalina HO? Are all 54 watt T5's HO? This whole lighting thing has really got me confused, especailly with the whole NO, HO, VHO thing. I just want to buy adequate lighting without spending a ton of money. I would like to find something under 200 bux. Where did you get your current light? Do you think the Catalina lights are better?(I'm guessing they are since you mentioned they would be an upgrade). My only hesitation is that they are so damn cheap I can't imagine them being that good.

[kau_cinta_ku]

from what I have read, ppl think the fixture is fairly good for the price but the bulbs will have to be changed right away.

and yes all 54 watt bulbs are 4' T5HO's

[eros]

Thanks for the info Sam. I think I'm going to buy the one I linked in my last reply and get some new bulbs for it, any recommendations for brands and color combo? Thanks for the help. This site is a great tool for a beginner like myself.

[fishnut__2]

i meant i started with NO, normal output,

it typed HO, (no not my girlfriend), high output

[mrbncal]

Originally posted by eros
Thanks for the info Sam. I think I'm going to buy the one I linked in my last reply and get some new bulbs for it, any recommendations for brands and color combo? Thanks for the help. This site is a great tool for a beginner like myself.

Your not saving yourself any money on this setup. I'll say that you wont be happy with it when its all said and done. It's a hard lesson to learn but one thats preached on here often. You read posts on here all the time from people who figure it out the hard way. You get what you pay for.
I'm just gonna throw this out there. The price on the catalina is 200 and then you have to buy better bulbs, which will easily run you $100 bucks with shipping. The cost of the reefgeek retro is 299 ( with good bulbs ). Both have shipping, both are HO, but only one is a retro (which is what you said you wanted in an earlier post. Just my humble opinion.
check this link:

http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5_...ulbs_by_IceCap

[Batfly]

whats the difference in brand from tek and slr?

[kau_cinta_ku]

Originally posted by Batfly
whats the difference in brand from tek and slr?

reflectors is the biggest one. last I remember SLR reflectors were the best for output and Tek came in 2nd.

and again if you have to replace the bulbs right away your just wasting 100.00 to replace the bulbs.

[eros]

Thanks guys. I took your advice and ordered the retro from reefgeek. Can you guys give me some help on deciding which bulbs to pick? I know pretty much nothing about lighting and spectrums and soforth so your advice is crucial to me. I am currently running 2 50/50's in my pc light for my 30 gal and I think it looks ok but I don't have experience with anything else. It says I can choose any 4 of the bulbs they have in stock. I'm not even sure what brands are the best either. Please help me out. Thanks
Steve

[mrbncal]

I would try 1 ATI Aquablue, 1 ATI Blue Plus, 1 UVL Aquasun and 1 UVL Super Actinic and see what you get. Will be a little on the bluer side but the colors will "pop"