# Cheap sources of lighting FYI



## urville (Sep 20, 2004)

I noticed today at lowes and home depot they sell a 175watt mercury vapor security light that can easily be suspended for 23.99 it comes with one bulb and replacements are 10 bucks.
see it here
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=74011-290-NH1204-M&lpage=none

i also spied a fluorescent spotlight that looks identical to the halogen spots, the kind for doing garage work and what not. it was $77 and takes a PC flurescent bulb. the bulb was i think the non linear pin... forget the names and it came out into four smaller lengths of bulb fromt he single connection. i think the wattage was like 75 watt i think.
seems pretty cheap in comparison to the prebuilt aquarum models. i could be wrong. the had another one but it was 177 and had two fixtures it'd be cheaper to buy two of the others and just skip using the stands they come with the total would around 154 i think for 150 watts. much smaller than using shoplights though and had a good reflector.


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## shalu (Oct 1, 2004)

Mercury vapor is the LEAST efficient of the HID family, and suffers from high Lumen depreciation over time:
http://tristate.apogee.net/lite/blthmv.asp


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## marinesci (Aug 31, 2005)

At one point in time Lowe's sold 24" and 48" T12 Sylvania bulbs that were 6,500K for about $3-$4 each; I believe they were called "Super Cool Daylight" bulbs. I used four of the 48" bulbs over my planted 75 for years and always got impressive results (rampant growth and lots of pearling with CO2 addition). Haven't seen them lately, but at that price you can outfit a tank for the price of one specialty aquarium bulb of the same spectral characteristics.


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## urville (Sep 20, 2004)

oh well i think they make ametal halide too for around 39 to 50 depending on wattage. still a good deal over the 250-499 i've seen in catalogs and on the net for a simple pinpoint metal halide.


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## MatPat (Mar 22, 2004)

I just recently purchased some Philips T-8, 6500K, 91 CRI lamps from Home Depot. A 2 pack ran less than $7! Hard to beat those prices.


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## urville (Sep 20, 2004)

oh i know... i got my sylvania gro-lux aquairums from this hardware store we have called sutherlands and man they are $3 a piece..

arent the metal halides low on blue light? dont you have to supplement?

i think next i'm going to try a reef tank. i've been skimming the forums on reefing and those guys think what we do with planted tanks is harder... i about laughed my butt off, cause i've seen what goes into reefing an di thought this looks way harder....


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## marinesci (Aug 31, 2005)

I many ways, caring for a planted aquarium can be harder than caring for a reef. In fact, it was caring for discus in a planted setting that drove me to seting up a reef in the first place. I had heard how hard reefs were for years; when I tried it out I was amazed at how easy it was.


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## urville (Sep 20, 2004)

really? all the extra devices you need to reef, and all the testing to be done adding in the very small area for messing up...
seems harder to me...
in plants you can mess up and the time span to fix it seems far longer than in reefs, where if you mess up it seems like things start going wrong real fast


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## marinesci (Aug 31, 2005)

The only time that things get quickly out of hand is when the concentration of phosphate gets above the maximum desired concentration (which as far as I'm concerned is approximately 0.05 ppm). Other than that, you can run a reef on nothing more than good lighting, pumps to circulate water, and a quality protein skimmer. You can, of course, make it as high-tech as you want, but I can maintain low-tech systems with the same end result as many with more complicated systems. Regular testing is required to maintain the concentrations of non-conservative elements such as calcium, magnesium, strontium, and iodine within recommended ranges, and of course you must monitor salinity, alkalinity and pH. It's really quite simple, at least to me. I change water about once every three months, and while many may feel that this is an irresponsible approach to reef care, it works for me and the livestock are all healthy, colorful, and growing rapidly. Try doing a water change with that frequency when caring for discus! Reef tanks can be very forgiving if you know how to translate signs into required care. Try setting one up and caring for it over a year and then come back and tell us what you think of the experience! That's the best way to learn.


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## urville (Sep 20, 2004)

i want to.. but the liverock alone is so expensive... add in lighting...
what about all this stuff i hear about calcium reactors and what not? and are wet/drys still the norm? i remember quite some years back before the wet/drys everyone was talking about the jaubert method. i heard now it's refugiums and DSB's...

just wondering...

if i can affrd to go this route i wil keep my j.sprung book close by...


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## marinesci (Aug 31, 2005)

There are dozens of methods to successfully maintain a marine aquarium; no one method is the best. 90% of the success with a reef comes from maintaining the water parameters within the recommended ranges; the rest is lighting and choosing healthy livestock from the beginning. Wet/dry, plenum, etc.,... it really makes no difference so long as the parameters stay in check. The best thing you can do as a beginning reef hobbyist is buy the best protein skimmer you can afford. Not doing so will be a regret down the road.
Let's put it this way: several of my reefs are set up in the Berlin style with about 2-lbs. of rock per gallon capacity in the main aquaria, coupled with great skimmers (I use Euro-Reefs) and kalkreactors (all home made). I could forego the kalkreactor if I wanted to use calcium supplements, but a kalkreactor is just easier. As for live rock, you can make your own with a bit of patience and some instruction from GARF's website for a lot less than buying it at a store. There are numerous ways to cut costs on a reef set up. If you're into DIY lighting, you can save even more on the fixtures.
Read Julian's book cover to cover a couple of times and ask questions of those you know with first-hand reef keeping experience. I'll be more than happy to answer questions for you if you'd like; just PM me.


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