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Fish66 
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 Topic: Lighting Advice Needed
Posted: November 25 2015 at 10:08am |
I have a standard 90 gallon tank that needs additional or new lighting. Currently it has two different aquatic life lights, the edge and a cheap white and blue strip. Its not enough light. I really dont want to spend a small fortune but I'm willing to do whats required. please help.
Tank is covered with a wood canopy. Canopy top is about 9 or 10 inches above the top of the tank. I like having glass tops above the water level. I'd like to be able to grow some SPS but its mostly LPS now. I like the programmable types but I can also do cheap timers as well. I also like the blue lights in the evening.
What is the best value for my money and where do you go to get it done?
Thanks for any replies! :)
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Krazie4Acans
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Posted: November 25 2015 at 10:40am |
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The cheapest option that would fit the rest of your list would be the black box LED units off of ebay or amazon. They are fairly inexpensive and work well for most corals (yes even SPS) but may not give you the color that the SPS had under T5 or Halide lighting.
T5 would be the next step up and would offer more options than the basic LED light but the bulb cost can add up when it's time to change them every 6 months to a year.
Then Halides would be next. They won't cost much to buy initially but the cost to run them and the cost to cool the house or tank adds up quite quickly and makes them an expensive option.
I don't recommend glass tops above the water. I know they help prevent evaporation but they also block light and prevent gas exchange at the water surface.
blue lights in the evening can be accomplished many different ways including using the blue and white strip you have now and just covering or removing the white portion of the light.
Best value for your money is probably the black box LEDs. They have them with just basic manual controls, programmable with just on/off times, or fully programmable and dimmable. Even the fully controllable ones are fairly inexpensive compared to programmable T5 lighting. Take a look at www.facebook.com/SBReefLights or sbreeflights.com
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My ocean. 90g (yup, won it!), 40g, 28g, & 10g Systems PADI Advanced Open Water Tank Thread:
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Fish66
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Posted: November 27 2015 at 8:34am |
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thanks for that information! I did look at that web site - it looks like about $300 for my tank lighting is what I should be considering. I could not find anything comparable to the www.sbreeflights.com description. So, I'll probably loog to go that route. Thanks again, any any other's insight is appreciated.
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Adam Blundell
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Posted: November 27 2015 at 9:38am |
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Half that cost. Two units is like $170 and would be a very common set up. Check out the black boxes on eBay.
Adam
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Krazie4Acans
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Posted: November 27 2015 at 10:31am |
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True but half the spectrum as well. Well rounded lights and spectrum, made in the US, with warranty and parts available. I used a couple of the Chinese ones before and they work great until their warranty is up and then something will go wrong and getting parts is next to impossible. At least that is my experience.
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My ocean. 90g (yup, won it!), 40g, 28g, & 10g Systems PADI Advanced Open Water Tank Thread:
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Mark Peterson
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Posted: November 27 2015 at 11:11am |
I will add my voice to recommend removing the glass covers. It's always amazing how hobbyists find coral growth vastly improved by opening up the tank to fresh air. It has to do with making Oxygen available for the animals to breathe and reducing CO2 so that pH rises to a normal level, especially at night when pH naturally drops.
Also, SPS coral just won't do well if the tank is covered/closed up.
Fluorescent lighting is actually still extremely good at growing all coral. The cost of t5 lighting is actually lower than ever and most t5 tubes can be run for a year or more. I have an 8 tube 48" t5 fixture that works great on a 90 gal. I'll let it go for $30 and I have some t5 tubes I'll sell for $5 each. I have found good bargains here in the forum where people let go of their slightly used/sometimes new t5 tubes for $5-10. Otherwise, online there are good quality t5 tubes for around $15 each.
Aloha, Mark  808-345-1049
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Fish66
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Posted: November 27 2015 at 4:33pm |
Thanks for all the info and responses. I also watched BRS's video on their lighting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTuj5MJCgpc I think I can keep my blue LED's on a cheap timer for the evening color we like. And I'm probably going to go with the T5 lighting and just pay for lots of bulbs. One thing I definitely want is good color and growth - that's been my disappointment so far. So, Thanks again! This hobby is definitely not a cheap one. :)
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Fatman
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Posted: November 28 2015 at 9:24am |
 Fish66 wrote:
And I'm probably going to go with the T5 lighting and just pay for lots of bulbs. One thing I definitely want is good color and growth - that's been my disappointment so far. |
While I'm a BIG advocate of LED lighting, one of the nicest tanks I every saw was Billy C and he ran florescent.
Edited by Fatman - November 28 2015 at 9:25am
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Baghtal
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Posted: December 15 2015 at 12:26pm |
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Fish -- What did you end up going with? How is everything growing with the new lights?
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I like to think that the moon is there, even when I'm not looking at it.
~Albert Einstein
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