Lighting Again

[Don Vito]

OK before you send me off to some website to only hear the same thing. BUY MH.

Before I spend the money on some Coral Life PC 2x96 36" Retrofit
I need to know if this is worth it. Now before you say anything I have a 60gal standard and only want to run simple stuff. So no High light demanding Corals ( as much as I would love to, SDG&E would rape me)
I am probably looking into some Zoos or Leather Corals or even some mushrooms.

Are these lights worth it? They run about $175 at Pet Kingdom. I just wanted some nice lights for a low price that wont heat up my tank, raise my electric bill, and does the job right.

I am also just getting into the hobby so go easy on me. :)

[MarLooney]

Coralife hoods on Ebay! best $#!^ ever. HAHA! good prices. i'd go 4x65 on yer 60 if all you want is non SPS. personally i run that over my 30gal. took apart the two hoods i bought and did a DIY retro.

peep out something like this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=46314&item=4300042053&rd=1

just an example.

[TommyD]

Here is the light hood I bought; and I really like it.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=46314&item=4300042053&rd=1

it has 2 ballasts+2 switches but one power cord. If you can handle a screwdriver and a wirenut; you can convert it to 2 powercords and have actinics and daylight bulbs run on different timers.

-TD

[Don Vito]

I thought about the "dead space" in the tank. But since my tank is only 48" and the lights I was thinking about getting are 36".
Thats leaving 6" on each side of tank. Now how bad would it be?

I was even thinking about getting the 48" Coralifes but with my wood canopy over the tank it might be a little tight.

I don't know about VHO. I might have to check yours out. Do they rack up the electric bill?

Marlooney & Tommy, thats a nice light, but at 48" Its going to be tight.
Is it easy to set up retro? if so I might actually think about this.

Also you mentioned you would set up a 4x65 and these are 4x55.

But over all those Coral Life Retro Lights are nice right?
I was thinking in the long run maybe just maybe to first buy a 2x96 and then adding on another 2x96. I first have to check to see if I have the room on my canopy for both.

Anyways give me feed back. Let me know if I screwing up. Thanks :)

[Don Vito]

Sorry helps if I read! haha
4x55 was an example.

[TommyD]

I think yo ucould Retro the unit if you wanted to. The ballasts are included in the hood; so you could mount them on the back of a homebuilt wooden hood and save a little heat there.

You can rip the reflector out of the extruded aluminum housing and just hount that in your canopy. I think for the whole setup; It's like buying the ballasts and getting everything else for free.

Others may correct me; but I think the ballast in there would also drive 65W PC's (Which won't fit in the JEBO hood; but WOULD if you mounted then in your own hood; because you could stagger them like this:
-----------
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instead of the way they are in the hood (It's actially a pretty slim unit) at appx 6" wide

LMK if you have other q's....

-TommyD

[Don Vito]

Well I did it. I went out and finally bought my lights.
4x65 260w 48" long. CoraLife
Thanks guy