changing my lighting help.

hi, rightnow I just have a single 48in florescent light for my fowlr.

but I'm looking to upgrade to brighter and better possibly going to switch it to a reef aquarium in the future, so though mind as well get the proper lighting now.

so please give me a hand picking the right set up, I'm thinking about going with a led light set up or a t5... but don't know exactly how to go about picking the right wattage and what not.

dont have a lot of money but looking in the price range of $300.00

my tanks a 110 gl and its more of a tall than long tank. so I know I need it bright to get proper lighting to the bottom.

heres a couple links ive looked at on ebay, let me know if any of that is good or if I'm lookin in the wrong areas :]

thanks.

 

Before looking at those lights, how deep is the tank?

The first fitting you listed is a metal halide.... if you're looking for a T5 or LED, this isn't the one you want.

The second fitting looks pretty good, but depends how long your tank is, the fixture is 2".

The third fitting, I'm not sure about the OSRAM LEDs, I haven't done any research on them, but on paper, looks pretty good. I did notice a distinct lack of white light though

 

2 1/2 feet deep by 4 feet long

 

Ah ok, 2.5' deep is getting on the more difficult end of lighting.

Getting a light to penetrate that deep is the challenge.

If you go with a T5HO output fixture, you'll probably be wanting a tube in 20000k range for white.

On a LED fixture, you'll want them set at 100% if it's a variable fixture.

I have my LED at 80% on 2' deep. Here's a chart that shows the intensity of my fixture: https://www.inwatter.com/stingrayLightTest.htm

 

could you explain a little more about the specifications for a led, variable fixture? I don't quite understand leds yet, lol

only reason id go with a led is the long run cost. since they last the longest, and the heat difference.

 

hmm I might just go with the t5ho...

what do you think about these?.. will these suit my tank?



https://www.marinedepot.com/AquaticLife_T5_HO_4_Lamp_Light_Fixtures_w_Lunar_LEDs_24_Inch_T5_Fluorescent_Light_Fixtures-AquaticLife-AK01035-FILTFIT54U-vi.html

 

A variable fixture allows you to set the intensity of the LED, so rather than the LEDs always running at 100%, you can dial them back, to say only 80%.

Whereas T5's will always be at full power. Not so much of a problem on a deep tank.

The other aspects of LED I like are, because the power is often variable, you can often create sunrise/sunset with gradual increases in lighting or fading to mimic the sun coming up and going down.

Too, LEDs are better for creating the 'shimmer' effect that Metal Halides give. Granted it's not as good as MH, but still a nice shimmer through the water.

If you do go T5, I would go the first fixture: , For a Reef, you'll want the extra tubes.

The fixture looks good, but you may find that the 12000k tubes it comes with aren't enough, and may need to bump up to 18000 or 20000k.

On the cost side, have a look at my post here: , I kind of showed that LED, despite higher initial cost, over 5 years would be about $900 (AUD) cheaper for me, based on a 4 Tube system.

 

I see, but heres my issue, I wouldnt be able to just drop $900.00 usd on a led, so in the long run, t5ho would be more expensive, but would be easier for my budget every month. so thanks for the help:]

it would be nice to have a led though:/

ill probably buy that t5 and replace the whites with 20000k bulbs