72" lighting opinion

[TiAg]

Hey all, curious what the general opinion is now for freshwater lighting. I've been murking along on my 6' tank (fish only) with a couple 2 bulb 36" coral vue's - which on a 72x24 is not really enough light to make the tank look pretty - looks great on a 12 though - so am assuming I really need to bump up to a 4 bulb t5 type unit. I know saltwater lighting quite well and am not looking to spend salt water prices on the light for this re-build (oh yeah I'm doing a complete overhaul/move on the tank, already done, rescaped and filled with water for the cycle as of yesterday).

I found some lights for cheap on aquatraders.com but from the reviews I see, they're a get what you pay for outfit with no customer service. So it looks like I"m going to spend more then 180.00.

I found a couple nice t5 VHO's on e-bay for less than 600, but they're outfitted for coral tanks.

Anyone have any suggestions before I drop 6 bills on bulbs I don't need?

[barrettsline]

ebay. Thats where i have found good deals on light that I have ordered new.

[mgarrido]

Personally I like the shimmer effect of MH, 2x150w or 1x250w for a 6ft tank.

[crazy42bmx]

Just buy u a couple 36' t5 ho fixtures. Figure it should be just under 300. Run a 10000 k and a blue atenic. It'll look good. Iv got a 48' t5 ho 2 bulb on a five foot tank and its nice.

[Totenkampf]

you get get nice 4 lamp T5HO systems from current usa for not much cash, but my first choice would be catalina aquarium. USA made ballasts and individual german polished reflectors in a very nicely priced package. you can choose the lamps it comes with and they have both fixtures and retro kits. you could also try the high effiicency T8 systems sold at hydroponics stores if you want the most bang for the buck. They wont last as long or be as efficient as T5HO though.

[TiAg]

Thanks everyone for your input. I went ahead and ordered a 72" 4x80 with moonlights and oversized reflector from Catalina per Totnkampf's recommendation. He matched the price from ebay on a similar item and it felt right so It'll be here next week.

Now to figure out how to weigh down the huge piece of bogwood.....

[TiAg]

Got my Catalina lights in yesterday. They look amazing and arrived unbroken which was a nice surprise. Thanks again T for the suggestion.

[danielp]

Got my Catalina lights in yesterday. They look amazing and arrived unbroken which was a nice surprise. Thanks again T for the suggestion.

If you don't mind would you PM me the details of what you bought.

Thanks

[TiAg]

I went ahead and ordered a 72" 4x80 with moonlights and oversized reflector from Catalina

Thats what I ordered and that is what I got. 3 separate switches, one for the 10k lights, one for the 6k lights and one for the moonlight led's on a dimmer.