cheapest and best lighting i can get for $60
 

hi, i live in calgary and i just started to cycle a 20g aquarium. I dont know what corals and stuff to keep yet, but i want to get some lighting. I want to keep easy hardy corals at first. I need some good lighting. I want to spend about $60 in lighting and i was wondering what is the best lighting i can get at that price.
thanks!

you have picked the wrong hobby my friend.
There are many areas you can cut some corners with, lighting isn't one of them though.
If your budget is tight, second hand might be the way to go. $60 isn't going to go far when it comes to any type of lighting though, new or used.
Consider a fish only set-up and add on more advanced lighting as your budget allows.
Good luck, skimp where it counts to save a few bucks will only result in disaster down the road.

Sushiman .... well said!

I agree, that was well said.
However, I think it is cheaper in the long run to figure what kind of lighting you will need in the future and save up for it. Buying lighting is expensive! If you cheap out now and you need to upgrade, you will be spending money again for what you need. But if you save up for it first, you only have to buy your lighting once.

I dissagree.
If you go to Britelite you can get a work horse ballast and 2 x 6500k power compacts and you should be good to go. It will be a little more than what you figured and you will have to make yourself a box/hood to hold the light's.

Work horse ballst $???
PC's something like $12.00 or so.

you may not like the color of the 2 6500k bulb's but it will make thing's grow and survive. If you get the desire you could add an actinic bulbs for color.

cheers

I think I paid $55 for a Workhorse 7 @ Britelite

Cheers

how much are 2 6500k bulbs?

ya for 100$ if u bought the ballast seperate and the end caps, bulbs, you could have decent lighting for cheap

Couldn't you do mushrooms, similar corals under NO lighting from Home Depot?

2-23w 5000K'S= $19.99each
or
2-13w 5000-6500K's= $11-$13 each

2 Sockets and reflector $12-$15 each (or some other cheap set-up)

Maybe later on a 20W Actinic tube or two + Ballast $25-$50.

For a 20G this is more than fine. I use the 2-23w 5000Ks(with a good reflector) and a single 20w Actinic tube. The tank is nice and bright. I have Monticaps, Digitata, LPS ,Softys, Polyps, Mushrooms and a Tube Anemone. All are doing more than great :cool: :biggrin: . People always ask me what kind of lighting is on it, and they are always impressed.

http://www.brite-lite.com/CdnShop/Publish/cat105.htm

55W $15.95 6400K

And if someone got the Workhorse ballast there for $55, you'll just need end caps and bulb clips. Then you'll need to get handy and make a canopy, with some reflective aluminum flashing (can be had for cheap from Rona, or my garage...)

Canadian Man made an awesome hood for my nano awhile back, and would also have some good ideas. Wish I kept a picture of that.

does anyone have detailed instructions and pics on making this sort of canopy and system? and is brite-lite in calgary?

Wow- this is an exciting thread! I most certainly am taking notes for when I get another tank. :mrgreen:

anyone have a used workhorse ballest for sale??

Can't beat that. I think I'll give those a try on my sump.

On my 10g, I have 2 28w 50/50 pcs on a WH3 and I think the set up was about $100.. $60 and you will most likely be looking at an ugly tank.. unless it's a really tiny nano.

Does BriteLight sell the WH ballasts too? I couldn't find them on their web site... maybe I'm blind :)

Walter

Hey Walter! How've you been?
:biggrin:

Someone mentioned they picked up a WH5 from there, I think. It might be a good idea to call - I did for the PC bulbs, and I got a very helpful person (lady). Maybe that had something to do with it... :biggrin:

AJ_ you're such a big flirt! LOL :lol: :mrgreen:

:mrgreen:
I'm just a people person!

But it does help to call, this gal knew her stuff like nobody's business, and told me about 3 temps of the 1 bulb they listed on the website. So there may be more than meets the eye with that place.

I did :smile: ... got 3 from the actually

Cheers

Thanks AJ.. I'll have to pop over and take a look...

Walter

I have been reading some books about marine fish, etc. and remain confused about the need for adequate lighting. The room where the aquarium is, is fairly light, but faces north. We have 3 large ?halide 175 W lamps with reflectors over a 420 gal. tank. As the water temp was continuing to rise (up to 83.7 F), I turned the lights off for most of the day. They had been on for about 12 hrs/day in cooler weather. The tank contains only fish and rock (prob. not live rock). Then I found that a floor fan aimed at the lights would cool the tank a bit, so I resumed lighting the tank for longer periods (about 6 hrs.) How much light does this tank need, and why?
A. Newbie

It likely only needs enough for the fish to be able to avoid swimming into things. Chances are you don't have any photosynthetic fish, so lighting isn't really important for your tank.
As diversity increases, such as corals, polyps, corraline algae, you'll need more light. What you have is enough for many photosynthetic organisms, and fish just don't much care!!