Home Depot 150W MH
 

I was walking through HD today a spied a 150W MH DE outdoor light for $15 has anyone tried one of these over a tank? Couldn't you just change out the bulb and good to go??

I was thinking of this also until I realized it's an outside light for a reason. Not something that is intended to be running for 8 hours per day especially indoors.

Not worth the fire hazard IMO.

Many lights like these don't have waterproof sockets, but being an outdoor light it just may be semi-suitable.

I f you want a crappy bulb for cheap you don't have to go to HD, just buy one of those Aquatraders or other Chineese bulbs. They're dirt cheap but I don't think I'd be trusting them to grow my SPS.

I believe he is saying buy the cheep light fixture and get a good bulb and install in the light fixture.

It maybe worth it to try out.

Bill

Are you sure it was MH, and not halogen? Fifteen bucks for any MH light sounds awful cheap.

It may have been I just walked by and seen a 150W all had doubled ended bulb thought wow cheap alternative

That will be a double ended quartz halogen, little work light for $15.

A halogen may work but it is in the daylight spectrum and you may get more algae growth than you want. I do know a guy that uses a halogen light that has the little 20w bulbs and T5HO lights. the little halogen lights are used to brighten the tank for viewing not for penetration anything. You do get a nice shimmer effect and the T5's get the penetration so in a combination I would think it would work out, I'd be ready for a algae bloom. I have never tried it my self you can also get little blue halogen bulbs that maybe good for moon lights.

Bill

I've been running a $10 ebay 175W 15K bulb for 6 months now, Only have LPS/softies in my tank, but they've all been growing GREAT, all my LPS have grown double in size in the past 6 months. No change from my xm bulb I had before, i'd say if you want a cheap light do that instead. Depends on what you have in your tank i'm sure, but they've worked great for me so far, and i plan on buying more for next time.