So, I think I want these....

[dsaundry]

Joe ReeferJunk, this is a prime example of "you get what you pay for"

So how do you qualify this statement, for a softie tank these lights will work fine. If she wants sps in her tank then I would say they wouldn't work. Have you had these lights before? If so rather than saying they are junk, establish why they are junk. Everybody was saying "Bubble Magus skimmers were junk at first too, now look what they say. You get what you pay for is an accurate statement, but if all I want is a Chevy Malibu why would I pay Cadillac prices.

you can use T5ho for SPS just not for all you would not be able to do shallow water Acro's but deep water Acro's would be fine as long as you put them high on your rock work also Monti's and Digita's would be fine. just the ones that require specific lighting would do poorly. forgot some Millie's will do fine also.
If I got this unit I would install fans as I believe this light does not have any. Not a hard thing to install. If it has fans then it should do fine. you could always DIY it make a aluminum frame and mount everything on it you could then add a MH fixture latter.

Bill

[daniella3d]

It does not seem to have individual reflector so it's useless. I would pass.

The individual reflector and the ballast (probably cheapo) are most probably the weak part of this fixture.

[ScubaSteve]

I think the fixture is just smashing for what you want to do, Randi. Yeah, it might not have a great reflector set-up but I think you will only notice if you wanted something that had a high light requirement... even at that you can retro fit reflectors in there. When it comes to flourescent ballasts, unless you are really pushing it to the limit, a ballast is a ballast. If your at all worried about that, a Workhorse ballast is like $20.

[viperfish]

You can buy these lights here http://www.reefshops.com/lighting/t5-t5ho-flourescent/, I have ordered from these guys, excellent service. I bought my dosing containers and a bunch of other stuff, takes about a week to get it.

[daniella3d]

That's fine as long as someone does not change his or her mind. I go to a store or at someone selling great sps for a real deal price and you can't make it survive with your light... bad deal.

How much does a reflector retrofit cost? at 20$ it's a ballast for one neon or 2? This really add up, plus some cheapo fixture are a fire hazard.

Another thing to consider is how much this is going to cost at the end??

It's nearly 200$ and what about custom/duty?

There is a lot of things to think about when you order from China. What if it is defective and you have to return it? another 90$ shipping?

Originally Posted by ScubaSteve

I think the fixture is just smashing for what you want to do, Randi. Yeah, it might not have a great reflector set-up but I think you will only notice if you wanted something that had a high light requirement... even at that you can retro fit reflectors in there. When it comes to flourescent ballasts, unless you are really pushing it to the limit, a ballast is a ballast. If your at all worried about that, a Workhorse ballast is like $20.

[viperfish]

Originally Posted by daniella3d

That's fine as long as someone does not change his or her mind. I go to a store or at someone selling great sps for a real deal price and you can't make it survive with your light... bad deal.

How much does a reflector retrofit cost? at 20$ it's a ballast for one neon or 2? This really add up, plus some cheapo fixture are a fire hazard.

Another thing to consider is how much this is going to cost at the end??

It's nearly 200$ and what about custom/duty?

There is a lot of things to think about when you order from China. What if it is defective and you have to return it? another 90$ shipping?

You seem to be making a lot of assumptions here, do you have any personal experience or are you just assuming the worst? What does this have to do with neon? We're talking about fluorescent here.

[Rbacchiega]

thanks for the suggestions and opinions all. After thinking about it a little more, I think a fishneedit fixture might be the way to go, unless I can find one on the local reefers site. Tank gets delivered today and I have to plumb everthing first, so lights are a ways away.