Oliver Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 Hi im new to this website and keeping marine fish and im only 13 years of age so its quite hard to make money. any way ive got a 1m long 0.3m wide and a 0.75m high tank. I realise im proberly going to need good light if im ever wanting to upgrade into corals. So could any one tell me where i can get the cheapest but still good quality halide lights? thanks Oliver Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 Remember, only references to electrical or retail outlets please... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KP Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 Warren please explain??... Trademe is probably the best bet for someone on a restricted budget. What do you intend on doing with your tank? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 I buy my metal halides from an electrical outlet or aquarium shop, whichever one has the best deal. Last time I got them from an electrical store as they gave me the best deal that time. If you want to look on Trademe, go ahead, nothing to stop you... Sometime there are pretty good deals too. For now however, the cheapest option would be fluro's and upgrade to MH later when you get corals. No need for them until then... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
suphew Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 My Mh light came from an office that was being upgraded. Ive seen a few at building recycler's they normally sell them for less than $20. you will have to replace the bulbs of course, they have come down heaps in the last few years but your still looking at $75+ per bulb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oliver Posted December 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 is it just any sort of floro? or do i have have to buy special bulbs? I plan on having a fish only tank to start with and then move on to corals if all goes well. some body telled me i would need good lighitng even for fish because of the hight of the tank is this true? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 Second-hand is a good cheap way to go but do be aware that different MH lamps can have different operating lamp voltage and may need a different ballast to the one you buy - especially if you want to change to a different brand bulb suitable for an aquarium. Most shop lamps are well below 6500K colour temp and will need to be replaced for use with marines corals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 Yes there are some cheap 2nd hand ones on trade me. If you go 2nd hand, check the K rating of the bulb, if the MH unit has not been used for a marine tank the bulb is probably wrong. You need a bulb rated 10,000k, or up as high as 20,000k. Many people go for a mid range of 14,000k. But for your tank even one 150 watt MH is quite a bit of light, if you only have fish just about any old light will do long as you like the look of it. If you get corals they need the correct type of light to perform photosynthesis, but as Warren said ordinary marine floros will keep many types of corals happy. Your tank is quite deep for the length though, so a 150 watt MH will give you the ability to keep high light needing corals near the top, and lower light needing ones at the bottom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 is it just any sort of floro? or do i have have to buy special bulbs? I plan on having a fish only tank to start with and then move on to corals if all goes well. some body telled me i would need good lighitng even for fish because of the hight of the tank is this true? If you go for fluro's, colour 96 is the best for natural colour rendering as it's about the closest to that of mid-day sun. Philips or Sylvania TLD96 series are great. For 750mm deep you'll be pushing it with fluro's but they will do it if you use an extra one or two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookie extreme Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 wanting to upgrade into corals the cheapest option would be fluro's true depending on depth For 750mm deep you'll be pushing it with fluro's but they will do it if you use an extra one or two. do you have experience in doing so? 750 high on flouro's is unrealistic to say the least in keeping corals. even 150 watt M/H would be pushing it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oliver Posted December 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 Thanks alot for all the help guys its realy helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Warren Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 Yes, have built 2 tanks in Restaurants locally that are 750mm deep using fluro's with fish only. Look great but would look better with MH. They are 2400 x 700 x 750 with 6 x 58W and 6 x 18W on each tank. 2 x 250W MH would have worked similarly but may have been a bit brighter at the bottom. However, 3 x 250W MH would have been best. My guestimate would be 2 or 3 x 30W tubes for the tank in question. Start with 2 and if it's not enough add another one. If you can find a cheap 2nd hand MH fitting of 75-150W then it would likely be cheaper. They can be hard to find however. Having used both my preference is MH as it looks more natural. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDM Posted December 18, 2006 Report Share Posted December 18, 2006 this seems like a good buy to me, (second pic down) http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/equipment-clean-out-vt17456.html you will need to get the correct bulb but its all brand new gear, i would think that you could get a 150w 14k mh lamp for around $50, i saw some on trade me for $35 but not sure if there still there, or what sort of quality they are. even when buying a second hand mh light fitting you would be best to replace the bulb, this way you can guarantee the amount of hours the bulb has done as they lose there spectrum over time and this is not something you can pick up with your eye, unless you compare it with a new bulb and even then it can be difficult. most good quality bulbs are good for about 12 months. hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hazymranch Posted December 19, 2006 Report Share Posted December 19, 2006 Hey Oliver, I'm in Dunedin and I would be more than happy to help you out as much as I can, especially with sourcing stuff locally. I have made more than my share of mistakes and have DIY just about everything on my tanks. PM me and we can go from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted December 19, 2006 Report Share Posted December 19, 2006 That is an offer you should not refuse Oliver! Nothing like the personal touch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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