# are these lights worth buying



## tyourkie66 (Mar 13, 2003)

are these lights ok to buy and use for my 40 gal satwater tank. i want to be able to have most corals. so 500 watts will be nice, but im not sure if they are really what they say they are.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...ssPageName=WDVW


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## slylie (Oct 21, 2003)

6500 kelvin bulbs. ... very white. most reefers use 10-20,000k..

buying replacement reef bulbs for a 500w fixture could be a hassle... ive never seen them.

another thing.. how big is your tank? 500w might be overkill and cost a fortune in power.

i skimmed the article, but it seems kinda 'fishy'


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## acestro (Jul 7, 2003)

> This light uses new technology called Fluorex™ and puts out 8255 lumens while only consuming about 65 watts of electricity. The Kelvin rating is 6500 and the CRI is 84


These are the specs you need to give to someone who knows a little more than me. PACK or Andrew may be able to help...


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## Andrew (Mar 3, 2003)

Do you have a 40g that is basically a short 55g or do you have a 40g breeder tank (36x18 footprint)?

A 6500k bulb will make your tank looked like you filled it with light beer, very yellow. You want a minimum of a 10000k, supplemented with some actinic 03 lighting.

No way that puts out 500watts of light and only uses 65watts. Even you use the lumens number they give, you would need about three times that amount to equal a 250watt metal halide.

Basically it looks like a mogul socket 65watt power compact light bulb.

Bulbs made for keeping coral are way different than any other bulbs. They are designed to emmit certain spectrums and not others.

Let me know the dimensions of your tank, and if you really, really, really, want to keep stoney corals.

I will then let you know what to get and some useful links to purchase the items.

oh, do you think you could handle a little electrical wiring? That will make a difference if you will need DIY or plug and play.


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## tyourkie66 (Mar 13, 2003)

my 40 gal is 48 in long.16in high. and 12in wide. i want soft corals like anemones, but ive heard they dont last over 6-8 months. so maybe some diffrent things such as polyps. or mushrooms. i couldnt handle the electric, but i might be able to have some people i know do it. can you give me links or recomendations on what to go with. im looking to spend only about 150. also do i have to make a hood to put the lights in that i get, or do i just put the lights on the tank and have mostly open top. wouldnt that make more water evaporate? thanks


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## Andrew (Mar 3, 2003)

This is what I suggest, but it is a little out of your budget.
It has built in moonlights, 260watts of light, and a fan. No need to build a hood with this one, just put it on top of your tank.
http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant2/m...Code=currentusa

Now.........something that is only a little over the budget, that is the same wattage.
It doesn't have moon lights, or a fan, and Coralife is really not known for their quality. You will need to build a hood to put the fixture in. You will probably need a fan as well to keep the water temperatures down. 
http://www.hellolights.com/484xcoaqreki.html

And last.......the bare minimum, 130watts, but high quality components.
Shouldn't need a fan. You will have to build a hood for this as well.
ballast: http://www.hellolights.com/2x55warocfba.html
2 bulbs: http://www.hellolights.com/55w10000kac01.html
reflector: http://www.hellolights.com/ref465in.html

Open top tanks will evaporate alot more than tanks with lids. It really isn't a big deal if you have an auto-top system. (Around $ 40.00) Topping off a tank everyday gets to be a huge pain.

You could keep certain anemones under the 260watt, but not the 130watt.
Mushrooms and polyps will do fine under either light, but you will see faster growth and sometimes better coloration with the higher wattage.

HTH


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## acestro (Jul 7, 2003)

TOLD ya Andrew could help :laugh:

To be honest, I'm waiting until I have a significant amount of extra cash to try to get lights to support hard corals. that'll be..... when I'm...


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