A Good Deal?????

[robbous]

I am what you would call a newbie here and want to buy a light with the moon affect for my tank which is a 90 gal, 48"L X 24" H X 18" W. I was just wondering if this would be a good setup for me.

Aquarium Metal Halide Light 760 watts

Approx Fixture Size: 48"L x 15 1/4"W x 2 3/4"H

Output:

MH 250W x2.
65W straight pin power compact x4.
Lunar LED x8. ( 2 LEDs per outlet).
Feature:

Individual power cords & power switches for MH bulb, PC bulb, and lunar.
non-corrosive coated housing
built-in heavy duty cooling fan
external HQI Controller
tempered glass splash guard
Mounting legs
Free Bulbs: 2x 250W double ended 15000K MH bulbs, 4x 65W straight pins Actinic 460nm bulbs, 8x Lunar LED bulbs.
The cost for this unit is 400.00 i plan on having my tank stocked with LR, some corals, and some fish. What do ya think a good deal????

 

[smcnally]

What brand is it? It really does make all the difference in the world.

 

[expatgoalie]

is this "oddysea" brand, by chance? You might want to read about their MH problems with fire on rc...

 

[smcnally]

One other note is that the straight pin PC bulbs are harder to come by.

 

[TurboVinny]

if this is made by a good company 400 is a good price

 

[robbous]

Does not say the brand only a photo

 

[APISTOBORELLI]

If there is no brand name, I'd avoid it. If something goes wrong a month after you buy it, you have no one to return it to.

 

[robbous]

i would like to get the Coralife Aqualight Pro - Professional Series but really dont have 800.0 to spend on it

 

[pech29]

Say you buy it for $400 and something goes wrong. You now have to go out and buy another light and this time it'll cost more because you'll make sure you get a better quality one. So now you're out the original 400 plus another 600+. You can get an awesome light for $1000 up front. I had the same dilemma when I was searching for a light. I decided to to pony up the money the first time and avoid any problems in the future(fires, poor quality, etc.) It's been the best decision I've made and I don't regret it one bit.

 

[smcnally]

Does not say the brand only a photo

That has "Cheap Japanese" written all over it. If there is one thing you don't want to skimp on, it is lighting. The only way to really save on lighting is to get retro kits and build your own enclosure. MH lighting isn't something to mess around with by buying cheap models. Cheap models have been known to stop working in short order and even literally start fires.

 

[robbous]

Yes your right i dont want to risk losing the $$$$$$ or having a fire, i have way to much high tech stuff in my apartment, thanks for your input.

 

[robbous]

is the Coralife Aqualight Pro - Professional Series a better light then the orbit series??

 

[Reefried]

One thing about this hobby that rings true to me is "you get what you pay for" If you want a hobby that won't cost much I suggest you take up bird watching, a bag of seed and some cheap binnoculars{sp} and your all set. But reefing is not for the faint of wallet. Take it from someone like me who has a 75rr, with above average equipment (ie. I spent $400 on a skimmer, not expensive when compared to a $1500 bubble king, but very expensive compared to a $75 red sea) and I easily have over $6500 invested in my little piece of the ocean, and thats a "wife friendly" estimate, its probably a little closer to the 10k range. Thats not to say that you cant have a nice setup for less $$$ (I dont want to get bashed so dont kill me for my opinions), but you get what you pay for is a fair way to look at it!!

 

[smcnally]

I would recommend this instead http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/Me..._&_T5_Fixture_Only_-_Black_by_Sunlight_Supply

It's a nice unit, less money, and has T5 instead of PC which not only better, but the bulbs cost less to replace and run cooler.

Plus, ReefGeek is excellent to deal with.

 

[robbous]

THANKS ALL!!! for your input................. i just love this place!!

 

[APISTOBORELLI]

I'm definately a budgeted reefer. I have less invested than "reefried" because I didn't buy new. I built my own canopy and stand and bought a used light here from another member. If you hunt around and take your time, you can find quality equipment for a deal if it's used.

If you buy yourself a light used, be sure to replace the bulbs right away.

 

[Reefried]

I'm definately a budgeted reefer. I have less invested than "reefried" because I didn't buy new. I built my own canopy and stand and bought a used light here from another member. If you hunt around and take your time, you can find quality equipment for a deal if it's used.

If you buy yourself a light used, be sure to replace the bulbs right away.

Hey Mark I thought I asked politely not to "bash" me J/K

 

[robbous]

Yes i have found some really good deals so far i bought a 90 gal tank with stand for 175.00 and a berlin skimmer, prizm skimmer for the top of tank, lifeguard AF-94 mechanical filter, AF-93 chemical filter, QL-8 UV sterilizer, dolphin 4 port air pump, amiracle wet/dry, and a quiet one 9000 pump for circulation for 400.00 so i quess so far i am getting into this fairly cheap.

 

[APISTOBORELLI]

Hey Mark I thought I asked politely not to "bash" me J/K

Not bashing. Envious is more like it.

 

[Reefried]

is the Coralife Aqualight Pro - Professional Series a better light then the orbit series??

I had an Orbit fixture that melted on me because of a hang on skimmer overflow problem, but thats when I wasn't GFI protected, so its not the lights fault, however mine was a pc not MH, but it did have moonlights, which are a MUST HAVE IMO