Lisa Julia Photography

i think they look tooooooo blue so far....i might pop out 1 of the blues and add back the 10k stock bulb...hmmm...it actually hurts my eyes to look at the tank lol!

The fixture came a few days ago with the 'stock' lights, and the new bulbs came today...even with the 'stock' lights i am happy...the bulbs i will put in tomorrow are: 2 ATI Blue Plus, 1 ATI Purple Plus and a KZ New Generation. I got the 48" Coralife. It was easy to put together but the one difference between it and the JBJ is that i can't 'lift' it so it sits back on the legs, if that makes sense. Other than that it seems to be in good working order. Excited to get the new bulbs in it tomorrow.

I am looking for a happy medium...as a child of the 70's i don't mind a bit of day-glo lol...when my new fixture and bulbs arrive, i will hopefully like the results..something in between day'glo and too yellow/white. I have a Nikon D700 (b/c i am a portrait photographer) so i am hoping that once i have the tank the way i want that i can post pics here.

pretty!

Okay...thank you for clarifying lol! I ended up ordering the coralife 48" that will not need to be suspended. I just need to replace the bulbs when it arrives if i don't think they will work well.. Thanks for your assistance..i am glad everyone here is so helpful! We have been 'casual' hobbyists for awhile. I have had freshwater fish since i was a kid. We've also got 3 dogs, a hermit crab and a rabbit but my husband is retiring and it will give us more time to 'fancy up' the 72gl...hopefully!

Good grief..i didn't intend to start a battle....thanks for the help.

So sad! Prayers for his family and friends.

Grim reefer is the one who recommended the light set up in my first post..i didn't want to bug him again to tell him we can't hang the lights...and that last KZ new generation...i don't know if that's a white light or not and some people were saying they aren't worth the money...again..i have NO clue. I think i want it to look more on the blue side than yellowish but not like when you have just moonlights on..that's too blue!...thanks again everyone for your patience...i think that link i posted above is the one i am leaning toward...but it comes with lights...i don't know what kinds to get to replace the ones that come with it since they are just 'ordinary'.

Yes i have heard mixed comments about LED...but i did see a fixture that holds LED, T5 and some other kind of lights...it was over 500...not by much...

PS..husband's eyes glazed over when i mentioned 'retrofit' or DIY...he's awesome but...not so much where the tanks are concerned lol!

Can i get different lights for this? http://www.marineandreef.com/ShoppingCart.asp?

Wow...thank you..i am just glad anyone answered! I have been posting on various forums about this lately and either i am told to do a 'search' (which i would if i know what i was searching for lol!) or i have absolutely no idea what they are talking about....so....yes..something similar to the JBJ that sits over the tank (doesn't hang from ceiling) The JBJ is about 8yrs old now and the plexi glass is cracked and we've had to replace the fans on it..we just don't know how much longer it's going to last and we are NOT handy at all...so that is why we thought we'd just get a whole new fixture. What i am confused about is the wattage and the different kinds of bulbs and if different brands would fit into whatever fixture i get.

Hi. I haven't been absent from the forums for a long time...mainly b/c of work etc...but it's time to upgrade my lights. Right now i have a 72gl bowfront with fish and some softies. I have the standard JBJ fixture that's been running 65w cf's for about 7-8 years. I think i want to go with T5. Someone recommended "4 lamp ATI Sunpower or Tek light with 2 ATI Blue Plus, 1 ATI Purple Plus and a KZ New Generation"....b/c i am NOT at all techie or a DIY kind of person, i had to google this and it looks like the ATI fixtures hang from the ceiling...and that's not an option. so...my tank is about 21" deep and the JBJ i have now is 48". Is there a comparable recommendation someone could make that doesn't hang from the ceiling? Also if you could be specific on the wattage, that would be great too. There are SO many different kinds of bulbs and fixtures that my head is going to explode. If i can keep this under 500 bucks, that would be good too. My 'dream' is to have a LOT of color but mostly with mushrooms, ricordia and other really vibrant softies...THANKS!!! Also, if you could provide links to what you're talking about, that would be great too. THANKS in advance!!!

Nice work...hope you don't mind an observation (i am a photographer by trade) but some look to be out of gamut and might not print well. Congrats on your wedding!!!

Really nice! I am enjoying the photos i am seeing posted here...i am new to WAMAS and didn't realize this forum was here lol!