faerieannette January 30, 2012 Share January 30, 2012 So I have had two tanks set up for a while with live rock and some coraline algae going on and lots of snails and such. A 120 with two maroon clowns and a pj cardinal and a 80 gallon hex with a blenny. I had standard cheep florescent aquarium lights on them they have since burnt out and currently I have no lights on the actual tanks!! On the hex tank I rigged a aquaclear 50 filter to be an hang on refugee. It has a compact florescent light on it with some cheeto and live rock in there. The 120 does have a clamp lamp with a flood light in the sump but there is nothing going on in there so it is kind of silly at the moment. At one point I had some cup coral, some monti cap frags and mushroom coral in the 120 surviving but not really growing with a desk lamp just pointed at them (in addition to the cheepfloresent light) The 120 has glass lids which I like because it keep evaporation down a bit and keeps my cat out of the tank. The 80 does not have a lid. I lost all my invertebrates when our neighborhood lost power for a week after a hurricane. :-( I plan on having a full reef in the 120 at some point but have been severely limited in terms of being able to invest any money in it. It looks quite sad at the moment. I also hope to have the hex tank contain decorative macro algae and seahorses. Sorry I am all over the place here but my question is can I just place any old light fixture say over the hex tank and just put a high wattage metal halide bulb in it? I was thinking of getting a pretty hanging light or pendent light from a thrift store or home depot and wiring it above the tank. Will that work? Will the wattage be too high hence not safe with the fixture? Will it not generate enough light? like I said this tanks ultimate goal will be for macro algae and seahorses. Thanks, Annette Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind January 30, 2012 Share January 30, 2012 You would have to figure out what wattage bulb you want and then make sure the fixture is rated for it. Most fixtures from a thrift store or home depot would have a standard medium base socket so you would be limited to the size of the MH bulb unless you replaced the socket to a mogul size which is what most aquarium MH bulbs are. You would also have to find a ballast to run the new bulb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefoholic January 30, 2012 Share January 30, 2012 I dunno what your budget is for right now but when it comes to having a reef tank (for the 120 gal) you will need T5s or maybe a MH/T5 combo. I am sure you can DIY it pretty easily at home, especially of your 120gal already has a canopy, it is doable to install some retrofit T5 fixture in there. MH lamps will need a ballast to properly function. So as the T5 fluorescent lamps. Have you done a quick search online? Usually there are good step by step DIY guides or you can have a look at how other people do it for inspiration. I will post some links when I get a chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faerieannette January 30, 2012 Author Share January 30, 2012 Thanks for the info guys. I noticed people talking about ballasts and I was know nothing about them. :-/ I dont actually have a canopy so would have to build one which is another reason i was considering hanging lights. I was thinking something like this http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-202065246/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053 but i see it has a 100 watt max on the bulb. I guess I need to build a hood . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faerieannette January 30, 2012 Author Share January 30, 2012 what about led like http://store.earthled.com/products/earthled-growled-38 ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonnyg January 31, 2012 Share January 31, 2012 Before you buy and start building, do your research. The less money you have to spend, the more it makes sense to spend it in the right direction the first time. If you couldnt afford it the first time, how will you be able to afford to do it again? Shop around and be patient. Ill bet you find a t5 fixture that will fit your tank in days if you look hard enough. And the price will be right. Or if you want to go MH, they are all over the place Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STEVE January 31, 2012 Share January 31, 2012 Do your homework first...be patient. There alot of deals out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coral Hind January 31, 2012 Share January 31, 2012 what about led like http://store.earthle...hled-growled-38 ? That is more for plants and is very high in the red spectrum. The algae would like it but corals would not color up nicely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefoholic January 31, 2012 Share January 31, 2012 ^^ditto. It always works for me to plan it on paper before attempting to build and buy anything. If I were you, I would take some measurements of the tank for a possible canopy design and play in that. You can find very affordable wood and HD and build a retrofit lighting system. Also, just like the others said, read read read, ask ask ask, research the Internet. I am 200% sure you will stumble upon some nice fixture for cheap somewhere. It helped me greatly to look at other peoples tanks. You can also look at TOTMs on reefkeeping.com or advancedaquarist.com too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefoholic January 31, 2012 Share January 31, 2012 Something like this would be nice and adequate for your tank (assuming it is a standard 120 gal) T5 Fixture On the other hand, you can always take these fixtures as guidance and order the parts for a retrofit that you can DIY at home. I hope this helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonnyg January 31, 2012 Share January 31, 2012 Is the 120 a 4ft tank? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faerieannette February 4, 2012 Author Share February 4, 2012 yes it is 4 ft. I am totally down with building somethign from scratch but have no idea where to find good plans and quality cost effective materials. I found thislink which is kinda what I had in mind for the 80 gallon http://reefbuilders.com/2011/07/30/aquarium-lighting-design-led-spotlight-ikea/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smallreef February 4, 2012 Share February 4, 2012 Its pretty interesting... I'm planning on putting a PAR 38 or PAR 30 bulb on my 12g nanocube.... The only thing I dont like about something like that is the light coming out of the top onto the ceiling... but you could use almost any kind of pendant that isnt completely enclosed Look at Homedepot or Lowes or even a specialty light shop there are sooo many options Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trockafella February 4, 2012 Share February 4, 2012 If you use PAR38's, you really not going to have much light going to through the top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trockafella February 4, 2012 Share February 4, 2012 As for find cost effective materials. Nothing wrong with doing so, but make sure you invest wisely the first, otherwise it will cost you more in the end. The reality of this hobby is that it most certainly is NOT cheap at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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