[erica]

I have a 75 gallon that has been running for 3 years. I am upgrading my lighting and leaning toward MH, i just have the standard florescent now. My boyfriend is buying me the unit for my birthday and told me to pick whatever i want. I need some good links to quality lights that some of you professionals have had good luck with. I have never bought equipment offline I have always orderd my equipment from my lfs. However all they reccomend is the ones that you hang from the ceiling and i want one that you mount on the aquarium Please HELP i would like to order the unit tmw, i am ready for more corals and the clam.

[e_baer]

As for lighting, depending on what type of coral you want in the tank, I would go for t-5 lighting. Make sure you get the units wit hteh individual reflector. MH tend to run hot and make the water temp fairly toasty. With the water temp rising, you may have to end up getting a chiller, which is not very cheap!

For these reasons I would go for the t-5 HO lights with individual reflectors. try to get the 6-8 bulb unit.

T-5's run very cool compared to MH and the bulb life is juat around 2 years. A MH bulb is only 8-12 months.

[erica]

i am really wanting to get a clam, and i have always been told they do better with MH. and I also don't want to be limited with my corals. What is the difference in MH and t-5 when it really comes down to it...Has any one ever used both and now prefer one over the other? I really need some advice and possible links where to order from

[dfurbee]

Erica,
Go for the T5's, you can keep clams with them, and SPS and just about anything, and they stay cool, just as Elliott says.

[Taras1]

Agree with all of the above, though I change my T-5's yearly. The color temperature does change over time more toward the red spectrum. I have softies, SPS and LPS and they all are thriving.

[erica]

ok do you have any recomendations on brands, the only one i am findind in my petsolutions magazine is the nova extreme, any websites you reccomend i want a good fixture? I would like this to be my last upgrade on a 75 gallon.....

[dfurbee]

Nova extreem pro has individual reflectors, which direct more light to the bottom of the tank. Reflectors are important on T5's, they increase the amount of light. This is the fixture I have.

[e_baer]

I believe they increase the light output by almost 300%.

[Taras1]

I've been pleased with my Nova Orbit X-Treme 8 x 54W (48"). This one has one reflector for all 8 bulbs, but I guess the Pro model has individual reflectors. Probably gives better depth penetration, but a 75 really shouldn't have that great a depth to begin with.

[erica]

I am leaning btw the nova Extreme Pro--should i go 6 bulbs or 8? or the Outer Orbit HQI/T5 HO fixtures. The outer orbit has the wh/bl moon lighting. Again i am not wanting to be limited on what i can have as corals. is the moon lighting that important? Any other fixtures i shold consider--this is just what i have found so far.....

[e_baer]

Go 8 bulb.

[jtravapd]

buy a system that uses mh/and t-5 bulbs.....with your tank you would need one that has 2 mh bulbs....to cover im guessing the 4 ft in length...if yo uwant clams and stuff, you could probablly get away with 150watt mh bulbs, if you keep the clams up in the tank...but if you went with 250 watt bulbs, i would think you could probablly put them anywhere in the tank you wanted..