[zmoney77]

Hi i am trying to buy all the stuff i need for a reef aqurium and i came to lighting and i am unsure on what to buy i want to keep an anemone and also soft corals i found a MH light on ebay eBay: LUMEN MAX™ METAL HALIDE REFLECTOR-- SPS -LPS (item 160092853975 end time May-05-07 10:54:02 PDT)

do you think i could use this and then get some luner lights also

TIA

[pogodzib]

That item is for the reflector only. It looks like it doesn't contain the ballast or socket. A good place to start for looking into lighting is Hellolights.com

What size of a tank are you planning on putting your lighting on? Although MHs are nice to have, they do heat your water up some and are not always the best choice.

[zmoney77]

yah i am setting up a 29g tank could you help me find some i dont want to spend that much money

thanks

[pogodzib]

PC lighting would be the cheapest and you can keep softies, some LPS and BTAs under them, but the coral growth may be slow. The next step up would be (IMO) VHOs, then T5s, followed by MH. I won't even talk about LED lighting since it is really expensive and new. Metal Halides put off alot of heat so you'd need to be careful with them over a 29 gallon tank or you could possibly end up needing to get a chiller ($$$$). If you're not looking to spend a bunch of money, my recommendation would be to look into getting some type of PC/VHO/High Output (HO) T5 retrofit system that you can install in a homemade canopy. On a 12" wide tank like a 29 gallon tank is, you won't have much room to pack the bulbs on top so make sure that you get good reflectors and ballasts.