Noob Lighting

[freddy4130]

K. Since i am a total noob I need some answers here. All I get is acronyms and abbreviated terms when it comes to people's descriptions of lights. Can someone point me in the direction of a good breakdown (with pics possibly) of all the different lighting mess?

Is it possible to use some standard lamp housings as your lighting if you replace the bulbs? Do you have to replace the lamp's "innards?" What exactly is the ballast of the light? Do all lights have ballasts or just ones that are super duper reef lights? Are some of the super duper reef lights compatible with regular old lighting fixtures?

BTW, I am totally a noob.

 

[jaydm93teg]

PC.....power compact lighting, cheaper and these you can keep pretty much all soft and low light corals.

T5....T5 is actually the type of bulb if you get a T5 set up you want each bulb to have its own reflector(metal plate around the bulb reflecting all of the light from the bulb down into the tank)

MH....Metal Halides im not too familiar with these because i have never really worked with them but im sure you can go google Metal Halide reef lighting and you should get a decent article


hopefully now you have enough info to google the names and types of the lighting. What type of corals are your trying to keep in your tank?

 

[xyzpdq0121]

To answer the second part of your question.... No, No and no. You can not use "normal" fixtures for reef lighting. A ballast is a high wattage "box" that takes the current from your wall outlet and turns it into something the lights can use. They are pretty specific to what type of lighting you are going to use and what wattage. As Tyler suggested, you need to know what you want your end result of your reef to be before you can decide on lighting. Do you want to have corals? If so, what type? Do you like your light color to be white or more blue? How much do you want to spend? What size tank is this going over?

There are pros and cons to each of the lighting types. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/setup/lighting/index.htm">This</a> and [IMG]http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/setup/lighting/fixtures.htm">this</a> is a good place to start reading. (The whole site in general is a good site for information.) I also suggest you invest in a good book to get you past some of the basis in all of this hobby. [IMG]http://www.amazon.com/Conscientious-Marine-Aquarist-Commonsense-Successful/dp/1890087025/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1227309181&sr=8-3">This</a> is a good book to start with for cheap.

Last, to add on to Tylers post above... There is one type of lighting that he left out. VHO lighting. VHO = Very High Output. It is kind of like T-5 lighting but larger. Works better for fish only systems without coral or supplimental lighting.

 

[freddy4130]

I have no idea right now. I am just more interested in the aesthetics of my aquarium than anything else. I will figure out all the livestock stuff once I have an aquarium set up that does not resemble a water treatment plant. My wife really does not want me doing anything in our house that looks like it requires guys in overalls to take care of.

I am not really into the look of most of the lighting fixtures or the aquarium stands and canopies. I am looking to find some way to incorporate regular light fixtures into the aquarium. If then I am only able to put in certain livestock, then so be it. Ill figure out how to post some pics and show you what I mean.

I have realized, during my research, that I like everything about this hobby that is inside the tank and nothing that is outside of it. I must do more research.

 

[freddy4130]

I know that sounded lame. What I meant was that I will decide, based on the type of light I use, what type of livestock to put in the tank. I would not try to put something in my tank that cannot survive under my lighting. I think I am making myself look mildly dumb. I am not, I assure you. I will post some pics of the fixtures I would like and see if anyone has references for retrofitting the required lights. I guess that is what I mean.

 

[jaydm93teg]

naaa you dont sound dumb you sound like you know what you want and u seem pretty determined to get to that look, post up some pics you would be amazed and what the people on here can come up with.....if you look through some of the "build" threads you will see some pretty crazy stuff, at least i thought it was cool

 

[xyzpdq0121]

Ya, You do not sound dumb at all. Honestly, I think you are going about it a bit backwards (lights before an overall plan). But that is just my opinion and it is not worth much!

Like Tyler said, post a pic of what you are looking for and maybe we can find something that works as the best of both worlds.

 

[freddy4130]

hear ya. It does sound backwards, I agree. I just want to make sure I am not going to end up with something I don't like sitting in my house ya know. There are many choices when it comes to corals and fish and little critters. So I figured I would build something that I like to look at and then decide what critters that design will afford me or lend itself to. Just got home from work. Will post some pics.

 

[freddy4130]

K. Here is one that I have a question about for instance. Can I use something like this on ANYTHING reef related? If so, I could use any type of lamp or light fixture right?

 

[freddy4130]

or this?

 

[skriz]

If you want to use "normal fixtures", then you can use one type of lighting that was left out by big B and lil T: NO lighting (normal output). Check out http://www.garf.org">www.garf.org</a> to see what you can accomplish with 'no' lighting.

If you don't want a canopy, then you can get premade fixtures that are easy to use and look nice.

 

[freddy4130]

sorry. I got jacked. I am not stupid enough to think that would work. I was still linked through google. Here.
Sorry, not those. I got jacked. I was still in the google window. Here are the real links.

 

[freddy4130]

 

[drnecropolis]

Don't think those will work

 

[skriz]

Instead of wasting your time with that, you'd be better off with one of these: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3733+13733&pcatid=13733">http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+3733+13733&pcatid=13733</a>

the 12" fixture is only $50, including bulbs!

 

[freddy4130]

I know that IF is a HUGE word, but if what I read in the above article is true about the perfect lighting for a reef; and these bulbs do what they say they do then they are perfect. So someone tell me why they are not. I am so confused right now. They claim a CRI of 94 and 5900K. Is that not perfect? Well, it is according to the article about lighting I just read.


http://www.fullspectrumsolutions.com/compact_fluorescent_32_ctg.htm">http://www.fullspectrumsolutions.com/compact_fluorescent_32_ctg.htm</a>

Also, another concern I have is that when I google say VHO lighting, the ONLY industry that pops into the results is the aquarium industry. Why is that? It would seem that natural sunlight imitating lights would be used in almost all applications of lighting. But I only get the aquarium lighting results. It would lead one to believe that the aquarium community may have gotten stuck in the "aquarium lighting" bubble and has not looked outside the box. Obviously, I am wrong, but it is funny.

 

[skriz]

So far you've gotten one thing right and that's that you're wrong!

Let's clear something up for you. What's "perfect" for the aquarium is two-fold:
1. what will sustain life
2. what is aesthetically pleasing to YOU!

If you don't like the look of the tank, you won't look at it...so, what's the point?

Instead of searching around the web for what might</em> work, why don't you decide on what you are trying to acheive and go from there? Are you working with a certain budget? Obviously, aesthetics of the fixture is of no concern, but what else are you looking for?

 

[chefrepo]

Nope. Dont think those will work. I will commend you on trying to think of a different way. Part of the fun of this hobby comes from getting an idea on how to do something and then giving it a try. Sometimes it works sometimes you are going:doh:.Alot of the corals(if that is what you have planned) produce their own food from the light that they get. So having a good set of lights is key. I cant really speak to fish only tanks(tried them..........no luck) so you will have to refer that question to others here. As far as reefs go a great starter set of lights are the power compacts. They are relatively inexpensive, usually easy to find(keep an eye on the "for sale" boards) and come in a variety of different styles that look good on the tank. That is really the only thing that is "outside" of the tank, The rest is hidden by the cabinet and behind the tank. If you do decide to get into reef tanks be careful........its addictive.

 

[freddy4130]

Skriz, chill out. Let's not pretend that you have an emotional attachment to me and you care what I do. Just asking questions. Count to ten, take a deep breath and realize that we are only talking about lights here, not national security. And the entire purpose of the thread is that the aesthetics of the fixture IS GREATLY IMPORTANT TO ME. Thanks.

 

[chefrepo]

Part of the fun of this hobby is coming up with new ways to do something. Sometimes it works and then sometimes :doh:. You will save yourself alot of aggravation and $$$$ by going with a tried and true method of lighting.