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Lighting decision
I am setting up a 65 gal. tank and need to decide what lighting to use.
I was going to use my 110 watt Sholite and a double-bulb 36" Perfecto light
hood, but my Sholite has been recalled and I will keep the 36" on my already
established 30 gal.
I have narrowed my choices down to two, and both involve building a hood:
either an Ice Cap ballast with three 36" bulbs, or two double-bulb compact
flourescents.
First, the Ice Cap ( all prices from Champion Lighting Supply). For a
ballast, three bulbs,fan, end caps, bulb rack and standoffs, the total would
come to about $370. This would provide about185 watts of light over the
tank, assuming Champion's estimations are correct.
The compact flourescent kits from AH Supply cost $70 each (I would need
two). The setup would use four bulbs, and I could mix and match between 36,
40, and 55 watt bulbs of varying temp. ratings. Bulbs cost from $16 to $27
each, call the total around$225. This provides up to 220 watts of light.
The tank is 36" wide by 24" tall by 18" front-to-back, so room on top
should not be an issue. Pendant lighting is out, though.
I am leaning toward the cf lights for reason of price. I write this to
see if anyone has any other factors they think I should consider. I might
consider options other than these, but I want to order soon. The tank has
gravel and laterite in it, and driftwood I ordered should be here tomorrow
(Thurs.).
Thanks for any suggestions, and comments are welcome.
Pierre Gagne
Kensington, MD
P.S. AH Supply- www.ahsupply.com
Champion Lighting-
www.championlighting.com/cgi-bin/catalog.cgi?page=p02.html&cart_id=316467.1984
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