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Cheapest lighting to run??

Y

yuyiboy

[size=10pt]Hello Guys
[size=10pt][size=10pt]I have a question about the price to run lighting in your aquarium.
which i the "Cheapest" overall lighting to run on your reef tank and FOLR tanks,
and still provide the necessary light.
Taking into consideration the price of replacing the lamps and electricity consumed.

Thanks

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Y

yuyiboy

JerseyWendy said:
How big of a tank are we talking about?

I mean if you have zero corals, you can just use good ole' florescent bulbs. ;D
Click to expand...

Well for conversation sake lets say it's a tank 24"h x 12"d and 36"w I think that would be a 60gl?? Not sure.
 
Olivier

Olivier

go to home depot and buy a 6500k light fixture for outdoor. that is good for 60 gallons tank FOLR. I need to take the picture of the light i bought from homedepot for my refugium tank. it is 6500k with on/off light sensor built-in and it is 65 watt or so light.
 
T

tbone212371

Home depot even has a metal halide outdoor fixture for like around $85 with bulb.
They also have CF bulbs around 9000 Kelvin 100 watts for like $10- 15
Those are back in the outdoor security lighting.
They are decent alternatives...
 
Y

yuyiboy

tbone212371 said:
Home depot even has a metal halide outdoor fixture for like around $85 with bulb.
They also have CF bulbs around 9000 Kelvin 100 watts for like $10- 15
Those are back in the outdoor security lighting.
They are decent alternatives...
Click to expand...
That is a great idea, I've even found out that you can get 10,000k bulbs for the under the cabinet lights from HD.
But.... aren't the exterior lights that they sell mercury vapor lights?? aren't those really yellow??
 
T

tbone212371

They do have those but I wouldn't use the sodium... Very yellow...
but they do have a MH fixture..
for under 100 but I dont what the K rating is one the bulb.
I use the higher K rating CF bulbs on my fuges.. and a supplimental on my display
 
shipwrecked

shipwrecked

I have a retro mh setup (magnetic ballast type)all you have to do is change out the socket for mogul base bulb,cheap alternative to "get you going"...later you could change over to a electronic ballast,for around $85
 
Y

yuyiboy

shipwrecked said:
I have a retro mh setup (magnetic ballast type)all you have to do is change out the socket for mogul base bulb,cheap alternative to "get you going"...later you could change over to a electronic ballast,for around $85
Click to expand...

That sounds interesting!! do you have a pic?? or a link?? :)
 
JRWOHLER

JRWOHLER

Big difference between FOWLR and Reef Tank
Then you have softies vs LPS vs SPS
Or are you talking fuge.
I mean in my fuge I have a 7 dollar clip on spot light with an incandescent bulb....and I am growing cheato like a pro.
I don't think you want to put any SPS in there though.  ;)
So what do you plan to have in your tank?
I have a 2 bulb T5 light on my fresh water tank.  About a 100 bucks for a 2 bulb fixture.  Pretty cheap and low electricity usage.
I have 8 bulb T5 on my mixed reef.  For the price T5 is cheaper then MH and less heat and less electricity.  You could use VHO and I would guess for DIY you could do cheaper then the fixture I bought.  I think relatively the same price to run. 
MH while you might get a cheap fixture you are going to use more electricity and generate more heat(possibly needing a chiller)
Of course you have LED which is more expensive to start but runs lower electricity, no bulb change, and no heat to speak of(no chiller).
I think you need a bit more of a plan to really figure out what you want.

I would say the 6 bulb 39 W T5 fixture(there are several good brands) would be the overall cheapest to buy and run medium term without exotic needs(or a comparable VHO sett up).  Long term LED lights might turn out to be the cheapest. IMHO
 
blange3

blange3

Big difference between cheapest to run and cheapest to buy. James has done a good job of focusing on cheapest to run in his reply.

I'll just fill in regarding VHO's that part of the savings is you can run without fans in most cases. But if you want to match the PAR of T5 setup, you need more bulbs.

I think if you balance between initial outlay and running costs, T5's will be the best bet. DO NOT run T5's without the fans. I've been experimenting with them on my QT/Frag tank without fans and the bulbs only last 4-6 months.


And no Mr. VHO is not moving to T5's! I still like the VHO colors MUCH better. ;) But I do believe it's costing me a bit more in operating costs.

JRWOHLER said:
Big difference between FOWLR and Reef Tank
Then you have softies vs LPS vs SPS
Or are you talking fuge.
I mean in my fuge I have a 7 dollar clip on spot light with an incandescent bulb....and I am growing cheato like a pro.
I don't think you want to put any SPS in there though. ;)
So what do you plan to have in your tank.
I have a 2 bulb T5 light on my fresh water tank. About a 100 bucks for a 2 bulb fixture. Pretty cheap and low electricity usage.
I have 8 bulb T5 on my mixed reef. For the price T5 is cheaper then MH and less heat and less electricity. You could use VHO and I would guess for DIY you could do cheaper then the fixture I bought. I think relatively the same price to run.
MH while you might get a cheap fixture you are going to use more electricity and generate more heat(possibly needing a chiller)
Of course you have LED which is more expensive to start but runs lower electricity, no bulb change, and no heat to speak of(no chiller).
I think you need a bit more of a plan to really figure out what you want.

I would say the 6 bulb 39 W T5 fixture(there are several good brands) would be the overall cheapest to buy and run medium term without exotic needs(or a comparable VHO sett up). Long term LED lights might turn out to be the cheapest. IMHO
Click to expand...
 
JRWOHLER

JRWOHLER

There is no way to argue with Bill's colors. I guess I need to get a PAR meter at some point. My lights though don't seem to run that hot. But they are suspended and not enclosed so maybe that makes a difference.
 
Y

yuyiboy

That's true but remember we are not calculating purchase price, that can vary a lot.
It's a good thing we are not.... I just saw some LED's and WOW!!!
Mortgage or Light?? Mortgage or Light??

The light came close LOL ;D
 
shipwrecked

shipwrecked

Sorry no links or sites,but since we're neighbors,when your ready I will give you the run down,and it will be great on the budget :)
 
redfishbluefish

redfishbluefish

Officer Emeritus
Officer Emeritus
I’ve never seen this discussed, but wouldn’t the cheapest light be the big light bulb in the sky. With all the green building going on, would it be feasible to pipe in the light from the sun to illuminate your take. Here’s an example of light pipe:

http://www.solartubelight.co.uk/

You would have the initial cost of the pipe but have zero electrical consumption! Especially if this is a FOWLR, with minimal lighting needs.

And now the blue sky part….maybe you could put filters on these to get the “actinic” effect!
 
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