[Tanger]

Hi, i went to one of my LFS and i was suggested to get a new light b/c i'm planning on getting a lot more plants for my tank.

My tank is a standard 90 gallon and right now it has a wimpy 40 watt light.

The owner suggested I get The

"48" Coralife Freshwater Aqualight™ Deluxe Series
- Double Linear Strip with 4-65 watt 6,700K™ Compact Fluorescent Lamps Straight Pin Base with Cooling Fans"

I was wondering if anyone has this same light or any other Coralife brands, and if it was a good choice or not?

 

[Tanger]

48" 4x65W Coralife FRESHWATER Aqualight, 4x 6,700K, -Straight Pin

Here is the website i'm going to buy it from... THERE is INFO on the light, too.

I do not know if this website is good but if anyone can suggest a different website please do. I chose this website mainly because it had the cheapest price

 

[spypet]

welcome to PTF Tanger,

that 4x65w is a good budget choice especially since it does not include any useless blue bulbs. since your fixture is probably your biggest investment in a planted tank, take your time making your choice especially since at 48" your tank has the widest variety of fixtures available. I suggest you also consider a 4x96w T5 VHO fixture especially if you plan on using compressed Co2 anytime soon, and especially since your tank is probably 24-30" high.

 

[Tanger]

welcome to PTF Tanger,

that 4x65w is a good budget choice especially since it does not include any useless blue bulbs. since your fixture is probably your biggest investment in a planted tank, take your time making your choice especially since at 48" your tank has the widest variety of fixtures available. I suggest you also consider a 4x96w T5 VHO fixture especially if you plan on using compressed Co2 anytime soon, and especially since your tank is probably 24-30" high.

Where can i find some info on this light?..... is it buy coralife also? and its for freshwater right?

 

[Blacksunshine]

I have half of that fixture. 24" 2x 65w. Grows everything great!
The bulb color temps don't really accentuate the blue or make some red plants pop as they could under other lighting. But I think the functionality of the fixture VS price is great! If the coloring of the bulbs leaves some to be desired you could always swap out 2 of them for higher color temp bulbs such as 8000K-10,000K. And that would give you a nice color range and still be totally useable for your planted tank.

 

[Ryzilla]

welcome to PTF Tanger,

. I suggest you also consider a 4x96w T5 VHO fixture especially if you plan on using compressed Co2 anytime soon, and especially since your tank is probably 24-30" high.

4x54w is t5.. the 90g is 25 1/2" hihg I believe.

 

[spypet]

here's an example of a 4x96 T5 VHO, but at over $600 you might want to stick with 4x65 or 6x65
Addictive Aquatics: PFO PolypLight 49" with 4 96 Hood - no bulbs - IceCap660
depending on your tank dimension; Tanger, it would help if you told us already, instead of guessing

90gal can be 48x24x18high or 48x18x24high. if it's 18" high then 4x96 will be fine, or you can use
three 2x64's to achieve 6x65 because the tank is 24" deep. if it's 24" high then you're stuck with
whatever you can affordably squeeze into one long fixture.

Tanger, I'm sorry I ramble. your original choice is fine. I just like weighing my options for a while.

 

[original kuhli]

The Sunlight supply Tek lights and the Current USA T5's on Drs Foster and Smith are also a good option. I just purchased a 4*56W on ebay from Ocean's notions. I went with the T5s because they're supposed to run a lot cooler than the compact fluorescent fixtures. Also, the T5HO output is more efficient than are the CFs. I haven't done the diligence on looking into lumen outputs for various bulbs, but the 4 bulb 4ft T5's are rated as a 10,000 lumen fixture. This is out of the ballpark compared to the <3600 lumens you'd have from a 4 * 40W T12 shoplight!

Also, the Tek lights in particular have a good reputation for quality and have no fans. Right or wrong the lack of fans was a good thing, I can say that the Coralife fixture fans are quiet, I looked into them quite carefully.

Time will tell if this was a good choice...it wasn't cheap!

 

[epicfish]

The Teks won't disappoint you. =)

 

[Ryzilla]

here's an example of a 4x96 T5 VHO, but at over $600 you might want to stick with 4x65 or 6x65
Addictive Aquatics: PFO PolypLight 49" with 4 96 Hood - no bulbs - IceCap660
depending on your tank dimension; Tanger, it would help if you told us already, instead of guessing

90gal can be 48x24x18high or 48x18x24high. if it's 18" high then 4x96 will be fine, or you can use
three 2x64's to achieve 6x65 because the tank is 24" deep. if it's 24" high then you're stuck with
whatever you can affordably squeeze into one long fixture.

Tanger, I'm sorry I ramble. your original choice is fine. I just like weighing my options for a while.

looked at the link. Its is 4x96w pc, NOT t5. You can mix bulbs in differect configurations though

 

[crazy loaches]

The Icecap 660 VHO ballast will drive T5's also(4 of them). A 54W T5 bulbs will be pushed to 80-85W each. I am planning on doing a 4x54W setup with the 660VHO so I'll have like 340W of light with just 4 T5's. Match them up with the icecap T5 reflectors and you got yourself some nice DIY lighting. Will need to be fan cooled though, unlike the Tek. I plan on lighting my heavily planted 150G with this.

 

[Betowess]

If you want that 4x96 power, might consider just getting a 6x54 Tek and save some money. Believe me, you'll rarely use all six HO tubes on a 90 gallon, but the extra light is nice midday. IMO, 400 watts on a 90G is overkill.