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Alright so I'm planning on turning my Mini M into a pico reef. I already have my high tech 29g going and I promised a friend I'd try a reef if he tried a planted tank. So this is me upholding my end of the deal.
I have the Solar Mini M w/ the 4 pin power compact bulb it comes with. Problem is this bulb is obviously suited for freshwater planted tanks and not reefs. Everyone I've talked to has said that if I use it over a reef I'll get a ton of growth but not necessarily great coloring which IMO kind of defeats the point of a reef. I'm not in it for the money so I'm alright with bright colors and slow growth.
Problem #1: I can't find a suitable replacement that will fit the Solar Mini M fixture. Apparently 4 pin power compact bulbs that are 9 5/8" long are not that common. I've found a few quad bulbs but that won't fit either. If I'm not looking in the right places please let me know. Needs to be 20k/actinic instead of 6.7k/10k.
Possible solution: I've seen people do LED retrofits on these things and it would definitely solve my problem. Except that I've never done a retrofit of any kind and kind of don't want to experiment on this expensive fixture. Would it be possible to buy an LED set up that would fit into the canopy of the fixture and some how get it to stay up there ? That way I still get the Solar Mini M look w/ the benefits of LED's. Any body have any experience pulling some thing like this off ? Brand suggestions ?
As always I appreciate all of your comments and suggestions. Hoping some of the lighting God's we have on this forum show in this thread. I realize reefs aren't this forums focus but when it comes to lighting there's no other place I'd rather be getting my information from ! Thanks again guys and gals !
I have the Solar Mini M w/ the 4 pin power compact bulb it comes with. Problem is this bulb is obviously suited for freshwater planted tanks and not reefs. Everyone I've talked to has said that if I use it over a reef I'll get a ton of growth but not necessarily great coloring which IMO kind of defeats the point of a reef. I'm not in it for the money so I'm alright with bright colors and slow growth.
Problem #1: I can't find a suitable replacement that will fit the Solar Mini M fixture. Apparently 4 pin power compact bulbs that are 9 5/8" long are not that common. I've found a few quad bulbs but that won't fit either. If I'm not looking in the right places please let me know. Needs to be 20k/actinic instead of 6.7k/10k.
Possible solution: I've seen people do LED retrofits on these things and it would definitely solve my problem. Except that I've never done a retrofit of any kind and kind of don't want to experiment on this expensive fixture. Would it be possible to buy an LED set up that would fit into the canopy of the fixture and some how get it to stay up there ? That way I still get the Solar Mini M look w/ the benefits of LED's. Any body have any experience pulling some thing like this off ? Brand suggestions ?
As always I appreciate all of your comments and suggestions. Hoping some of the lighting God's we have on this forum show in this thread. I realize reefs aren't this forums focus but when it comes to lighting there's no other place I'd rather be getting my information from ! Thanks again guys and gals !
