regarding lights

[plakat]

hi there, i'm very new to this reef keeping hobby, having only some experience in keeping freshwater fishes. I've done my research for the past few weeks tru this wonderful forum, however i'm still quite stumbled regarding which lighting would be suitable for me. i'm currently setting up a 2x1x1 tank with some soft corals and LPS. Am i right to say that a 2 tubes of 36W actinic & Daylight FL light is suitable for my current setup? BTW wat is PL lights? and would it be better for me to use them? or what would be a better solution for me? thanks alot for the help.

[Maxstar81]

Welcome to the nano club (2ft tank)!

2 ft nia. Get T5 HO (tube size 5, high ouotput).

Our sponsors got sell. (click on my link for DIY example)

Height of 1ft a little short but up 2 personal preference lah.

Do be patient with water cycling!

Hope 2 see ur pics on the members tank thread soon!

[plakat]

hi there, from what i understand T5 HO lights are more expensive then FL/PL lights rite? since i'm on a budget i'll probably give it a miss. oh yeap! thanks for the help though think i'm too lost to understand...1 more question MH is metal halide, FL is Fluro light. but what does PL mean?

[Sotong]

hi there, from what i understand T5 HO lights are more expensive then FL/PL lights rite? since i'm on a budget i'll probably give it a miss. oh yeap! thanks for the help though think i'm too lost to understand...1 more question MH is metal halide, FL is Fluro light. but what does PL mean?

Hi plakat

I've changed from FL to T5 HO. Infact, FL is more expensive in my experience. A tube cost about $40-$45 for white light & actinic... & that will be $90 to change lights every 6mths.

T5 tube ranges from $12 - $40 depending on your need... Can explore AquaMarine on T5 set. $98 for a 2ft 2 tubes lightset. Good buy.

[plakat]

thanks for the insight on the T5 tubes..but i was wondering would PL light be better for my application? since i'm using a shallow 1 ft tank + 2-3inch SB and budget would be my main piority(NSF here). 1 more thing to ask would 2x 36w be sufficient for my tank? maybe if really cannot then i got to up my budget get a T5 tube like bro sotong reccomend..

read up on all the impt stuff liao like initial cycling phase and filtration...now left lighting very confused!help pls!

[c0ol]

thanks for the insight on the T5 tubes..but i was wondering would PL light be better for my application? since i'm using a shallow 1 ft tank + 2-3inch SB and budget would be my main piority(NSF here). 1 more thing to ask would 2x 36w be sufficient for my tank? maybe if really cannot then i got to up my budget get a T5 tube like bro sotong reccomend..

read up on all the impt stuff liao like initial cycling phase and filtration...now left lighting very confused!help pls!

For your tank i think using PL can be sufficent,but if you got the budget get the T5s..worth the money..

My 2 cents

[blueheaven]

PL IMO are not worth it in the long run

The initial cost of the set might be low but the tubes are really expensive

I'll go for T5s

[plakat]

wah...everyone all reccomend T5 making me gian liao....errrmmm btw anyone can give me a rough gauge on the price of 2X36w PL lights(1daylight,1actinic).

[hammy]

hi there, from what i understand T5 HO lights are more expensive then FL/PL lights rite? since i'm on a budget i'll probably give it a miss. oh yeap! thanks for the help though think i'm too lost to understand...1 more question MH is metal halide, FL is Fluro light. but what does PL mean?

PL or sometimes PLC is compact light . stronger than FL in term of penetration power . of course it give out lotsa heat . if u wanna use PL for LPS , i would recommand 2 x 55 watts PL for a 2 feet , however wtch out for heating problem. it cost around 150 dollars for this set up .

the best for 2 feet is still T5 HO , and it range from 98 - 198 dollars . T5 is so much cooler and the maintainance is cheaper option since T5 tubes are more readily available now due to the market demand.

T5 HO has higher penetration power and will be suitable for 2 feet set up .

the above option still need a fan for a reef to thrieve.

unless u wanna spend money on a chiller , MH is not suitable for nano.

[plakat]

thanks alot guys...have since bought a T5HO from AQUAMARIN plus some other gadgets..currently tank up and cycling. will post some pics of my humble tank in the future

[plakat]

was wondering...i have 2 T5 bulbs in my casing with only 1 switch. is it possible for me to on only 1 light at a time without bulb removal tru means of modification??

[godzillaliu88]

i've read tru the thread. theres PL(compact light) OH(high output).

wad abt NO??

[plakat]

was wondering...i have 2 T5 bulbs in my casing with only 1 switch. is it possible for me to on only 1 light at a time without bulb removal tru means of modification??

anyone can shed light on this?

anyway NO is normal output, VHO is very high output. pls correct me if i'm wrong

[Maxstar81]

is it possible for me to on only 1 light at a time

U need to buy 1 more eballast & DIY a bit loh.

[Clownfish]

anyone can shed light on this?

anyway NO is normal output, VHO is very high output. pls correct me if i'm wrong

not possible... usually they use 1 ballast which lights up 2 tubes at once... if u remove 1 of the tube or 1 of the tube fuses, ur light will not light up anymore

[elimmel]

i've read tru the thread. theres PL(compact light) OH(high output).

wad abt NO??

read that HO PL tubes will be out soon? anyone have any idea when or from which manufacturer?

[laona]

hi guys...

jus wanna double check...cos i diy my own t5 HOs..got a used pl light frm a fellow reefer n retrofitted it to a t5 HO..but can only support 1 tube...atinic blue...now e-ballast blow liao.. lookin for replacement e-ballast..

heard that if one of e tube nt inserted in or one of e fuse nt connect...a 2 tube e-ballast won't work?? can some bro shed some light?

cos i think nowadays hard to find 1 tube e-ballast..sigh...btw...any bros got spare 24w e-ballast lying ard nt dun mind sellin off?? thanks..hahaha..

[plakat]

not possible... usually they use 1 ballast which lights up 2 tubes at once... if u remove 1 of the tube or 1 of the tube fuses, ur light will not light up anymore

well actually...it can be done, i'm now running it with only the blue tube(temp) but i wonder will it like cause it to fuse over an extended period.