# 75 gal. tank lighting question



## pchan87 (Jan 19, 2011)

I'm trying to redo my tank since no one has touched it in over a year and I was looking at lighting systems to brighten things up. 

I'm looking at two options for lighting:

1) A used coralife aqua light that takes 4 compact florescent bulbs at 65w a bulb
vs
2)Aqualight High Output T5 Dual Lamp Light Fixture - Double which takes 2 54w bulbs.

My question is which setup would provide better lighting throughout the aquarium, the issue I have with the first option is the price of the compact florescent bulbs because I would have to replace all 4 bulbs which would run 60-80$ and the used unit is about 40$. The second option is priced at 140$ and it includes two bulbs one 10000K Daylight and one Actinic Bluelight HO lamp. So for 20$ more I can get new unit but if the lighting would be superior from the first option I would go with that. 

pretty much trying to go for looks and not growing any plants or coral. 

thanks.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

I have your number 1. Couldn't compare it to anything else, but the HO bulbs do put out a lot of light.


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

On your second option you would still need to replace the actinic as those are for salt tanks and not plants.


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## pchan87 (Jan 19, 2011)

susankat said:


> On your second option you would still need to replace the actinic as those are for salt tanks and not plants.


but the combination of actinic with the daylights would make the aquarium have more of a natural look even if it is a freshwater tank? I'm not trying to grow any plants just going for aesthetics.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

I don't think it looks natural. I had an actinic light for a little while in one of my tanks but, it personal pref.


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## pchan87 (Jan 19, 2011)

jrman83 said:


> I have your number 1. Couldn't compare it to anything else, but the HO bulbs do put out a lot of light.


thank you, that's the general response i've been hearing on another forum but the forum isn't aquarium related so I came here for more knowledgeable assistance.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

I have a HO light on another tank. Now that I think about it, my CFL light doesn't even compare.


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## pchan87 (Jan 19, 2011)

jrman83 said:


> I have a HO light on another tank. Now that I think about it, my CFL light doesn't even compare.


what keeps messing with my mind is the 4 bulbs vs 2 bulbs


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

PC lights need about 4x the Wattage to measure up to the quality of light that a T5HO light puts out. Some of this is the quality of the bulbs, some is the reflective enclosures, and even more is in the types of bulbs used (temp ratings, light spectrum, etc.). My opinion - get the HO. Your power bill will thank you.


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## pchan87 (Jan 19, 2011)

[email protected] said:


> PC lights need about 4x the Wattage to measure up to the quality of light that a T5HO light puts out. Some of this is the quality of the bulbs, some is the reflective enclosures, and even more is in the types of bulbs used (temp ratings, light spectrum, etc.). My opinion - get the HO. Your power bill will thank you.


thanks, looking to purchase the lights tomorrow!


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

pchan87 said:


> what keeps messing with my mind is the 4 bulbs vs 2 bulbs


2 bulbs may cover what you need, just depends on what lighting goal you're trying to achieve.


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

If it's a 4' tank I would be tempted to use 2 tube shop lights from home depot.

they are $10 (or so per fixture) and 6500k tubes are like $5/2 tubes. A 75 can take like 3 fixtures and each tube is 32w or so. So you can get ~180w of 6500k lights over the tank for about $45 plus tax.


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## pchan87 (Jan 19, 2011)

beaslbob said:


> If it's a 4' tank I would be tempted to use 2 tube shop lights from home depot.
> 
> they are $10 (or so per fixture) and 6500k tubes are like $5/2 tubes. A 75 can take like 3 fixtures and each tube is 32w or so. So you can get ~180w of 6500k lights over the tank for about $45 plus tax.


I would def have looked into that but I bought some amazon gc's and will use those towards the lights.


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