# looking for a good light for my 180 gallon any ideas



## bandit.201 (Mar 25, 2011)

t5 is the type bulb need a good brand


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Is it going to be a planted tank? What's your budget?


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## slurik (Dec 19, 2010)

I use "Current" T5HO bulbs, they lose their nice colour about 2 months sooner (lasts me 10 months) than something terribly fancy, but at 20 bucks a bulb its water down a duck's back to me. Hagen bulbs are good, but run around 35 bucks a bulb. Coralife, I hear great things about them, but unless i special order them, for whatever reason no shops in town do not carry HO versions of them... Weak! So, I just stick to the "Current" brand my small privately owned reef shop carries.

The main reason for this is every bulb is broad spectrum, as long as you have the appropriate colour temperature, its going to be considerably difficult for a bulb to produce less PAR, or more specifically "much" less PAR. Its the brand that suits my budget for what I have available.

I've tried ordering no-name brands of t5HO's off of websites, but every single last time they arrived smashed to smitherines. The companies were always glad to replace them, although I was uninterested in continuing a supply chain that abused my product, and went back to the local shoppe. These bulbs from online sources cost $4.95 plus shipping per unit.


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## WhiteGloveAquatics (Sep 3, 2009)

I found some on ebay for 90 bucks, they are T5HO come with 4 6500K bulbs, its sold for 200 for aquariums but Its a hydro store.
T5 HO Grow Light 48" 4 Ft 4 Lamp 6500K Bulbs Hydroponic - eBay (item 260755266325 end time Apr-18-11 15:18:55 PDT)

"Radiion 44 - T5 HO Fluorescent Grow Light
Specifications:

Dimensions - 47.00" x 13.00" x 2.50"
Includes four 6500K Grow bulbs
Supports standard T5 HO 54W bulbs
Total power - 216 watts
Power cord - 10 ft
Individual reflector for each bulb for max light output
Can be hung horizontal or vertical
Built-in electronic ballasts for high energy efficiency
Built-in hanging wire for easy installation
Extra outlet for daisy chain
Coverage - 6 square feet per fixture
Body color - textured brown"
Best bang for the buck IMO, I ordered 1 for my 75g.
What is the footprint of the tank? I know sun systems makes a 5' 8 bulb t5ho system called the tek light, I got it on my 6' 210 and it works great, My bulbs are a bit more then 20 bucks though for it due to its off size and the brand on bulbs.


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