nellis
New Member
Maybe this post should be under lighting, but this is my first post here so I figured the beginner's section would be more appropriate.
Hello all, my name is Nate, and I've been into planted freshwater tanks for a while, I also have a dart frog vivarium, so reef seems like the natural next step.
I have a 5.5 that I want to do a nano setup in. I'm not exactly sure what corals I'd like to grow yet, but I'd like light to not be a limiting factor. More, is for most intensive purposes, better. The only scenario where this may not be true is with a single MH fixture, whch can't be dimmed, or have half it's light turned off.
I've seen the 70-watt brinks MH customization jobs, but I like having options with lighting (fading/dimming, night viewing). I'd rather go the AH supply route as I've had several great experiences with them, but I'm unsure whether it'll cut the mustard. Even if I could cram 5 13-watt fixtures into a custom hood, what would I be able to grow? I've also read that fluorescent fixtures, aside from the newer, high-end T5s, look kind of dull. Would one of those 14000k astralux bulbs look significantly better?
I've also read some threads about LEDs... both 3mm arrays and the bigger, HID-like LEDs. I'm kind of lost here, but I like the idea of a LED fixture. Plus I hear they look great.
Sorry for the long, rambling post, but I feel like I can't move on to other stages of planning until I figure this part out.
Thanks
-Nate
Hello all, my name is Nate, and I've been into planted freshwater tanks for a while, I also have a dart frog vivarium, so reef seems like the natural next step.
I have a 5.5 that I want to do a nano setup in. I'm not exactly sure what corals I'd like to grow yet, but I'd like light to not be a limiting factor. More, is for most intensive purposes, better. The only scenario where this may not be true is with a single MH fixture, whch can't be dimmed, or have half it's light turned off.
I've seen the 70-watt brinks MH customization jobs, but I like having options with lighting (fading/dimming, night viewing). I'd rather go the AH supply route as I've had several great experiences with them, but I'm unsure whether it'll cut the mustard. Even if I could cram 5 13-watt fixtures into a custom hood, what would I be able to grow? I've also read that fluorescent fixtures, aside from the newer, high-end T5s, look kind of dull. Would one of those 14000k astralux bulbs look significantly better?
I've also read some threads about LEDs... both 3mm arrays and the bigger, HID-like LEDs. I'm kind of lost here, but I like the idea of a LED fixture. Plus I hear they look great.
Sorry for the long, rambling post, but I feel like I can't move on to other stages of planning until I figure this part out.
Thanks
-Nate