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Need Feedback On E-Bay Lighting

mfisher2112

mfisher2112

I'd have to go with Absinthe on this one. If it seems to good to be true, it probably is.

However, in the interest of fairness, they DO have a return guarantee, but you pay a 20% restocking fee plus return shipping costs, which could total just about half of the purchase price.

Plus, I'm not too sure about only 1 250w halide on a 36" fixture. That seems to me that it would provide an aweful lot of intense lighting dead center, and fade quite a bit to the outer edges.

The made in China thing bugs me a bit too.

Just my opinions, though.
 
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PaulM

Yeah I would rather pay more I guess than have to rebuild my house because the light burnt it down.
What would everyones recommendation be for a light fixture. I am setting up a 70 gallon Oceanic Tec series tank, I would like to be able to keep almost anything. I don't want my light to be limiting my live stock choices. I would love to just buy the solaris but my fiancee would kill me. It took a lot of convincing to just let me get the tank..
 
mfisher2112

mfisher2112

Well, if you are handy and can put together an inexpensive canopy for it, you can go retro and configure it a little at a time anyway you want.

I have a nova extreme T5HO fixture, and I have found nothing I can't keep under it yet, including a crocea clam, alveopora, acros, monti caps, zoas, etc. Sometimes it's about position in the tank in combination with the lights.

Icecap puts together a good electronic ballast for metal halide, and sunlight supply as well as icecap both do a good job with T5 ballasts. Although, from what I understand, the icecap ballast is primarily designed for VHO, so the T5s don't fare as well on that ballast as they would on one that is designed to power T5s. I could be wrong there, though.

How tall is the tank? That will also dictate what wattage you need to worry about with metal hallide.
 
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harryk

Usually you get what you pay for, but not always. With large expensive purchases like MH lighting i would probably buy one of the name brands from one of the larger stores. like DFS and such. Usually you can pick one up in one of the selling forums in any of the reef sites for a great price. Good luck
 
D

depitch039

;D Hi Harry,

I would be very suspicious of a knockoff fixture like that even if price is good.

Check out LFS like Aquatic Obsessions when they have their sale in Oct.

Or websites like www.petmountain.com for a good deal.

HTH

Doug 8)
 
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