Cheap Metal Halide lighting

I'm looking for some 'inexpensive' Metal Halide lighting for my upcoming 90
gallon. My current 55 gallon (3') has 200 watts of CFL. So I'm looking for
about 350+ watts for the new tank. I've found the odd deal, but by the time
you add up the pieces it's still big $$s. It's also getting harder to get
items shipped to Canada these days, not sure why. The Jebo (542 honkin
watts) look interesting at $299 US, but shipping is an issue with these.
Partly due to the size no doubt.

I'm considering modifying my existing system to except two of 175 MH bulbs
and two 55 watt CFLS. I already the CFL ballasts, but the MH ballasts will
be around $200, MH bulbs $100, new CFL bulbs $40, new reflectors ? $40,
cords & sockets for the MH bulbs ? $50. As you can see I'm already well over
the price of the Jebo and I still have to build it!

Well, the cheap way is to go to crappy tire and pick up some high pressure sodium
and mercuty security lights. The yellow of one cancels the blue of each other.

Or buy used gear. Craigslist.org and ebay is full of failed (or paranoid)
hydroponics setups and if you're careful and patient there are some good
deals out there.

Also check places that reccycle industrial fittings ("green stores")
as shops sometimes refit entire buildings and the lights sometimes show
up here.




--
Need Mercedes parts? http://parts.mbz.org
Richard Sexton | Mercedes stuff: http://mbz.org
1970 280SE, 72 280SE | Home pages: http://rs79.vrx.net
633CSi 250SE/C 300SD | http://aquaria.net http://killi.net

This site:

http://www.aquatraders.com/index.asp...TS&Category=24

has some of the better prices I have seen online for new lighting
equipment. I didn't look into their shipping to Canada. I ordered a UV
sterilizer from them as it was cheap, their shipping costs for the UV
unit were high... Hidden fee economy? Still ended up cheaper than other
low watt UV units elsewhere.


Richard Sexton wrote:
Well, the cheap way is to go to crappy tire and pick up some high pressure sodium
and mercuty security lights. The yellow of one cancels the blue of each other.

Or buy used gear. Craigslist.org and ebay is full of failed (or paranoid)
hydroponics setups and if you're careful and patient there are some good
deals out there.

Also check places that reccycle industrial fittings ("green stores")
as shops sometimes refit entire buildings and the lights sometimes show
up here.




--
Need Mercedes parts? http://parts.mbz.org
Richard Sexton | Mercedes stuff: http://mbz.org
1970 280SE, 72 280SE | Home pages: http://rs79.vrx.net
633CSi 250SE/C 300SD | http://aquaria.net http://killi.net

"Richard Sexton" wrote in message
...
Well, the cheap way is to go to crappy tire and pick up some high pressure
sodium
and mercuty security lights. The yellow of one cancels the blue of each
other.

Or buy used gear. Craigslist.org and ebay is full of failed (or paranoid)
hydroponics setups and if you're careful and patient there are some good
deals out there.

Also check places that reccycle industrial fittings ("green stores")
as shops sometimes refit entire buildings and the lights sometimes show
up here.

Yes I wondered why no one was using the "parking lot" lights. They can be
had for $79 on eBay, complete with bulb.

wrote in message
ups.com...
This site:

http://www.aquatraders.com/index.asp...TS&Category=24

has some of the better prices I have seen online for new lighting
equipment. I didn't look into their shipping to Canada. I ordered a UV
sterilizer from them as it was cheap, their shipping costs for the UV
unit were high... Hidden fee economy? Still ended up cheaper than other
low watt UV units elsewhere.


These are the guys I was considering, but I've read an awful lot about their
ballasts causing fires. There is supposed to be a new and improved model,
but I'm not sure they've solved the problem.

In article . com,
wrote:
This site:

http://www.aquatraders.com/index.asp...TS&Category=24

has some of the better prices I have seen online for new lighting
equipment. I didn't look into their shipping to Canada. I ordered a UV
sterilizer from them as it was cheap, their shipping costs for the UV
unit were high... Hidden fee economy? Still ended up cheaper than other
low watt UV units elsewhere.

Fed-Ex ground is the cheapest courier. USPS or CanPost is cheaper yet (no
brokerage fee). UPS seems to be the most expensive.


--
Need Mercedes parts? http://parts.mbz.org
Richard Sexton | Mercedes stuff: http://mbz.org
1970 280SE, 72 280SE | Home pages: http://rs79.vrx.net
633CSi 250SE/C 300SD | http://aquaria.net http://killi.net

In article , Bill Stock wrote:
"Richard Sexton" wrote in message
...

Yes I wondered why no one was using the "parking lot" lights. They can be
had for $79 on eBay, complete with bulb.

Some people will tell you "wrong spectrum" but when you have 12,000 or
24,000 lumens hitting the water there aint no such thing as wrong spectrum.

About 10 or 15 years ago a guy here (Vinny Kitty?) saidhe was gonna try
a mercury vapour lamp. EVERYONE said it wouldn't work and that it was the
wrong spectrum.

If course eevrybody was wrong and it worked spectacularly well. The color
of light is really really unimportant. The intensity of light is all that
matters.



--
Need Mercedes parts? http://parts.mbz.org
Richard Sexton | Mercedes stuff: http://mbz.org
1970 280SE, 72 280SE | Home pages: http://rs79.vrx.net
633CSi 250SE/C 300SD | http://aquaria.net http://killi.net

what about the look to the owner of the aquarium. I wouldn't want my
tank looking like it was under security lights (HPS) in an industrial
park (even if the plants were huge).



Richard Sexton wrote:
In article , Bill Stock wrote:
"Richard Sexton" wrote in message
...

Yes I wondered why no one was using the "parking lot" lights. They can be
had for $79 on eBay, complete with bulb.

Some people will tell you "wrong spectrum" but when you have 12,000 or
24,000 lumens hitting the water there aint no such thing as wrong spectrum.

About 10 or 15 years ago a guy here (Vinny Kitty?) saidhe was gonna try
a mercury vapour lamp. EVERYONE said it wouldn't work and that it was the
wrong spectrum.

If course eevrybody was wrong and it worked spectacularly well. The color
of light is really really unimportant. The intensity of light is all that
matters.



--
Need Mercedes parts? http://parts.mbz.org
Richard Sexton | Mercedes stuff: http://mbz.org
1970 280SE, 72 280SE | Home pages: http://rs79.vrx.net
633CSi 250SE/C 300SD | http://aquaria.net http://killi.net

wrote in message
ups.com...
what about the look to the owner of the aquarium. I wouldn't want my
tank looking like it was under security lights (HPS) in an industrial
park (even if the plants were huge).

LOL, I'm going to interrogate the fish too! :-)

No, if I went this route I would disassemble the lamps and build a canopy
for the bulbs and reflectors. I would likely mount the ballasts externally
to keep the heat out of the tank. I usually build my own canopy anyway, so
it's no biggy. But the reflectors on these lights don't look that efficient
and I'm not sure if the bulbs have a UV shield. I'd also like an electronic
ballast, which the Odyssea (AquaTraders) are not either.

The Tek Lights (T5 HO) by Sunlight Supply look interesting. The 6 bulb unit
would give me 324 watts and I don't have to build a canopy. Although 6 bulbs
at $20 each could be pricey to replace. I think they have better life
expectancy than Halide though.

In article . com,
wrote:
what about the look to the owner of the aquarium. I wouldn't want my
tank looking like it was under security lights (HPS) in an industrial
park (even if the plants were huge).

Making it look decent is left as an exercise to the reader.


--
Need Mercedes parts? http://parts.mbz.org
Richard Sexton | Mercedes stuff: http://mbz.org
1970 280SE, 72 280SE | Home pages: http://rs79.vrx.net
633CSi 250SE/C 300SD | http://aquaria.net http://killi.net