Easy cheap upgrade on lighting?

[gemini9]

Hey I have a 30 gallon tank with a stock hood light on it. It's just a basic 17w flourescent bulb, 23 inches long and it has a slight purple tinge to it if you look it straight on. Anyway, I wanted to add a few plants or macro algae to the tank to give my aquarium a little more life so I should probably get a better light. Using the same basic stock ballast I have now, is there a better bulb I can buy? Or do I have to upgrade the whole thing? I don't really want to spend allot of money just yet. I only have one fish and would like to get a few more before doing much else to the equipment.

I have no corals yet, but I am planning to have one or two clowns and a anemone, which I understand needs better light. Later down the road, I may look into a zoa or two. But that's awhile yet. I need to stock fish first and since this is a newer tank, my parameters are still in need of improvement.

 

[Reefing Madness]

If your able to find one, I'd be looking for 10k-12k lamps.
But if your planning on an anemone, your going to need T5 or better on the tank, and the ballast you currently have won't run a T5 properly.

 

[gemini9]

Thanks Madness. I was actually looking at a few at lfs today when I got my clown and they had some 24" 10k flourescent tube lights for 30 bucks and I almost bought one. The bulb they had was a 17watt and the lady told me it would be fine, but I don't trust a salesperson to their word. Not sure if you remember my previous battle with nitrates, but they have come down significantly from 160ppm to 20-40 ppm. I plan to soon get the anemone... if upgrading the lights is an affordable option at this point. Bills come first. Play comes second.

 

[Pete polyp]

This would be the cheapest route for you. It will keep corals and anemones happy.

http://www.aquatraders.com/30-inch-4x24W-T5-Aquarium-Light-Fixture-p/52303s.htm

For just a few dollars more you can get this with built in timer, which will make life much easier.

http://www.aquatraders.com/30-inch-4x24W-T5-Aquarium-Light-Digi-Timer-Fixture-p/52323s.htm

They come with bulbs included, so its like getting a free fixture with buying bulbs. I have had a 24" model for almost 2 years without any issues. You might look at ebay for them, sold by topdogsellers. They have better cuatomer service from what I understand.

 

[gemini9]

Will they fit? My tank is 36 x 17 x 12. My current ballast hood stretches all the way across but the bulb is only 24". That Odyssea says it only expands to 34". That's 2" shorter than the length of my tank.

 

[Reefing Madness]

T5 Quad 36" Timer Aquarium Light Strip Marine Reef Coral Cichlid 156W LED Fan HO | eBay
36" Aquarium T5 HO Light 156W LED Reef Fish Coral w Timer CE | eBay

 

[gemini9]

Thanks reefing! I was actually on ebay searching for those just as you sent the links and was looking at the one. I may order that next week. Depends on how much money I make tonight at the show.

 

[Pete polyp]

Will they fit? My tank is 36 x 17 x 12. My current ballast hood stretches all the way across but the bulb is only 24". That Odyssea says it only expands to 34". That's 2" shorter than the length of my tank.

Oh ok. They have 36" also.

 

[Pete polyp]

Thanks reefing! I was actually on ebay searching for those just as you sent the links and was looking at the one. I may order that next week. Depends on how much money I make tonight at the show.

Yep, that will definitely do the job

 

[fishroomlady]

great suggestions there gemini! very reasonable and as mentioned, getting the bulbs too makes it very economical

 

[LetItReef]

Looking to upgrade our lights too. Would this be good to keep Soft and LPS for our 29g? Around $140 at Petco Online:

DESCRIPTION
Current USA Orbit Marine Aquarium LED Light
Right from the start, there's a lot to love about the Current USA Orbit Marine Aquarium LED Light. It's simple, yet fully controllable. Thin and sleek, yet powerful and bright. It can do things you never thought an aquarium light could do - all programmed from the comfort of your couch.
By combining the industry's first dual daylight and dual actinic LED spectrums with our innovative Ramp Timer Pro LED controller, Current USA offers a complete 24 hour aquarium lighting solution. Now you can simulate a gradual sunrise, sunset and customized moonlight like never before. Designed specifically for saltwater aquarium environments, the Current USA Orbit Marine Aquarium LED Light is the perfect choice for marine aquarists at any level.
Amazing control - Featuring control and dynamic lighting aspects you'll have to see to believe, there is almost no limit to what you can do. The Current USA Orbit Marine Aquarium LED Light includes our powerful Ramp Timer Pro LED controller with wireless IR (infrared) remote, providing two independent light channels to program:
24 hour on/off time, ramp up and dim down duration (0-30 minutes)
Minimum and maximum intensity (0-100%), color adjustment
Adjustable moonlight color, brightness and duration
On-demand weather effects including cloud cover, storm with lightning and fading moonlight
Additional memory settings allow up to four customized lighting schedules you can access at any time with one touch. We even pre-programmed two common lighting schedules and two coral acclimation modes to make it easy for your corals to adjust to their new lights. The backlit LCD screen is a thing of beauty, easy-to-read, and makes it simple to program using the IR remote.
Twice the spectrum, twice the effects - The Current USA Orbit Marine Aquarium LED Light packs plenty of power thanks to the industry's first dual daylight and dual actinic multi-chip LEDs. By incorporating two channels of dual color spectrums, we've created a light fixture producing eye popping colors with vibrant shimmer. The combination of 8,000K/12,000K white along with 445nm/460nm actinic blue creates the perfect spectrum for marine fish, inverts, live rock and corals to fluoresce like never before. Utilizing 120 degree lenses, the light spreads uniformly over your entire tank and color blends extremely well. Packaged in a sleek aluminum housing, the Current USA Orbit Marine Aquarium LED Light is a brilliant lighting solution engineered for maximum tank enjoyment.
The perfect fit - Sliding docking legs allow quick and easy adjustments for a wide variety of installations. Easy to install, you can always add additional fixtures to your tank and operate them using a single remote.

 

[Pete polyp]

Looking to upgrade our lights too. Would this be good to keep Soft and LPS for our 29g? Around $140 at Petco Online:

DESCRIPTION
Current USA Orbit Marine Aquarium LED Light
Right from the start, there's a lot to love about the Current USA Orbit Marine Aquarium LED Light. It's simple, yet fully controllable. Thin and sleek, yet powerful and bright. It can do things you never thought an aquarium light could do - all programmed from the comfort of your couch.
By combining the industry's first dual daylight and dual actinic LED spectrums with our innovative Ramp Timer Pro LED controller, Current USA offers a complete 24 hour aquarium lighting solution. Now you can simulate a gradual sunrise, sunset and customized moonlight like never before. Designed specifically for saltwater aquarium environments, the Current USA Orbit Marine Aquarium LED Light is the perfect choice for marine aquarists at any level.
Amazing control - Featuring control and dynamic lighting aspects you'll have to see to believe, there is almost no limit to what you can do. The Current USA Orbit Marine Aquarium LED Light includes our powerful Ramp Timer Pro LED controller with wireless IR (infrared) remote, providing two independent light channels to program:
24 hour on/off time, ramp up and dim down duration (0-30 minutes)
Minimum and maximum intensity (0-100%), color adjustment
Adjustable moonlight color, brightness and duration
On-demand weather effects including cloud cover, storm with lightning and fading moonlight
Additional memory settings allow up to four customized lighting schedules you can access at any time with one touch. We even pre-programmed two common lighting schedules and two coral acclimation modes to make it easy for your corals to adjust to their new lights. The backlit LCD screen is a thing of beauty, easy-to-read, and makes it simple to program using the IR remote.
Twice the spectrum, twice the effects - The Current USA Orbit Marine Aquarium LED Light packs plenty of power thanks to the industry's first dual daylight and dual actinic multi-chip LEDs. By incorporating two channels of dual color spectrums, we've created a light fixture producing eye popping colors with vibrant shimmer. The combination of 8,000K/12,000K white along with 445nm/460nm actinic blue creates the perfect spectrum for marine fish, inverts, live rock and corals to fluoresce like never before. Utilizing 120 degree lenses, the light spreads uniformly over your entire tank and color blends extremely well. Packaged in a sleek aluminum housing, the Current USA Orbit Marine Aquarium LED Light is a brilliant lighting solution engineered for maximum tank enjoyment.
The perfect fit - Sliding docking legs allow quick and easy adjustments for a wide variety of installations. Easy to install, you can always add additional fixtures to your tank and operate them using a single remote.

That's not really a reef capable fixture.

 

[Reefing Madness]

I wouldn't use that thing but for a Fish Only tank. LEDs are not strong at all, at bare minimum, you could use a fixture that had 1w leds in it, but thats the lowest I'd go.
You looking at it because of its ability to adjust about everything?
If not, there are alot more to look at for a lower cost
http://www.ebay.com/itm/165W-Dimmab...757?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a8e50f63d
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2014-Newest...330?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20de417572
http://www.ebay.com/itm/300W-Dimmab...394?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3ce4ab492a

 

[gemini9]

Looking to upgrade our lights too. Would this be good to keep Soft and LPS for our 29g? Around $140 at Petco Online:

DESCRIPTION
Current USA Orbit Marine Aquarium LED Light
Right from the start, there's a lot to love about the Current USA Orbit Marine Aquarium LED Light. It's simple, yet fully controllable. Thin and sleek, yet powerful and bright. It can do things you never thought an aquarium light could do - all programmed from the comfort of your couch.
By combining the industry's first dual daylight and dual actinic LED spectrums with our innovative Ramp Timer Pro LED controller, Current USA offers a complete 24 hour aquarium lighting solution. Now you can simulate a gradual sunrise, sunset and customized moonlight like never before. Designed specifically for saltwater aquarium environments, the Current USA Orbit Marine Aquarium LED Light is the perfect choice for marine aquarists at any level.
Amazing control - Featuring control and dynamic lighting aspects you'll have to see to believe, there is almost no limit to what you can do. The Current USA Orbit Marine Aquarium LED Light includes our powerful Ramp Timer Pro LED controller with wireless IR (infrared) remote, providing two independent light channels to program:
24 hour on/off time, ramp up and dim down duration (0-30 minutes)
Minimum and maximum intensity (0-100%), color adjustment
Adjustable moonlight color, brightness and duration
On-demand weather effects including cloud cover, storm with lightning and fading moonlight
Additional memory settings allow up to four customized lighting schedules you can access at any time with one touch. We even pre-programmed two common lighting schedules and two coral acclimation modes to make it easy for your corals to adjust to their new lights. The backlit LCD screen is a thing of beauty, easy-to-read, and makes it simple to program using the IR remote.
Twice the spectrum, twice the effects - The Current USA Orbit Marine Aquarium LED Light packs plenty of power thanks to the industry's first dual daylight and dual actinic multi-chip LEDs. By incorporating two channels of dual color spectrums, we've created a light fixture producing eye popping colors with vibrant shimmer. The combination of 8,000K/12,000K white along with 445nm/460nm actinic blue creates the perfect spectrum for marine fish, inverts, live rock and corals to fluoresce like never before. Utilizing 120 degree lenses, the light spreads uniformly over your entire tank and color blends extremely well. Packaged in a sleek aluminum housing, the Current USA Orbit Marine Aquarium LED Light is a brilliant lighting solution engineered for maximum tank enjoyment.
The perfect fit - Sliding docking legs allow quick and easy adjustments for a wide variety of installations. Easy to install, you can always add additional fixtures to your tank and operate them using a single remote.

Sounds complicated lol

 

[LetItReef]

I wouldn't use that thing but for a Fish Only tank. LEDs are not strong at all, at bare minimum, you could use a fixture that had 1w leds in it, but thats the lowest I'd go.
You looking at it because of its ability to adjust about everything?
If not, there are alot more to look at for a lower cost
http://www.ebay.com/itm/165W-Dimmab...757?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a8e50f63d
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2014-Newest...330?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20de417572
http://www.ebay.com/itm/300W-Dimmab...394?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3ce4ab492a

Thank you

 

[gemini9]

I ended up ordering one of those 36" odyssea t5 setups for 85 bucks. Has already been shipped!

 

[Pete polyp]

You will be blown away when you turn it on. There's no comparison to your old florescent fixture.

 

[Reefing Madness]

Keep an eye on the lamps, keep a spare new one on hand, so when the spectrum shifts in 6 months, you can throw the new one in to see the difference, before your corals suffer.

 

[Pete polyp]

Keep an eye on the lamps, keep a spare new one on hand, so when the spectrum shifts in 6 months, you can throw the new one in to see the difference, before your corals suffer.

Very true. I would suggest upgrading the bulbs to ati before too long. I kept the stock bulbs for a few months and swapped them for ati bulbs. For your fish only tank the stock bulbs will be great though.

 

[nature786]

Have an emergency back up light.
I had two oddessey fixture in the past and they have the worst ballasts in my opinion.
Keep an eye on the forums for a cheap good LED light.