Hi guys,
Still in the planning stages of my new set-up (tank still not bought yet) and I am having real difficulties in choosing a lighting set-up.
I'm massively keen on the TMC GroBeam's, I love the way they look and the flexibilty of being able to adjust the power output. I would go and buy some today if they weren't so expensive.
The tank that I'm 99% sure I'm going to get is an opti-white 30' x 18' x 18' (76cm x 45 x 45) and I would like to aim for Medium light, to grow low carpet plants and slightly more demanding stems. So I figured I would need more than just 1 tile, so two tiles and two controllers would be in the region of £440 (or nearer £500ish with the 8 way controller) waaaay too expensive methinks.
Alternatively I could get 2 x GroBeam 500's and only need 1 controller for a total of around £200, so much more reasonable, I could even get another GroBeam to have 3. Would 2 be enough?
And then there's Halide's which I have no experience with, the models I've been looking at have 1 x 70w or 1 x 150w, again I'm not sure which would be more suitable for my proposed tank. The nice brands like Arcadia and Giesemann come in at around £200 - £260.
There's also T5's which I have used before and had success with, nice luminaires like the Arcadia OT2 with 4 x 28w bulbs come in at around £275. The Giesemann's are a bit too pricey.
Any help with the LED's and Halide choices would be great from people with experience as I know less about them than T5's. Ultimatley, I'm trying to identify which is the best value for money, that will provide adequate lighting for a planted tank.
Cheers,
Dan
Still in the planning stages of my new set-up (tank still not bought yet) and I am having real difficulties in choosing a lighting set-up.
I'm massively keen on the TMC GroBeam's, I love the way they look and the flexibilty of being able to adjust the power output. I would go and buy some today if they weren't so expensive.
The tank that I'm 99% sure I'm going to get is an opti-white 30' x 18' x 18' (76cm x 45 x 45) and I would like to aim for Medium light, to grow low carpet plants and slightly more demanding stems. So I figured I would need more than just 1 tile, so two tiles and two controllers would be in the region of £440 (or nearer £500ish with the 8 way controller) waaaay too expensive methinks.
Alternatively I could get 2 x GroBeam 500's and only need 1 controller for a total of around £200, so much more reasonable, I could even get another GroBeam to have 3. Would 2 be enough?
And then there's Halide's which I have no experience with, the models I've been looking at have 1 x 70w or 1 x 150w, again I'm not sure which would be more suitable for my proposed tank. The nice brands like Arcadia and Giesemann come in at around £200 - £260.
There's also T5's which I have used before and had success with, nice luminaires like the Arcadia OT2 with 4 x 28w bulbs come in at around £275. The Giesemann's are a bit too pricey.
Any help with the LED's and Halide choices would be great from people with experience as I know less about them than T5's. Ultimatley, I'm trying to identify which is the best value for money, that will provide adequate lighting for a planted tank.
Cheers,
Dan