Holy COW!!!
 

Okay I am still a newbie on the aqarium scene and that thread is messing with my little brain. In your opinion who makes the best 72" lighting with MH built in? I just want to do it right the first time, and I am upset about the Coralife lighting since it is expensive. If I have to upgrade it in the end, I would almost be better off with the generic lighting and upgrade later...

My next question is what do you buy to upgrade. I did a search and get so many threads that do not help much. I am a strong believer in the search function, but sometimes it makes things so difficult for a newbie that already getting a learning overload. These forums are wonderful for all the info, but sometimes it makes the newbies run away in fear...:surprise:

ULC would also be and acceptable standard and even the VOC german std. As for ballasts there are only a few companies that carry that rating(as well as CSA)

I bought one and had to change out all the ballasts and bulbs after just a few months. If I could go back and do it again I'd buy a better quality one first to avoid massive headaches.

Mine was still working fine, I was just curious to see how big of a difference a ballast could make. I picked up one new ballast and after seeing how much brighter it made the original bulb I had to get two more. That made me wonder about the quality of the bulbs as well. I picked up some 14k Ushio's and the color was much better, although when comparing the original bulbs they were 6 months old.

Which MH fixtures are the best I do not know. I have seen some nice units available but I'm not in the market for one right now so haven't done the research. What I do know is quality lamps and ballast go a long ways.

Go
 

I second, have had a rather distasteful experience with coralife. I bought one of their
metal halide lights and was so frustrated with trying to get in touch with them, as the
light didn't work properly from day 1. My dad said it was a piece of ----. Not what you want to hear once you have it. Anyhow it was an eye-opener to say the least.
________
Honda information

Thanks for the help
 

Well these last posts pretty much made me decide against the generic lighting. I figured just as much but hoped for some reason they were fantastic. I guess when we are financing a 260g tank, we try to save every penny. It seems that everytime we buy something, its $1000 or more, hence the time its taking for this build...

What brand of lights do you guys suggest then?

I see by the link you provided that the 72 inch fixture has compact fluorescents with the MH instead of T5 HO. That to me would be another reason to stay away from it. T5 HOs would give you much better efficiency and more flexibility as to lamp choice. I realize they would just be supplementing the MH, but nevertheless, T5HO would be a better choice as a supplement.

Have you though about a hood or canopy over the tank rather a fixture that sits on the top or hangs from the ceiling?

It's all personal preference but I did the hood to try to match in around the rest of the woodwork plus didn't want the light spilling out. I simply mounted some PFO MH mini-pendents and eventually a T5 retro kit. Could also try Lumenarc reflectors or appears you have some DIY skills build your own (here).

As for brand recommendations. Good; current USA outer orbit, ATI, Maristar by sunlight supply. Great; Geissmen

If you are serious about your corals you have two choices: the all-in-one fixtures like the aquatrader one you were looking at OR building a lighting system a la carte with separate components. There are many good fixtures out there, but the problem with almost all of them are the reflectors IMO.

There are three main components to a good lighting system: bulb, ballast and reflector. Of the three, the reflector is usually overlooked. However, a good reflector can make or break your lighting system by even spreading out the light and preventing any hotspots.

The problem with the MH reflectors in most all-in-one fixtures are their size - they are simply too small to properly spread the light. It's simply a matter of packaging for the manufacturers. The only exception I can think of offhand is the Sfiligoi Infinity which has comparatively gigantic reflectors, but unfortunately not many people can afford it.

Now if you go DIY you'll be able to utilize one of three vastly superior reflectors: Lumenmax, Lumenbright and the grand-daddy Lumenarc.

I understand that some people are uncomfortable doing electrical DIY, and would prefer a pre-assembled fixture. However, much of what you'd be doing with a custom system is simply doing some extra plugging-in and at worst matching the same coloured wires. It is more work if you have to build a hood, but the superior results you'll get will be worth it if you are planning to be in this hobby seriously and for the long haul.