So far I'm pretty happy w/ it.. As I said in another thread, I really wanted to get my hands on a PAR meter to see what I'm actually getting off it, but they're a little pricey for such a goofy little experiment... Guess I'll have to do without.
The sand itself is actually an experiment, else I probably would have used white aragonite (or even BB) - that said, I do enjoy the contrast.
The diatoms have stopped.. Hurrah. Now it's clear and I *think* that some of the corraline that came on the rock is spreading a bit and I've got lots of mermaid cup algae sprouting off the rock.
The lamp itself is supposed to retail at around that price, I got it a little better because I manage the store (and the rep was also feeling generous that day).
Heat is not an issue with the bulb and fan, I'm happy to say. The PC fan runs at around 13V, so it's a little noisy, but I'm not so put out as to throttle it back just yet. The end of the bulb is cool to touch, and when you get to the base of it it's quite uncomfortable but still nothing too worrisome.
One constant complaint I hear about these bulbs is that the "spectrum is wrong and only grow hair algae". I certainly had a long hair algae bloom in my 65 (it just up and died last week, hoorah), but I dislike any argument about "spectrums" when the person making the claim can't be any more specific than that.
I'll post a few pics as the tank matures and we'll see what comes of it, I guess.
