[StirCrazy]

Originally Posted by Aqua-Digital

Well considering "GOOD" ballasts that are able to cope with the spectrum required for Reef tanks, come in at trade cost around $75 before any wiring, quick fire end caps.

Ballasts normally will fire 2 tubes so before you even get off the starting block you are upto $300 trade cost in ballasts before anything else for your 8 lamp set up..

Ballasts don't handle spectrum, they put out current at a voltage. the only deference between cheep ones and expensive ones, is how many years they will last. Also there ,may be better range of input voltage operating range. But yes I didn't include ballasts in my previous post. you can get real good t5 bare ballast for about 40.00 last time I looked.

Originally Posted by Aqua-Digital

Extrusion is very expensive also and so too is UV protected clear acrylic for bulb protection. I wish it was as easy as you say, bend a lump of metal! Hmmm you seen the tooling involved to get cnc precise fixtures?

Add to that, polished single reflectors, electronics etc etc it does not take much to work out where most the cost lies.

extrusion is expensive to make the die for, it is very cheep to produce after that, which is exactly what I posted previously. I was referring to the prototype in the bending as you are not going to make extrusion tooling to see if thats what you want to use.

As for reflectors, if you use the good stuff, and make 12 (12" x 24" ) finished size it would cost me about 15.00 per reflector

Originally Posted by Aqua-Digital

If you can find tubes for $5 a piece ($40 stated 8 x 5 ) that produce the correct spectrum also, I will buy 1,000 from you today!!

To get a lamp less than $500 I would be very concerned to what i was buying.

Remember you cant put a shop light in the same category as a lamp for a dedicated reef system, they are two completely different beasts. One is there just to produce a visual illumination, the other is to replicate the natural sun. Not an easy task.

the price on tubes is probably very close to what the manufactures charge the wholesalers for them. If you are a company who is going to be buying a tone of bulbs, or have there own branded bulbs you are going to be buying enough to have them cheep.

as for the difference between a shop light and fish light, only a couple ascetics, and bulbs.

yes there is differences in some of the materials, one might be powder coated steel, the other aluminum.. ballasts, ect... there is not much more in cost aside from ballast and bulbs.

Steve