Light bar

[btrader]

I am looking at building a hood for my 55 gal tank. I have been looking at the three stage lighting but really did not want to spend 800+ for it. I was thinking that it would not be that hard to set up a three stage light with everything on three different timers. The lights on the system I was looking at had HQI metal halide, High output T5 florescent, and led moon lights. Is this over kill for a discus tank and do you think I could find the fixtures and bulbs for way cheaper than 800? I really like the idea of the moon lit LED’s. Well if anyone can point me in the right direction I would appreciate it. Brad

[Eddie]

I don't think its overkill. If you want a nice display/show tank, you should have whatever lighting you want. That being said, I have NO idea where to find the fixtures you are looking for, LOL.

[Second Hand Pat]

MH are a overkill for a discus tank in MHO, even for a planted tank and will build up a huge amount of heat in the canopy. My three stage lighting is about 15 inches from the top of the tank (no canopy) and is mounted on the wall. Now this light was for a reef tank and I just converted the tank to a discus tank and plan to only use the T5s and LEDs (no plants). An LED fixture would suit nicely unless you are doing plants. With plants you might consider a T5/LED fixture.

[Larry Bugg]

I wouldn't do the MH either but the shimmer they put out is great. Here is the best site for dyi lighting.

http://www.ahsupply.com/

[Darrell Ward]

You could go with MH if you wanted. I'm thinking of doing it on a 240 gal. myself. You would need to go with one 70 watt fixture, with a double ended 6500k lamp, hung about 8 to 12" above the tank center so it covers most of the tank with light. This could be done with $150 to $200. If you go with higher wattage, more fixtures, or rest the fixture on top of the tank, you will be very unhappy with the heat, and algae growth. LED moonlights could be added to this if you wanted for a bit more cash. Hellolights.com has the perfect MH retro kit for this project. The lamps can be purchased much cheaper from a light bulb company in PA. on Ebay. 70 watt double ended bulbs for around twenty bucks, over half of what they cost elsewhere.

[Darrell Ward]

I forgot to add that you could throw in those T5's on a timer too. You can just build a strip that would house them all that you could hang, but it's really pointless, especially if you also use moonlights. The reason is MH's come on really dim at first, getting brighter as they warm up, similar to what a street light does, so they are not going to come on at full power spooking the fish anyway. The canopy idea is a poor one. I've been there. A canopy resting on your tank is a pain during maintenance, and traps a tremendous amount of heat. If you hang the fixture, you can avoid the heat problem on the tank, and be able to raise the light high enough to cover the tank with light without 2 fixtures (which would be way too intense), or needing a very tall canopy that looks stupid on a small 55 gal.

[Len]

You could try looking at some of Catalina's lighting fixtures. Some are pretty reasonably priced. I have one that has 2 sets of 4 T5's on seperate circuits and a set of dimmable moonlights on a third circuit. They also come with bulbs, so that saves a little $$ as well.

http://www.catalinaaquarium.com/store/index.php?cPath=71

[roybo]

I 1/2 built one for less than $160. for my 50 gal. I bought a current and added 1 led moons.I got fton Autozone.

[Chad Hughes]

These days, the first thing I lok at is how much power a fixture will consume. Back in the day I set up a 125 with MH and CFL. It looked great but used 1200 watts of electricity per hour. With an 8 hours photoperiod, that's 288,000 watts per month. That's the same as running a whole household for one month. Your electric bill will double.

Just something to think about....

[roybo]

Check out my DIY / Current for my 50. Low cost effective, grows plants great,,,, http://www.socalaquascapers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=9217