Moving from a Fowlr to a fish-reef need lighting help

[McCoy5280]

I've had a FOWLR tank now for 7 years and I want to move to a fish-reef mix tank now. I'm not sure what I want to grow in the tank yet...
I know I need to buy new lights but I'm not sure what to get. Any advice would be nice.

I cant spend more the $300 right now.
My tank is a 65g 36L x 18w x 24D

Here's a couple lights i was looking at...

http://www.aquatraders.com/36in-Metal-Halide-HQI-T5-Aquarium-Light-p/54263.htm

http://www.ebay.com/itm/36-234W-T5-...552?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item564e6d2a48

 

[Haulin Oates]

Ahhh a good old lighting debate! This should be fun
I run 2 Evo 120watt panels over my 40 breeder (same dims. Just not as deep) I haven't been happy with my SPS growth, so I'm contemplating running a halide in the center of the 2 panels and just using the blue LEDs. IMO blue LEDs bring out the best color, halides grow the best stonys!

 

[cdrewferd]

You'll have to decide ifyou want to go Metal Halide, MH, or T-5. For an 18" tank you could probably get away with a 4 bulb, but a 6 bulb T-5 would allow you to grow anything you wanted.

MH are going to give off more heat, so if you already have heat issues, then that might not be a good option for you.

Besides lights, what fish do you have now that you want to transition over to reef living?

 

[JuanGutz]

I'm selling a 36" metal halide light for les then half what you can spend, it has 2 150watt metal halide bulbs and LEDs let me know if your interested! Great light pm your number and I can send pics.

 

[McCoy5280]

Heats not an issue for me right now the tanks in my basement and it stays pretty cold down there.
i haven't bought any new fish in awhile since we've been planing the switch over to reef

As for fish right now i only have a
Stripped dog face puffer about 1 1/2 inch's
2 blue damsels
3 Emrald crabs
and a bunch of crabs and snails...

 

[McCoy5280]

Whats a better option for Mh or a T5 setup?

 

[static reef]

ok here is what i would do. contact reekkoi. (chris) he is the owner and can talk you through how many watts you will need to run a tank that size. Halides and t5's are a thing of the past. I have every type of coral you could imagine and they all do great under the led's. They stay cool and they use less electricity. My guess is that you need a 150. I know that he has the new dimmable models now so that you can control the whites and blues. They even run on different plug ins so for another five bucks you can have the blues turn on 30 minutes before the whites and then the whites turn off 30 minutes before the blues. hope this helps.
P.S. I think they run around + or - 350 brand new

 

[Cake_Boss]

MH/T5 are far from a thing of the past. LEDs are just the shiny new toy.

You can get some sweet fixtures from Ebay (Evo knockoffs), for $150. That's 2 for $300, which is your limit!

Mileage may vary on these fixtures though

 

[JuanGutz]

Enough watts from LEDs and with a budget of 300 is gonna be near impossible. An halides aren't a thing of the past on another post many were agreeing that they had much better coral color and growth with halides.

 

[static reef]

ok. I agree led's are the new toy. However they have prooved themselves over and over for me. Spend the money now so that you don't have to replace the bulbs on halides and t5's every 8-12 months. Not to mention that average LED housing takes up much less space above your tank as well. As far as color and coral growth, I have not seen any change at all once I did the switch (a few corals did bleach out for a few weeks but came right back once they got adjusted to the different source). I have heard some people say that some of their sps haven't kept the intense blue colors while running LED's. I guess that''s why you posted though. You are getting a few different opinions huh? metal halides and t5's work great and have forever but, as you can tell I am a huge LED fan. let us know what you choose