Tropical Fish Forums

GoldieATX · Members Joined: 02 May 2007 Location: Austin, TX

I know I already posted this question in the Plants section, but I thought maybe some of you DIY-ers might be more likely to read it here.

I am upgrading the lighting in my Eclipse System 6 tank to support a couple of plants (HC will be the most demanding one I've planned). Does anyone have any experience with these options, or any opinion as to which will work best (mostly I'm just concerned about the fit)?

Current USA 15" Sunpaq 32W Kit
AH Supply 24W Kit
Hello Lights 14" Nano Ballast 28W Kit
Build-my-own, using Hello Lights 28/32W ballast, 14" reflector, and 28/32W 6700k bulb

From what I can tell, the last choice is probably the way to go. The AH Supply kit has the benefit of a grounded power cord and low cost. But, I might as well get as much power as I can, so the 28/32W option becomes a little more attractive (but maybe heat becomes a concern?). I'm afraid the Current USA kit might be too big, and it comes with an actinic bulb that would need replacing. Curiously, the Hello Lights kit requires a bulb upgrade as well. So...thoughts?

diademhill · Advisors Joined: 18 Apr 2007

wouldn't it be cheaper to start with a better tank rather than spending a lot on an eclipse 6?

There are some nice cube tanks that take an overhead lamp.

GoldieATX · Members Joined: 02 May 2007 Location: Austin, TX

Yeah, believe me, I've been going back and forth on that exact point. But the eclipse has a couple of things going for it:

1. I already own it, and it's gathering dust otherwise.
2. The small footprint is ideal for my office desk.
3. The integrated filter is adequate for what I want to do, and I already bought a bunch of replacement media for it.
4. I can already picture everything set up in the eclipse tank.

I think I'm gonna go with the 24W kit from AH Supply. I think it will be plenty of light for my purposes, and I had a good experience with their 2x96W kit. And I'd be hard-pressed to put together any new tank (regardless of size) with decent lights and filtration for $55. Hopefully it will fit in the Eclipse enclosure. I'll try to remember to track the progress in a Photo Album thread once I get all the equipment together.