GARF lighting tips

[Samper]

Talked to a guy who said he bought all of his lighting related stuff from a local hardware store. I'm talking ballast, shop lights, bulbs everything. Said he got the plans and material list from GARF. He didnt remember where exactly. I have been looking all day and didnt see this alleged list. The closed thing I found was at this link:

http://www.garf.org/news20p2.html#plugs

Has anyone made their lighting from a hardware store? If so what did you buy and build? I'm trying to get lighting for my 20g that is not too costly. My coralife 28w 50/50 isnt doing the job.

[Ninong]

Well, let's see, where to start. There is a picture of Mary Jo's 55-gal (48" x 12" x 18") "Bulletproof Reef" tank featured on pages 18-22 of Michael Paletta's Ultimate Marine Aquariums. According to Mary Jo, she has 660 watts of VHO lighting on that tank at this time. She keeps it lit 12 hrs/day. She says that for the past five years she was running three whites and three blues alternating front to back (that would be actinic-whites and super-actinics) but at the time the tank was photographed for that book it was running six super-actinics. From the looks of the photos on her website (and she takes LOTS of photos), it appears that most of them were taken with very strong super-actinic lighting -- either that or there was a lot of photoshopping done to them.

I have no idea what they're recommending on their website, but that's what she's actually running on her famous 55-gal "Bulletproof Reef" tank that she got used in 1996 as a gift.

[Samper]

I'll just go check the hardware stores for a ballast that will handle vho.

[Poseidon]

I don't think you will find one... I didn't anyway. I did order a ballast from Graybar electric that will light ONE 6ft VHO and it cost me $60.00 after shipping. I only needed one anyway since I use it for actinic supplementation to my MH.

[Samper]

I'm just a little worried about my frogspawn, he seems to be doing ok after two weeks. I know now that I don't meet his lighting needs so I keep it really cool at my house and open the drapes to let the sun in.