Ideas for Aquarium Lighting

[VeiltailGuy]

curious as to everyone ideas and or preferences on lighting everyone is using in there fish rooms. I have seen everything from strip lights to hardware store reflector lights with power compacts, I have personally used fluorescent ballasts that power up to 2 fluorescent tubes, and strip lights. Wondering if anyone has any other clever cost effective options?

Thanx:exact:

[small_ranchu]

T5HO is very famous now-a-day..

[marlin08]

No real cost effective economical ideas here....but would love to see some ideas, also.

I have the Nova Extreme T5 HO (high output) on a 55g planted "show/display tank" that houses some young shukin. I needed the extra wattage ( it's about 2w per gallon) for the plants.

For a non planted tank, I have the Coralife T-5 strip lights. For a 36" on a 30g tank, it works out to less than 1 watt per gallon.

I will say that the reds on the fish in the 55g with the T-5 HO lights has stayed amazingly red - I really expected them to fade when I got them and kept them inside ( they'd been outside prior and the reds were amazing).
Of course, the lighting may be irrelevant, maybe someone here with more experience can share what would be necessary with lighting to help keep colors from fading? Maybe something a lot more cost effective?