So, I'm thinking about a lighting upgrade.

Here's what I have right now:
Tank is about 45 gallons, 24x24x18 (front piece of glass is 24x24)

I currently have three 65w compact fluorescent blubs, split evenly between actinic and daylight (one bulb is dual daylight & actinic, one is daylight, and the other is dual actinic).

I'd like to keep some soft and LPS corals, specifically some frogspawn, maybe some mushroom and/or leather corals. I have a couple of small Zoa frags in there right now. I am not looking at keeping SPS corals in this tank, or at least not in the next year or so.

I have a hood that is well suited for retrofit kits, and want to have my lighting affixed to the lid of the hood so that when I lift the lid, the lighting gets moved out of the way.

I don't have a lot of cash to spend on this project, and I've been looking for deals.

Over on the ReefGeek (http://www.reefgeek.com) web site they have some retrofit kits that look pretty cool and don't seem to be too unreasonably priced. Specifically, I was looking at this 4x24W Tek 2 T5 High-Output Retrofit Kit w/ Bulbs (http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5_Fluorescent/Sunlight_Supply/Tek_2_Retrofit_Kits/24_inch__4x24W_Tek_2_T5_High-Output_Retrofit_Kit_w!_Bulbs_by_Sunlight_Supply) for about $280 before shipping. My problems is that these end up being a little more than I'd like to spend. I got to looking around in the Clearance section of their web site and found a Sunlight Supply 24" Ready Fit: 2-24W T5 HO Retrofit Kit w/ Bulbs (http://www.reefgeek.com/product/24_inch__Ready_Fit:_2-24W_T5_HO_Retrofit_Kit_w!_Bulbs_by_Sunlight_Supply ) for $99 each before shipping. Two of these would bring me in under $200 and is much closer to what I'd like to spend.

So, my questions are:

Are the CF lights good enough and I should just leave well enough alone?
Are the Sunlight Supply fixtures a good deal?
Will the lack of reflectors on the Sunlight Supply fixtures make a big deal?
Is 4 lamps too much, too little, or about right?


I also kind of like the Sunlight Supply fixtures because I wouldn't have to do a lot of wiring or find homes for ballasts. Pretty much just attach them to the lid of my hood and I'm good to go.

The other thing about ReefGeek that might work out for me is that they are only about 30 minutes away from me and allow local pickups, which should save me another $30(ish) in shipping costs.

Any suggestions or alternate solutions are appreciated.

It's great that you can save on shipping. Sometimes that can make all the difference. I think unless you're going to be keeping SPS and clams, individual reflectors aren"t necessary. The 4 bulb fixture would be my choice, since it will give you a lot of flexibility in tuning the color with different bulbs.

For what you intend to keep right now, the PCs are fine. None of those coral are overly light dependant and will be fine. If you want more light loving coral later change the lighting then, unless you have the money now and want to get the upgrade over.

i agree with both Jon and Pearson ... what more can i say ??

I keep the same corals in my NC24 with 2x36W PC bulbs and they do fine.