49 Bowfront lighting

Hey All,
I'm looking to upgrade my lighting. My current lighting is far under par as i'm only running about 1 watt per gallon. I am a college student so my funding is very limited unfortunately. I had my eye on a 442 watt Metal halide/CF/LED combo at aquatraders.com. 220 bucks. Finally pulled together the funds and they are going to be out of stock for about a month!!! Just my luck. They also offer free shipping... The item was an odyssea syetem and i have heard mixed reviews on them but from what i understand is most of the problems were with an older model of the oddyssea system. So for the price I was going to give it a try. I cannot find anywhere else on line that sells the stupid things though! The only other thing i can find is a cheap 250 watt metal halide/moonlight led combo on ebay for about 160. Would this work? The bulb in this is a 15000k double ended bulb. Since I am fairly new to this hobby i've heard alot about different lighting options. Would i need any acnitic lighting??? I want to go metal halide if at all possible just to avoid having to deal with replacing a bunch of bulbs all the time and i love the way they make the water look. Any input would be greatly appreciated!!!

 

Your not going to get anything quality in Halide in that price range. especially that many watts.
If our trying to save money, halide will also cost you more in the long run.

You could get a quality t5 setup for $300 range. You will not get the shimmer effect your wanting though. So if your still wanting halide.

This is not of high qualtiy by anymeans but in that range.
Odyssea 36" 150W Aquarium Lighting Metal Halide HQI Fish Light with LED and Fan

I can tell you in a nut shell about odyssea. Its hit or miss. It is without question cheaply made. The reason why you get mixed reviews on any of them new or old is becuase its so cheap the quality is literally dependent on units. Some people have little issues others have had defective right out of the box. but You will never here the word quality in anyones description of these lights. I know because Ive research and experimented. Not trying to rain on your parade just 100% honest.

I would recommend
http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5...igh-Output_Fixture_(Black)_by_Sunlight_Supply

 

check craigslist in your area.A lot of people are selling their nice stuff cheap.Its worth a try.Just check things well.I personally recommend t5 lighting

 

Reef Lighting (NEP)
Does this look good? I dont want to be limited by my lights so would this give me enough light to grow anything? Or would there be restrictions... If i'm going to invest I would like to make sure i'm spending money on something that is going to give me adequate performance.