Cheapest lighting option for t5 option.

[VincentU]

Ok essentially what I’m wondering about is the cheapest way I can acquire a 24” T5HO setup. I know I can go to the pet shop and pay $65 for a fixture and about $30 for the bulb but that’s crazy. $10 on a compact flourecent is much better option.

So from the experiences folks here on the forum what are my options to affordable acquire a 24” T5HO setup? Thanks in advance.

 

[nightanole]

lightyourreptiles is normally the cheapest if you are going for hood bulb combo. Its almost like you are buying the hood and 6500k, and getting the arcadia for free.

other than that you can get a single bulb Sunblaster 904296 NanoTech from amazon for $40.

As for your comment about a $100 t5ho setup vs 2 $10 cfls, You are literally getting 10x the light output, and the bulbs are normally good for well past a year (i some times get 3 years) vs 6 months for a cfl.

 

[dshuld]

How many bulbs are you wanting to go? Though again, I agree with nightanole the sunblaster is good for what it is, you can get the sunblaze supreme 21 for about the same if not less and have no light spill unlike the sunblaster. If you want more then 1 bulb, I'd still go with the sunblaze line of fixtures. I have a 46 over my enclosure though it was originally bought for use over 1 of my 75 gal aquariums.

 

[VincentU]

Double bulb?! To what purpose, is more better? At this point I need to be cheap. A promotion is on the horizon but likely 2 months out. Waiting isn' at all out of the option, so this post may just be starters for reaearch.

I have been listening to the chameleon breeders podcast and it has my cogs turning to improve Milo' s home

 

[dshuld]

The sunblaze and sunblaster series uses the first number for length and second number for bulb count. Both are made by sunlight supply co and are decent "cheap" fixtures. Their "high end" lights are the tek branded ones.

The main difference between the supreme and blaster is the supreme uses and aluminum reflector with no light spill and the blaster uses a coated plastic reflector and has a little bit of light spill. The cost of 2 supremes is about equal to the cost of a 22 anyway if you wanted to add another one later on and would let you have more "adjustability" with spreading the 2 bulbs across the enclosure vs both bulbs in 1 fixture.