Halogen Lighting

[dayzofspeed]

I don't think i've ever seen any mention on the forum regarding the use of halogen lights, is there a reason for this, are they totally unsuitable, would love any help regarding this subject......... many thanks

 

[ben1987]

the halogen flood lights can be modified to take a suitable bulb, but by the time you have done it you may aswel just buy a second hand halide pendant which will be better quality and look better.

 

[woody88]

I tried various halogens on my trop tank and they looked good as you can pretty much pick any colour you like. It would be suitable for FOWLR setups too but as for reefs I'm not so sure. Not sure on the par and K levels.

I used mr12 halogen lamps originally which require a 12v 60va transformer. I then tried GU10 halogens so I could lose the transformers.
In the end, after then upgrading to GU10 LEDs , I made up a ballast to run 2x T5 tubes. One daylight and one actinic.

 

[Donya]

I don't think i've ever seen any mention on the forum regarding the use of halogen lights, is there a reason for this

Well, here is one mention, as I have two halogen desk lamps for my various tanks. Both grow macro like crazy for me, and I have used both to light multiple pico tanks at one time.
Pros: cheap fixtures and bulbs (and full spectrum too from what I have read?)
Cons: relatively high Watts in/out ratio and therefore more of heat to have the same amount of useful light as other lighting methods (CFLs, LEDs, even MH I think).

So, they can be cheaper upfront, but the heat will be a problem on high-Wattage systems and the electric bill won't be too fun either.