Actually, for my first three years in the reef community I used Ultra-Lume 75’s and actinic light tubes. When was the last time you saw Ultra-Lumes advertised? Not sexy anymore. The fact that they work is irrelevant. Marketing, remember? Ask the folks that own Cyclone skimmers about advertising vs. performance and you'll begin to see my point. Now please, don't get me wrong. I like my toyz as much as the next person, but think of how many more you can possess if you keep the second most expensive addition to your marine set-up, under control. That's right, a VHO package isn't cheap! Metal halides are even costlier, not to mention that steel light bar I mentioned a bit ago.
Choose carefully and plan ahead. Look toward the day when you wake up and WANT to cultivate SPS (Soft/Small Polyped Stony) corals, or the like. Unless you know that this isn't in your aquarium future, stick to standard fluorescents and spend the savings on upgrading or buying a great skimmer, not just one that you can afford now. Skimmers? Maybe a future article, but not here and not today. LOL! Right now I am going to have a serious discussion about using pre-manufactured light hoods for lighting a reef system, which is NOT a good choice!
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