Introduction
A lot of entry level and intermediate saltwater hobbyists would like to be able to maintain a "small" reef type aquarium without going full hog on a complete system. However, as they are often told, reef tanks take very special and expensive lighting to keep corals alive. Anyone who has visited the LFS and priced ballasts, bulbs and ML, etc., knows of what I speak. I find it interesting that most .local outlets don't promote an economic approach to reef keeping. It would seem in their best business interests to grow a bigger base of potential customers... oh well. That's kinda the reason I began tinkering with lighting in the first place, I couldn't handle the price tag.
Here's a quick and simple method of adding reef type fluorescent lighting to an existing or new tank. You will need to have a few very basic electrical skills. If you have never held a soldering iron before, don't worry! Wire nuts work just fine and you can leave the soldering approach to those that have the knowledge.
