Lighting for long tanks that doesn't break the bank.

[Treehrtsme]

I have a 30 gallon bookshelf style tank that I've been looking to get an even amount of light over the stretch of maybe 40 in. I would go with AI blades but you can't really just run off of one and the price is tend to stock up. Initially I was switching between multiple castles or AI primes but with a roughly square light coverage area and just left me with a lot of lights spill. It's not that I'm necessarily broke or anything but the AI blades definitely add up. Has anyone had success with lighting bookshelf tanks. This one would be comparable to a 22 long. I've even been considering buying some cheap Chinese knockoff lights and seeing how they work out.

Any advice or experience would be appreciated, thank you

 

[C_AWOL]

I'm a fan of noopsyches for budget lighting. As of posting its under 200 a light and depending on height you can probably get 30-36" or so of coverage with good par numbers on a tank your size without going for a high %