A major consideration for many frag farmers is the issue of cost of startup and operation. When you ask many people what their idea of a frag tank setup is, you will get an explanation involving all these 400 watt metal halide fixtures with high kelvin rating bulbs, extra long raceway style tanks, and the hum of huge external pumps. This is a possible setup, but it would be ridiculously expensive build a setup like this from the get go and expensive to operate. The fact is, you do not have to have 400 watt MH fixtures and those huge custom tanks. A regular 20 long, 30 long (or breeder), and/or 40 breeder would make great frag tanks. The shallower the tank the less intense the light has to be to reach the bottom, thus fewer or lower powered lights and a lower light bill. Things like used tanks, used light fixtures, used power heads, and everything else you can get your hands on will help lower the initial cost. Shallower tanks allow you to use lights such as T5 HO's instead of MH's to get intense lighting that is more evenly distributed, cooler running, and cheaper to operate. Please post any questions or comments you might have. One additional thing to remember is you don't actually have to have a frag "TANK"... you can make a frag shelf. Take an old mag float and glue a piece of eggcrate to it and there you go.
