55 Gallon lighting

So Im setting up my 55 gallon aquarium and my light fixtures are M.I.A. Any inexpensive solutions? I still have the lids that the lights sit on but not sure if I will be using them. I guess it depends on what my options are. Thanks everyone.

depends of what you are needing the lights for? fish only? corals? live plants?

I would like to have plants. i have 2 other aquariums and would be harvesting some plants from them. Nothing overly difficult. Java Fern Banana and a few other hardy plants

gotcha. well then it sounds like you're wanting a low tech planted tank. you may be able to get by with home depot type shop lights.

sweet I may give that a shot

cool. you might want to do some internet research on low tech planted tanks, i think with T8 style light bulbs found in the shop lights, you'll need something like 1.5-2 watts per gallon.

Buy a shop light at Home Depot or Lowe's with good bulbs.

like doctor who said shop light, get some tin foil , and 6,500k t8 bulbs should be 20-25 total. you won't need much light for crypts,java ferns,vals, and sags.

I used 4' shop light with two T8 6500k bulbs on my 120G for a while, but it had a yellowish tint to it... My other tanks have the actual lid fitting lights and these don't match, and I prefer the blue crisp look. I still don't have a fix for this and tried three different bulbs to no avail... Any suggestions, or similar experiences?

try a 10,000k bulb it will give you the more blue you are after, or a antic white 10,000k. plants will photosynsis at 6,500 to 10000k. also remember dawn is around 3,500k midday is 6,500-6,700k and night is 10k.

Also check out craigslist for lighting...I have purchased 6 4' t-5 or power compact sets for under $30 each with the lights and usually spare lights. t-5 bulbs have drop dramatically in price and I have been buying them for about $10 for the 10,000k bulbs and about $12 for the 6700k bulbs. Home depot just started selling the 65ook bulbs for around $6 I have had real good luck on the ge 6500k bulbs t-12 size in my industrial fixtures.