125G Lighting for all a Reef

[sparty059]

What type of lighting would I need? I'm going to try and find a few things on craigslist and want to know what the best lighting would be for coral, and fish. I have a 125 Gallon Tall... so it's about 5 1/2 feet wide and 2 1/2 tall... I don't know the exact sizes but I believe that is it. Please let me know.

 

[meowzer]

IMO...go with a metal halide/T5 set up...with that height you will probably want 250Watt metal halides

 

[flower]

Originally Posted by meowzer
http:///forum/post/3297391
IMO...go with a metal halide/T5 set up...with that height you will probably want 250Watt metal halides

I agree on MH lighting, I looked up a 125g tall...60 X 18 X 25
That isn't any deeper than my 90g I use 175w MH with no problems. 250w is really bright and you might have to coax your corals to stand that much light so they don't bleach out. However the 150w would not be strong enough. That's why I opted for right in the middle.

 

[acrylic51]

250W MH would be a good choice an wouldn't be to much light because of the 25" depth of the tank...... With proper acclimation as you should your corals would be fine. 175 with basic reflectors wouldn't dive you good depth penetration IMO.... 250 W MH's

 

[2quills]

If I'm not mistaken, didn't you say your tank was 30" tall before? 2 1/2ft is 30". I know my 120-125G has the same dimensions that Flower posted which is 25" tall. Going by your picture though I'd say yours is 30". Definately would go with 250's for that depth. For mine I think I could do some 175's with some LumenBright reflectors and get away with it. If you want the most options on what you can keep than go with 250"s. But like mentioned before...go with a combo fixture that has some T5 florescents with it. How handy are you at wiring with lighting? You could do retro kits and come up with your own combo if you're into that kinda stuff.

 

[sparty059]

Not too handy, but I was also not handy with plumbing either... or drilling holes in glass... I'm trying to do more and more handy work on things as I have a greater feel of accomplishment and feel proud of the work I did rather than buying it made for me and ready to go! With that being said... would 400W MH be overkill?

 

[meowzer]

400w would be a little much IMO.....try to find 250's....I think you will be good with that
and if you want to make something up.....2Quills and Acrylic are your DIY guys

I'm plug and play LOL

 

[2quills]

Well either way you look at it, if you're planning on keeping your canopy you're gonna have to find a way to rig up the lighint whether it be retro or a plug and play fixture.
400W would probably be a bit too much inside of a canopy...might cause quite a bit of heat issues with the tank. Even with 250's you'll wanna keep a close eye on your temps. 250's are good for tanks of your depth, anything more than 30" and you'd probably want 400's. I'm not a light expert though, just a guy who's done some reading is all.
Meowzer's becoming a good DIY'r. I bet she can walk you through a retro fit, no problem.

 

[meowzer]

Originally Posted by 2Quills
http:///forum/post/3297518
Meowzer's becoming a good DIY'r. I bet she can walk you through a retro fit, no problem.

That's what my hubby is for...I know he would do it for me....I doubt he would do it for you...I have bargaining power with him

I do NOTHING myself...LOL

 

[sparty059]

So realistically... what is the advantage of having my canopy on at all times? I don't want to run the risk of anything catching fire with 250's so should I just take it off? I have acrylic over the top of the tank so it's still not going to have water sitting out in the open if I ultimatly decide to remove the top.

 

[2quills]

Canopies are more or less for decor and a place to mount lighing. You don't really need it at all.
I personally wouldn't use acrylic covers over my aquarium, you could be gaining much more oxygen/gas exchange without them. If you remove the canopy you could cover the tank with egg crate/light diffuser to keep fish from jumping out.

 

[meowzer]

People don't take their canopies off......(I do not have one) They add fans to the ends and stuff like that to draw out the heat...
I also don;t think you should have covers on the tank itself....you should look into eggcrate.....much cooler that way

 

[meowzer]

Originally Posted by 2Quills
http:///forum/post/3297529
Canopies are more or less for decor and a place to mount lighing. You don't really need it at all.
I personally wouldn't use acrylic covers over my aquarium, you could be gaining much more oxygen/gas exchange without them. If you remove the canopy you could cover the tank with egg crate/light diffuser to keep fish from jumping out.
HEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

 

[2quills]

Originally Posted by meowzer
http:///forum/post/3297531
HEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY
Get outta my head!

 

[sparty059]

Well, I can't really remove the cover... it's actually built on it like that. The only covers I could remove are the ones that are cut into the tank... or is that what you're talking about? For example, there is a large square cut out on both parts of the tank and in the middle is a lid for the OF... so it looks like this...
Attachment 245384
That would be the view from the top of the tank... you're saying to remove those 3 covers and just put egg shells there?

 

[meowzer]

Originally Posted by 2Quills
http:///forum/post/3297540
Get outta my head!
LOL...I know...it's weird isn't it....
Sparty...YES...take the acrylic off...put eggcrate....you will have better oxygen exchange....and it will help with the heat
you can get the eggcrate at Home Depot.....it is also called light diffuser

 

[sparty059]

GOTCHA! Thanks for the help!

 

[acrylic51]

Originally Posted by 2Quills
http:///forum/post/3297518
Well either way you look at it, if you're planning on keeping your canopy you're gonna have to find a way to rig up the lighint whether it be retro or a plug and play fixture.
400W would probably be a bit too much inside of a canopy...might cause quite a bit of heat issues with the tank. Even with 250's you'll wanna keep a close eye on your temps. 250's are good for tanks of your depth, anything more than 30" and you'd probably want 400's. I'm not a light expert though, just a guy who's done some reading is all.
Meowzer's becoming a good DIY'r. I bet she can walk you through a retro fit, no problem.
Honestly at a depth of 30" 400W MH's are recommended for the depth penetration...but heat can/is an issue!!!!!!!

 

[meowzer]

Originally Posted by acrylic51
http:///forum/post/3297555
Honestly at a depth of 30" 400W MH's are recommended for the depth penetration...but heat can/is an issue!!!!!!!
My tank is 30" deep......I have 3 250W and 8T5 ho.....seems ok for me

I am not switching lights

 

[acrylic51]

Not saying it isn't, but look at some really indepth lighting studies and it will speak for itself.....With the 250''s and 30" depth put some delicate SPS at the bottom and see what you get.....Better yet a PAR meter and take some readings and you'd be suprised.....I might just have to link some really good sites....I'm pretty sure you've visited Sanjay's lighting site??? Probably hands down the expert in the game in that department.....