Bought my reef tank.... now what.

one/eighth

one/eighth

Member
So I took the plunge. Paid $212.00 for a 120gal. reef ready tank. Now for the only part I don't know anything about. What type of lights do I need? Its a deep 120 not long. I want to do Fowlr first then slowly do reef. So I want to start out with lights that will support reef so I don't have to buy lights twice. Soooooo I know you all are extremely smart and I hail to you light geniuses
Please HELP!
 
mr_x

mr_x

Active Member
2 x 250 watt halides, with or without actinic supplement, or
an 8 bulb t-5 unit with individual reflectors.
 
one/eighth

one/eighth

Member
Both options would grow anything? or is one better than the other. Sorry to sound so much like an annoying noob. i just want to make sure my money is going towards something useful.
 
veni vidi vici

veni vidi vici

Active Member
Originally Posted by One/Eighth
http:///forum/post/2712144
Both options would grow anything? or is one better than the other. Sorry to sound so much like an annoying noob. i just want to make sure my money is going towards something useful.
LOL there are 2 kinds of people around here when it comes to reef lighting ,You have the MH people in one corner and the T5 people in the other.Both swear one is better than the other.So i would suggest do some research and if you can take a look at some tanks in person with these two different setups.
BTW i have MH's and i love them.I can keep anything i want in my tank as far as lighting requirements are concerned.

Oh yeah, Welcome to SWF.com
 
fishygurl

fishygurl

Active Member
metal halide>t5>pc
*edit* and mh is the only ones that when you have surface water movement (from power heads) you get a shimmer like the real sun beaming down in the ocean! =)
 
one/eighth

one/eighth

Member
Originally Posted by privatejoker
http:///forum/post/2712133
Go with t5's or MH. And by the way $212 for 120 is a good deal.
Thank you. My LFS that sells saltwater is going out of buisness and im buying all of there goods at low prices.
Originally Posted by Mr_X
http:///forum/post/2712136
2 x 250 watt halides, with or without actinic supplement, or
an 8 bulb t-5 unit with individual reflectors.
Ok so 2x250 Halides. Thank you for your help. Now
I must hunt.
 
N

nemo_66

Guest
yea, 2x250 watt is good for a 120. thats what i had when i had mine. good luck. you'll love the shimmer effect. i love mine.
 
privatejoker

privatejoker

Member
I have t5's but I can still understand the MH lighting. The simmer is really nice. The only problem is the heat, with t5's the water goes up about 2 degrees in the summer.
 
one/eighth

one/eighth

Member
im not sure if I will need a chiller. I hope not. I will have the tank in an air controlled room. plus fans in the canopy and blowing on the sump.
Originally Posted by privatejoker
http:///forum/post/2712309
I have t5's but I can still understand the MH lighting. The simmer is really nice. The only problem is the heat, with t5's the water goes up about 2 degrees in the summer.
Are you saying T5s are hotter?
 
jerryatrick

jerryatrick

Active Member
Originally Posted by One/Eighth
http:///forum/post/2712328
im not sure if I will need a chiller. I hope not. I will have the tank in an air controlled room. plus fans in the canopy and blowing on the sump.
Are you saying T5s are hotter?
MH is hotter than t5
 
one/eighth

one/eighth

Member
"This

[hr]
is for a 250 watt metal halide aquarium light that comes with everything shown in the picture. This system comes with a one year warranty on the ballast. This system comes complete with a refurbished 250 watt metal halide probe start ballast, new bulb, new cables and reflector. A new ballast can be installed in the unit for $20 extra. If you would like this option email me so i can list the item with a new ballast. If you have any questions feel free to email me at (email address) or you can call me directly at 317-xxx-xxxx. Buyer pays $20 for shipping inside of the continental US. Check with me before bidding for shipping prices outside of the continental US. We accept money orders and visa/mastercard. We will be accepting paypal by the end of this

[hr]
."
Also can two bulbs run off one ballast or do they need to have one bulb for one ballast?
 
mr_x

mr_x

Active Member
be careful of brand names. i would stay away from generic name fixtures.
i have a sunlight suply dual ballast that runs 2 lamps at once, but if you can, get individual ballasts,so incase 1 goes bad, you aren't completely without light until you can replace it.
if you have a wooden canopy over your tank you can look into a retrofit kit, and tailor it to your needs. otherwise, look for a fixture with names like:
aqua medic
sunlight supply
coralife
current
hamilton
giesemann
pfo
btw- your not going to get a decent metal halide fixture for 80 dollars.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top