Lights fell in the tank and electricuted everything.

[thewizzrd]

Not really, but I don't want that to happen so I need your help. I'm going to have an in wall tank so the hood/canopy mounting isn't a problem. My real question is what do i need to light a 125 FOWLR and make it flourish? Mr. Salty, what do you have and how much did it cost you? What all do I need to buy to make it work?

 

[mr . salty]

If it is going to be a fish only,then there really is no minimum lighting requirements.But if you want really good looking growth on your rock,then you should lean more towards the reef lighting. I currently have two 175 watt Mh's with 10k blueline bulbs.Two 48 inch NO flo's,,and two 30 inch flo's. This setup is all DIY,and cost less than $300...

 

[ogitrev]

Personally, I think MH bulbs are too expensive for me so I use VHO. I run an IceCap 660 ballast with 4 48" VHO bulbs. Two are URI actinic bulbs and the other two are URI Super Actinic. This lighting has proven to be very effective for me and I see a lot of neat growth. Also, the URI bulbs have a built in reflector so I didn't need to install a reflector in my hood.
- Og

 

[ogitrev]

Oh yeah....The 4 bulbs are 110 W each for total of 440 watts of VHO.
- Og

 

[sonny]

Most recommend using one MH lamp per 2 feet of tank. Mr. Salty is using two for a six foot tank, which is fine, as long as you put the higher light animals closer to the lamps. VHO lamps need to be replaced once per year when using electronic ballasts like the Icecap (six months when using a magnetic ballast), MH can last up to 18 months. If you are interested in keeping high light corals like some SPS, you could consider using higher wattage lights like 250 or 400 watt MH. When you get into high wattage like that, MH is more cost effective than VHO, and it can definately penetrate deeper into the water. For tanks deeper than 24 inches, MH will be THE choice. The more bulbs you have to replace, the more expensive. Just add it up. The ballasts are similar in cost. If you have a bunch of VHO tubes, you may find it cheaper to use MH. If you choose 10,000 K lamps, you can use only the MH and not use any supplemental lighting.
Sonny