New tank

[uofmpaco]

I just changed to a 125 gallon tank but I am afraid my lighting isn't strong enough for my frogspawn and brains. I have a 48 inch with 2 blue actinic 65 watts and 2 12k daylights. I also have a 24 inch with one actinic and one daylight to cover the other side. I think I need more but the metal halide are so expensive. Please help.

 

[seltzerd]

Originally Posted by uofmpaco
http:///forum/post/2599306
I just changed to a 125 gallon tank but I am afraid my lighting isn't strong enough for my frogspawn and brains. I have a 48 inch with 2 blue actinic 65 watts and 2 12k daylights. I also have a 24 inch with one actinic and one daylight to cover the other side. I think I need more but the metal halide are so expensive. Please help.
Are they Fluorescents
A - Normal Output (NO)
B - High Output (HO)
C - Very High Output (VHO)
D - Power Compacts (PC)

 

[uofmpaco]

they are no

 

[seltzerd]

I am by no means an expert, but if my reasoning is correct, I think with NO lights, you are really stuck with fish only. Please someone out there agree or disagree, but NO lights are not gonna cut it in a 125. I would suspect you will need a lot more light than you have

 

[cmaxwell39]

There are a lot of options besides metal halides for a reef tank. Depending on what you want to keep you could go with power compacts (PC) or T5s. With enough PCs you could keep soft corals and LPS. With enough T5 that are individually reflected you could keep anything you wanted.
With NO florescent bulbs you will not be able to keep anything but the least light demanding corals.