Revised Equipment List (125 gal)

[azfishgal]

I will probably get two of the 36'' Aqualight T-5 Fluorescent Double Lamp (21 watt, 10,000K Daylight & One true Actinic 03 blue bulb) as they are only $46.77 each. (picture below, but it will be two bulbs, not one) LFS says I an have soft, leathers, and feather dusters. Does anyone have these lights?

Then when I get more money, I would like to upgrade to the 72" Coralife Lunar Aqualight w/two 96 Watt 10,000 Daylight & two 96 watt True Actinic 03 Blue & five 3/4 watt blue moon-glow LED lamps. These are the ones I found for $329.99 (picture below) Are these good for most corals?

 

[saltn00b]

if you are adding a fuge to an existing system, the dead sand will become alive with bacteria just from water flow, but its always nice to seed it with LS from a bag, or better from an existing bed, or maybe even drop a chunk of cured LR down there for a while and then take it out.
i did that very same thing in my recent fuge addition here:
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/247342/saltn00bs-multi-phase-upgrade-diary/20#post_1925798
azfishgal , T-5 are great but only if they are individually reflected bulbs. if not, they are nothing special. two great brands that are , are Tek and Aquactinics. and dont even waste your time and money on PCs , you will be upset with how weak they are.

 

[azfishgal]

Originally Posted by saltn00b
azfishgal , T-5 are great but only if they are individually reflected bulbs. if not, they are nothing special. two great brands that are , are Tek and Aquactinics. and dont even waste your time and money on PCs , you will be upset with how weak they are.
Thanks for the tip. What do you think about the 72" Coralife Lunar Aqualights. Worth the money? On sale for $330. (or is that a PC?)

 

[saltn00b]

the Coralife is PC. Power compacts are the thin bulbs that double back on themselves. im not a fan of coralife lighting to begin with, and IMO PCs are the worst mistake you can make in this hobby. for the same price or even cheaper maybe you can get great T-5s. look up the brands i mentioned, you cant go wrong.
72" is a bit tougher to come up with the right answer, but i have heard of people putting 60" set ups on 72" tanks with no problem. you can also do 2 36" fixtures , which depending on the style may cost more even than the 72" unit from aquactinics (that im getting soon ) are you a DiY-er at all? because retro fitting them gives you endless options to fit your needs exactly. you can do two sides 36", a bunch of 60" stacked, or in a staggered pattern, whichever. if you do, you will likely need to purchase 2 ice cap 660 electronic ballasts to run them.

 

[azfishgal]

Thanks for your help. I'm a DIYer with a lot of things, but not electrical work. My husband is a bit more knowledgable on that so he may be able to help me out. I will look up those items you suggested. Thanks again!

 

[azfishgal]

I was thinking for the powerheads that I'm going to go with two Hydor Koralia #4 (1200gph each) or should I go with the #3 (850gph). Any ideas on the return pump? My lfs said the Little Giant MD4 Pump which I think is 850 gph, so that would give me a total 3250 gph if I go with the #4 powerheads. To much? I haven't factored in the skimmer, but would that even matter. (I just purchased the ASM G-2 In-Sump).
(No sure if anyone will see this as it's an older thread, but I didn't want to start another one.)