Help Needed: 125 gal lighting setup

wjfrank07 · 07/20/2008, 08:51 AM

I am upgrading my 75 gal to a 125 gal with footprint 72"W x 18"D x 22"H. I'm trying to decide what I want to do about lighting.

Currently, I have a Coralife Lunar Aqualight (4x 65W PCs: 2 10,000K, 2 Actinic) on the 75 gal. I would like to go with either MH or T5s for the 125 gal.

I have some Xenia, Frogspawn, Pink Bird's Nest, Mushrooms, Zoanthids, and a Blue Acropora placed as high as I can get it. I want to keep somewhat of a mix of things in the 125 gal, but I want to make sure that I will have enough lights to keep whatever I want.

I was thinking of a mix of T5s and HQI MHs, like 4 x 36" T5s (2 in front, 2 in back) and maybe 3 MHs (2 150W MH on the ends, and 1 250W MH in the middle) between the T5s. Probably 14,000 K for the MHs and actinics for the T5s.

I will probably build a canopy with a open top and use retro kits and fans too keep it all cool.

What do you guys think? Should I just go with one type of light over the other? Or is the combination good?

Please recommend retro kits, ballasts, bulbs, online stores and timing schedule. I would like a slightly blue look.

Thanks.

Furnman · 07/20/2008, 10:17 AM

I'm trying to decide on lighting for the same tank. Recently I have become interested in the Aquatinics Constellation T5 light. It seems like there will be less heat and possibly lower power usage. I want to tag allong on this thread to see what others have to say.

wjfrank07 · 07/20/2008, 03:43 PM

Quote:

Aquatinics
I'm trying to decide on lighting for the same tank. Recently I have become interested in the Aquatinics Constellation T5 light. It seems like there will be less heat and possibly lower power usage. I want to tag allong on this thread to see what others have to say.

I did a google search on the Aquatinics Constellation T5's and ran across a forum where people were say that they are better than the TEK T5s, which I thought were suppose to be good.

Seven rows of T5's seems like a ton of light. I would be worried about burning LPS corals. I guess you wouldn't have to use all the rows if it was causing you problems, and you would have a ton of bulb combination possibilities. I will keep that fixture in mind as well.

07/20/2008, 08:51 AM	#1
wjfrank07 Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Central IL Posts: 35	Help Needed: 125 gal lighting setup I am upgrading my 75 gal to a 125 gal with footprint 72"W x 18"D x 22"H. I'm trying to decide what I want to do about lighting. Currently, I have a Coralife Lunar Aqualight (4x 65W PCs: 2 10,000K, 2 Actinic) on the 75 gal. I would like to go with either MH or T5s for the 125 gal. I have some Xenia, Frogspawn, Pink Bird's Nest, Mushrooms, Zoanthids, and a Blue Acropora placed as high as I can get it. I want to keep somewhat of a mix of things in the 125 gal, but I want to make sure that I will have enough lights to keep whatever I want. I was thinking of a mix of T5s and HQI MHs, like 4 x 36" T5s (2 in front, 2 in back) and maybe 3 MHs (2 150W MH on the ends, and 1 250W MH in the middle) between the T5s. Probably 14,000 K for the MHs and actinics for the T5s. I will probably build a canopy with a open top and use retro kits and fans too keep it all cool. What do you guys think? Should I just go with one type of light over the other? Or is the combination good? Please recommend retro kits, ballasts, bulbs, online stores and timing schedule. I would like a slightly blue look. Thanks.

07/20/2008, 10:17 AM	#2
Furnman Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Mass Posts: 106	Aquatinics I'm trying to decide on lighting for the same tank. Recently I have become interested in the Aquatinics Constellation T5 light. It seems like there will be less heat and possibly lower power usage. I want to tag allong on this thread to see what others have to say.