1000Watt MH For 125G

OK, why wouldn't it work? If there both hung over the tank, not getting any water on them, shouldn't they be the same?
 
Luke it is more a question of FOCUS than anything else. Each fixture will have a focus footprint at a given height. You want the light going straight down into the tank, not striking it at a steep angle. Some of the horticulture reflectors have a fairly wide focus pattern to cover a broad area.

Bean
 
So it would work if it had a good reflector that focused the light straight down. So why are people spending so much money on fixtures if they can get these for 200-300 bux?
 
Luke, you can get VERY GOOD pendants for $200-$300 bucks. Check out the aquatic offerings from Sunlight Supply... LumenArc LumenMax etc.

Also check the police auction sites for used confiscated fixtures taken from pot heads. You can get em for $50-$100

The "expensive" fixtures have more than one bulb and many times have T5, VHO or PC supplimentation and reflectors built in. They also come with ballasts, cooling fans and "styling" to match.

Bean
 
Also, if it is a standard 125, its going to be awkward trying to cover a 6 foot by (18 inch or 24 inch) area with a single bulb. Yes, the light would be insane over the middle, but I think it might look strange at the sides because they will be darker.
 
Bean, these light's i linked to come with ballasts and all included. All you need to do is hang it and its ready. I understand the t5's, vho but for 200-300 i think thats pretty good bang for your buck. With two 400w MH, would i need any other lighting with it?
 
luke33, i'm running 1000w halide with Lumenarc reflector in my 240g Cube 4x4x2. I think 1000w halide will be WAYYYYYY over kill for your 125g tank. 400w should do the job with lumenarc reflector IMO
 
Great info guys, appreciate the help, i'll be going with 2 by 250watt mh's so my whole tank is covered.
 
That depends on your viewing preferences and what color MH bulb you get.

In a nutshell the bluer the bulbs the less PAR they will put out. The more yellow the bulbs, the higher the PAR and better the growth.

Some people like the look of bluer bulbs but want to maximize growth, so the add supplemental lighting in the form of Actinic bulbs.

You could add a few T5 with SLR type reflectors if you want.
 
So the extra lighting would just be for looks. I've got a fixture on it now and i'll add 96w of actinic bulbs. Oh yea, i know what PAR means. I'm also a golfer(and reefer..kinda), appreciate the input. Thanks!
 
A lot of people like the 10k halide + actinic supplements or just plain 14k (well 12-15K depending on what you finally decide on). I've even heard of some people using 20k halides + 10k flourescents.

Also, its sorta tough to just list a K rating as a good color, because there is so much variation between different brands of bulbs.

I love my 14k Hamilton on EVC electric ballast though!
 
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