question on Lights

[John_A]

I am putting the lights in my canopy today and have a Question its a 125 tank 1 single brace in the middle options are...

A 3 400watt MHs and I can figure something out about the brace

B 2 400watt MHs 1 on each side of the brace

I am wanting to be able to keep pretty much anything I want so opnions are welcome thanks

 

[AdrianBryce]

I say 2 MHs, one on either side of the brace.

or

ditch that tank and get different one that you can easily use all your lights on.

 

[John_A]

lol would love to but as much work as me and the other 2 guys have done in the past 2 days just to start over they might kill me lol 2-400watts should be enough light for pretty much anything correct?

 

[John_A]

I dont really plan on any SPS or anything like that

 

[Jason S]

Yes, it should be fine for anything you want to keep, and could be overkill for some.

Do you already have the lights? If not, I would go T5 myself 8 staggered 80w lights should take care of it, and you will have more choices with color.

 

[John_A]

Yeah already have the lights might be able to sell it or something I plan on putting a frag tank in this setup so might be able to either trade or something for a light for it who knows heh

 

[Pickupman66]

Yea, that should be plenty of lights to keep SPS as well. I think that is close to what i am looking to go with. I have 440wt vho in a bucket now im either going to sell or retro into the new tank whatever it ends up like.

 

[ZachB]

400 watt MH's will probably burn anything even on the bottom of a 125, unless it is very deep. I have 250w MH's hanging 12" over the water's surface on a 23.5" deep tank and SPS are doing well even near the bottom.

 

[John_A]

From bottom of tank to where the lights are mounted in the canopy is 2ft 5inchs roughly

 

[gannmann9876]

you should be able to grow sps your stand with 3 400w halides probably with 2 as well

 

[John_A]

anyone have any suggestions on fans I can use that have good airflow and are quite as well since this is in a living room also what size would you use?

 

[ZachB]

From bottom of tank to where the lights are mounted in the canopy is 2ft 5inchs roughly

400's are too powerful. From bottom of tank to glass on my reflectors is 3 feet with 250's. 400's would be overkill.

 

[Pickupman66]

While I never thought I would say this, there is such a thing as too much light. isnt there a rule of thumb that you should be somewhere between 5 and 8 watts per gallon?

 

[ZachB]

While I never thought I would say this, there is such a thing as too much light. isnt there a rule of thumb that you should be somewhere between 5 and 8 watts per gallon?

I never agreed with this. 5-8 watts per gallon of MH is nothing like 5-8 watts per gallon of PC. VHO is not the same as 5-8 of T5, etc.

 

[John_A]

Maybe i can just get some tinted glass for a splash plate for the bulb heh

 

[NeveSSL]

One MAJOR factory that hasn't been mentioned yet is your reflectors, though.

If you're using cheap reflectors, you won't get a lot of PAR down to the corals.

Yes, Zach is using 250w bulbs with great success, but he also has top of the line reflectors.

If I were you, John, I'd probably sell the 400w MHs and get 250w MHs with good reflectors.

BUT, to answer your original questions, one 400w MH on each side should do fine with a decent reflector. I hope you've got a chiller, too, though.

Brandon

 

[luckyfish]

My concern would be not just the dept of coverage but the length. I don't believe you are going to get good lighting over a six foot tank with just 2 MH bulbs. How big is this brace? I'd think you would need 3. Other than that I agree with Brandon; 250 with efficient reflectors especially if you are not going to focus on SPS.

 

[John_A]

These are the ones I have

 

[luckyfish]

Those are good reflectors and what most folks use. They also run around $30-$40 so they are affordable. There are reflectors that are considered better but they start at over $100 per.

It may have been said before but to add stress to your decision making depending on what you’re keeping, many LPS and softies look very good under T-5s.

 

[ZachB]

$150 for a Lumen Max elite really isn't expensive. You can pick them up used for less. When you figure you get 200%+ more PAR from the reflector at that point, does it make sense to waste another 150 watts of electricity per bulb for a 400 when you can do the same or more with a 250? Not to mention the heat? Plus cooling costs (2 400's on a 120 will probably require a chiller, or many fans). Just a thought.