best lighting for 125g?

[Skeptic9962]

ended up getting an awsome deal on a 125g AGA with 2 corner overflows. going to go pick it up sometime this week upgrading the 29gal i have into it..so much bigger what it doesnt have is lighting at all...ive never done such a large tank so itll be a big step...but couldnt pass up this deal =P for a mixed reef for that big of a tank do (3) 250w halides? only problem with that is the heat issues...maybe (3) 175w MH? was also thinking of putting (4) 36" atinic T5s in it also. any ideas on lighting for this is apriciated

 

[podboy]

Hey, been planning a 125 upgrade myself, lighting is going to depend on what you want to keep of course, but I've heard anything from 3x 150 to 3 x 250 will work. If you're going to use 3x 250's and supplementation though, you might get too much light for some softies/lps depending on the bulb/reflector combo you go with.

I myself am bouncing back and forth between 3x 250's and 2x 250's. Thing is, I have to decide before I get my tank, because some tanks have one center brace, and some have two. I think I'm leaning towards the 2x250's, since I'll most likely be supplementing with some t5's due to the fact that I'm running phoenix's and I could use a little more red/yellow/maybe actinic in the spectrum. It will also give me an area in the center for some of my lps/softies that don't like that much light, since the phoenix lamps are fairly high par. This will also help me with electricty and heat. Helps not to have to buy another lighting setup too.

Got pics of the new setup? I'm still trying to get my hands on a 125 myself.

 

[NC2WA]

Skeptic,

How tall your 125g tank is. IF it is a standard AGA sized-tank, then the height should be under 30 inches, which mean you use 2x250w MH with a lumenarc reflectors. With these reflectors, you can achieve a PAR value of a 400w MH bulb and not have to worry about heat issues.

When I had a 125g tank I use this setup and was able to keep just about any coral and clams I wanted.

My .02
Kirk

 

[Skeptic9962]

so (2) 250w MH with luminarc reflectors should be fine? would i need any other lighting for daytime to night time transition? couple T5s?

 

[NC2WA]

If it is in your budget to have actinics then I would add a couple of T5s from Tek Sunlight Supply. I have several LPS corals in my tank that are thriving and growing like mad without actinics. I would like to add actinic lighting after my livestock of angelfish is added to my tank.

the type of actinic bulbs you have is dependent on what type of corals (SPS vs LPS) you plan on keeping. If you just want an aesthetic look look then a true actinic 03 bulb (420 nm) is what you want, however if you want to grow out your corals, then a ATI Aquablue bulb or similar is what I would I would research.

 

[Skeptic9962]

yeah for this tank im looking at doing completly mixed reef basically upgrading my 29gal LPS/soft coral tank...in a 125 and then adding SPS/clams in the mix most likely SPS dominant though

 

[mmkeeper]

I have a 75 gal with sps and lps plus zoas and I am using 2 175 mh 20k and get great color and fast growth from all types. I keep my sps high on the rock lps in the middle and zoas and mushroom at sand level.

 

[Skeptic9962]

so probably (3) 175w 20k with (4) 39w T5s would do probably pretty well for what i want it to do for now atleast...that would put me around 5.5wpg

 

[mmkeeper]

Look in the equipment for sale forum. Someone has 3 175 mh ballast and bulb,reflector set forsale.

 

[aquarookie]

Look in the equipment for sale forum. Someone has 3 175 mh ballast and bulb,reflector set forsale.

If you are talking about my triple 175 watt set, it is no longer for sale due to the fact that I ended up using it on my reef. I must say, it is fine for what I am doing (LPS on top and ricordeas/zoas on the bottom), but it is not enough for SPS IMHO. I don't know if 250's would reach deeper through the water, but the 175's aren't too terribly bright for such a tall tank. Supplementing with T-5's might help though

so probably (3) 175w 20k with (4) 39w T5s would do probably pretty well for what i want it to do for now atleast...that would put me around 5.5wpg

If you are ever in Burien, you are welcome to stop by and see what the triple 175 watt looks like over my tank and how much light you get in the water.

 

[chadmace]

I have a 125 AGA tank that came with 2x250 MH retros and 2x96w attinics. I just traded the attinics for some SPS and I was running the tank with 2x250 MH. Once I added the 3rd it got alot brighter and the tank looks good in my opinion.

I would go with 3x250 MH. I run Reeflux 12ks. If you only run 2 lights you will have shadows from your braces.

You are going to need a chiller. (Just running my tank with 2 250MH and a fan over the sump my tank would easily get to 82 during the summer. Dont have to worry about it now that I have my chiller.)

 

[ronj]

i would definately go with 3-250 watt halides instead of only two!! i tried that with my old 125g and there were very dim spots in the tank.. also, it is not necessary to have a chiller.. it just depends on the temp of your house...i had 3-250mh's on my 125g and all i had was one fan blowing on them.. my tank never got over 83 degrees even during the hot months!!(it gets alot hotter here than where you are) you may need a chiller, but i would try without it first

 

[chadmace]

I had two large air conditioners running in my house keeping ambient temperature relatively cool. (I dont like the heat...some say I am arctic) and still got to 82. I prefer to keep my reef at 77-78 and fans just didn't do the trick. With my chiller I now have a 1-2 degree swing in my tank max. Then again to each their own. If you got the money I really cant think of one negative to having a chiller other than a slightly larger power bill.

 

[apollothesun]

mogul or hqi 250 watters, that is the question?

 

[ronj]

i like moguls myself..