help me decide on lights, please

[rucnnefish]

I am trying to decide which lighting system would fit my needs for a mixed reef. I have a new 120g AGA. I like the catalina t5 system just because I like the versitiliy of it, But is it overkill in my 24" high tank? Here's the link:http://www.catalinaaquarium.com/product_info.php?cPath=71_156&products_id=1564
But.... then what about the halides? Like This at reefgeek.http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/Me...luxe_Hood_w!_2xMH_Only_by_Hamilton_Technology
Or maybe 24" covered by metal halide and 24" covered by T5ho?
Help me out here people. Please
Thanks,
Andrew

 

[eliterecon14]

Metal Halides are expensive, but are amazing for your tank. You need a fan to blow on the halides to keep them cool, if you have a tank budget then I would go for the T-5's. Have you talked to anyone at the Lfs who owns a reef tank? My friend has seven, I will see him tomorrow so I can likely ask him.
http://www.petsolutions.com/SunPod-HQI-Metal-Halide-Fixtures+I42901060+C33.aspx
Here's a site with great prices and has an awesome metal halide light.
or t-5's which are cheaper and the bulbs aren't so expensive.
http://www.petsolutions.com/Sundial-T5HO+I42901150+C33.aspx

 

[rucnnefish]

Thanks eliterecon14. My LFS is 80 miles away and nobody around here is into saltwater that I know. The 2 LFS's that I do visit will tell you anything just to make a sale, I've already bought too much equipment from them that is practically worthless for this tank. So, I called one of my choices from my first post and they were very helpful. Steered me away from the T5's due to depth restraints, and basically they are going to make me a custom set-up of 2-250 HQI's and 4-T5' for less than what I was looking to pay for the other choices. They were very helpful. Also thanks for your time and willingness to talk with your friend.

 

[soyadrink]

If I was you, I'd go with halides. Get ballasts and just hook them up to a few lumenarc mini reflectors. Truly worth the money

 

[russellaqua]

I personally like MH lights because they give the nice shimmering effect that looks very natural. They are costly to set up, and more wattage is needed over a tank than with T5s. Both have been shown to grow coral exceptionally well. SPS thrive under both. T5s put off less heat, but don't give the shimmer that MH does. In the end I think it's up to your budget and the aesthetics you're looking for. If you're handy you can DIY some MH lighting for waaaaaay cheaper than any pre-made hood. Reflectors aren't that expensive. Ballasts can set you back quite a bit depending on what you get, but it will still be far less expensive than a pre-made hood. I personally use DIY MH on all my tanks.

 

[VisionsSS]

T5's really wouldn't be overkill on any 24"h tank. With them in a mix you would probably want to keep your SPS and high light corals higher in the tank.

I prefer T5's over MH for price, heat, watts, bulb versatility, etc. Some hate the idea of loosing the shimmer of MH. I agree its nice but this can be easily supplimented with a few cheap LED's. Besides if you get MH you will want to add as least a couple T5's for Actinics. Then you have to have two sets of lights preferable at different heights. This can make your light rack or canopy design complicated.

I would recommend a T5 retro kit. Its the cheapest way to go. I found a great deal on a used kit which is not a bad option since you can get all the components separate if you want to upgrade or replace any parts. The whole key to T5's is making sure you get SLR's (Single Light Reflectors). Without them you are not getting near the light you should be out of your T5's. I would also reccomend cramming as many bulbs as you can fit. So if your tank is 24" wide go 8 bulbs.

As far as choosing bulbs. I have not quite mastered the art but if you have the time for some reading this thread might help.
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1340633&perpage=25&pagenumber=1
Unforunately it is SOOO long it has been split but you could almost start anywhere are get good info.

Good luck.

 

[young_skywalker]

MH look incredible on tanks but they are pricey. the best bet would be to combo the lights. the only downside to T5s is the fact that they won't penetrate deeper than 20" in the water column. however, with you sand bed and rock you might not have to worry

 

[rucnnefish]

Thanks everyone. I am going to get 2-250w hqi metal halides on e-ballasts, and 4-54w T5's. I decided on this because I wanted to be able to have room for the sps to grow, and not have to stack them so high up.The T5 programmable hood I was going to get had 12-T5's and the manufacturer of the unit said even with 12 T5's I would have to move the sps near the top, hence the MH choice.Again, Thank you for everyone's input.