lighting question

[abushr]

I decided to update my current lights (48in Aquatic Life HO's). I also have an older unit that is the compact florescents (came with tank & didn't like). Both units are on tank....which is why I've finally had it and upgrading. It'll be nice not to have to move a lighting fixture everytime I need to dig around in my tank.

Anyway, I was under the impression i needed 600-700 watts to insure that I could put anything that I take a liking to in my tank. I have a 120gal tank.... 4ft long, 2ft wide and 2 ft deep. I was looking at the new Icecapp Reef Illuminations....but my local fish guy said said I needed more wattage than I thought. He was saying that since my tank is so deep I need 1000-1200 watts to insure I can buy whatever my little heart desires. So now I've decided to get 3 400watt MH fixtures/balasts that I can retro fit to my canopy... I'm adding a 48in blue LED strip for night time lighting needs. Plus I've ordered 10 4in computer cooling fans to keep the air moving.

My question...am I forgetting anything? Where does a person find this magical equation for wattage? I'm not going overkill am I?

 

[thatguy559]

i got 2x 250w mh and 48" led icap actinic lighting on my 120g tank 4'x2'x2' and i keep what ever in my tank no issues.

3x400w lighting is gonna be too much light i didnt even run that on my 210 i had 3x250w mh and 48" t5ho and i kept just about anything in my tank

 

[Skimmy]

i would say stop, drop, and roll....

IMO, 2 led fixtures would be much better for you....
http://www.shop.reeffiltration.com/product.sc?productId=54&categoryId=5

those fixtures would give you a par of 392 @ 24", more than enough to grow sps at the bottom of your tank if u wanted.
also, these lights have a 3 year warranty, and the LED bulbs last for 7-10 years...
they come with 2 power cords so you can control the blue and white led's separately.
also, luke is awesome and will hook u up with great customer service...

there are obviously more expensive models that would be better, and there's even cheaper models as well,
but these are good middle of the road fixtures with a decent warranty, so a good place to start looking.

 

[Chichas01]

If you go halide, you probably do need 3 of them over a 4ft tank, but I wouldn't do 400w, I'd go with 250's. I'm using 2 250's over a 3 foot tank and my light is suspended about 9" above the water and there is plenty of light in the bottom of my 20" deep tank.

 

[returnofsid]

Anyway, I was under the impression i needed 600-700 watts to insure that I could put anything that I take a liking to in my tank......

..........My question...am I forgetting anything? Where does a person find this magical equation for wattage? I'm not going overkill am I?

There is no "magical equation for wattage." Watts/gallon is an antiquated "rule of thumb," that's actually useless.

With advances in lighting equipment and bulbs, lower wattage of some kinds of bulbs, put out higher PAR than higher wattage of other types of bulbs.

An 8X54 watt quality T5HO fixture would completely light your tank, and allow you to grow anything you want. It would also give you lots of choices, for color of bulbs, allowing you to customize your bulb choices, to get the best color, while still retaining high PAR ratings.

Another option would be 2X250 MH fixture or pendants.

Another option would be LEDs, like Skimmy suggested.

Any of these options will allow you to grow whatever you want, anywhere in the tank.

 

[mfinn]

You do not need 3x400 watt over a 4' long tank.
You could keep anything you want with 2 x 250 mh and good reflectors.

 

[Cameloter]

lighting

I have the same size tank. I just purchased an ATI Sunpower 6 bulb 4ft fixture.I have to say that it appears so much brighter than my canopy with 2 X 250 watt MH and 2 VHO 96 watt bulbs. I know this doesn't translate into coral growth and its only been running 2 weeks. I started the fixture up high worrying about bleaching the corals it is so bright. I am very happy with the quality and output of the fixture.

 

[burning2nd]

i wanna reiterate that there is no such thing as "to much lighting"

5000watts of hid over a 5 gal tank doesn't even come close to what you get from a tank that's lit by natural sun..... our lights dont even come close to the power of the dark side.... wait the power of the sun sorry got side tracked on that rant right there..

but basically the most amount of wattage you can afford and maintain is the limit..

nuking your tank cause you cant keep the temp down is one side of the spectrum and starveing your tank from light is the other

 

[Maxx]

I decided to update my current lights (48in Aquatic Life HO's). I also have an older unit that is the compact florescents (came with tank & didn't like). Both units are on tank....which is why I've finally had it and upgrading. It'll be nice not to have to move a lighting fixture everytime I need to dig around in my tank.

Anyway, I was under the impression i needed 600-700 watts to insure that I could put anything that I take a liking to in my tank. I have a 120gal tank.... 4ft long, 2ft wide and 2 ft deep. I was looking at the new Icecapp Reef Illuminations....but my local fish guy said said I needed more wattage than I thought. He was saying that since my tank is so deep I need 1000-1200 watts to insure I can buy whatever my little heart desires. So now I've decided to get 3 400watt MH fixtures/balasts that I can retro fit to my canopy... I'm adding a 48in blue LED strip for night time lighting needs. Plus I've ordered 10 4in computer cooling fans to keep the air moving.

My question...am I forgetting anything? Where does a person find this magical equation for wattage? I'm not going overkill am I?

First thing you need to do is realize THAT guy wants to sell you 1200 watts of lighting. Doesnt mean he's a complete idiot on everything, but you absolutely do not need three 400 watt MHs to keep anything you want in the tank.

I have a 120 with the same dimensions you do. Its lit by dual 250 watt SE 14K Phoenix bulbs and two 95 watt VHO actinic bulbs for dawn/dusk effect. There is a period of time where actinics and MH's overlap for about 2 hours total where I have about 690 watts of lighting over my tank....and I have no issues growing acros at the bottom of my barebottom tank. Lights are suspended 7.5 inches over the surface of the water.

I dont know enough about LED's, but if you can get away with them, they are less expensive in the long run. Figure you're going to have to buy replacement bulbs for the halides every 12 months or so...figure anywhere between $65 and $125 per bulb, and you're looking at a replacement cost of $130 + shipping, to $250 + shipping every year, just to replace bulbs. Take a look at your electricity rates and figure out how much its going to cost you to run an additional 200 watts per month to run dual 250 watt halides vs 300 watts of LED's like SkimmerWhisperer suggested. Then add the cost of the reflectors, (one time cost...but still) and add it all up and see where your at all told. You may find that its less expensive to go the LED route...

Just for giggles, when you get the electricity cost figured out for dual 250 watt lighting over your tank, figure out what it will cost you per month to run 1200 watts of lighting over your tank vs 500, and then factor in yearly replacement, (Unless you go with Radium 20K bulbs, then its every 6 months replacement) of bulbs between $60.00 and $165.00 three times each....

You'll be surprised how much you can save just by becareful with your lighting selections....T-5's really are a viable choice as well. There are many gorgeous looking tanks with T-5's only over them...but one thing to keep in mind with T-5's is that they do best, (more intensity and longer bulb life) when kept at a certain temp. This is best accomplished with fixtures that have individual reflectors per bulb, and active cooling fans vs air vents to let heat escape....Good fixtures are not cheap.

Are you going to have a sand bed in your tank? If so, you can subjtract 2+ inches from the distance your light will travel...

Nick

 

[mcdonaldjosh7]

As stated by returnofsid, there is no equation that lets you figure out the amount of wattage you need. Some people will say 3 watts a gallon for softies and lps, 5 for sps, and 7 for clams and some other sps. But truth is it depends what type of lighting rather then the amount of watts.

Its all wrong. First of all this leads people to believe that they are going to throw eveything in their tank that their lights can support. softies and sps dont mix, simple as that.
I know you most likely know this, but this is what I was lead to believe once so i figured id state it.

But once again, as stated earlier, 3x400 watts is far too much. I wouldnt think 3x250 would be too much though, but i could be wrong on that one.