lights

[spongoosee]

Hey,, I'm new to this and would like to know how much lightning do I need for soft coral with a 120 gallon tank. 48L 24by 24

 

[Myteemouse]

T-5's would prolly be best
That way if you want to switch or add LPS latter you can!!
SPS can be kept also
Less heat.less power consumption and less money than MH
a 6-8 bulb fixture would be good
I would go with an 8 bulb my self
4 Actanic 4 daylight 10K's

AND welcome to REEF FRONTIERS!
lots of helpfull info and nice people...

 

[akunochi]

At 24" wouldn't he need mh to penetrate that far down? I would go 2 250w mh and two t5 actnic. Just my 2 cents. That way if you want a clam down the road or a higher light coral you'll already be good.

Welcome btw

Seth

 

[gotfish]

At 24" wouldn't he need mh to penetrate that far down? I would go 2 250w mh and two t5 actnic. Just my 2 cents. That way if you want a clam down the road or a higher light coral you'll already be good.

Welcome btw

Seth

No, they wouldn't. T5's would be your best option. I would go with an 8 bulb Tek fixture like this. http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5...t_Fixture_w!_Bulbs_(Black)_by_Sunlight_Supply

You could go with a 6 bulb fixture, but your coverage would be limited to about 2/3 of the tank.

If you let me know what color range you're looking for, I can suggest bulbs for you as well. You like a bluer tank, purple tank or white?

 

[akunochi]

Hmm ok I stand corrected....
I apologize and back out of this conversation before I get crushed by the pros/ LOL

 

[gotfish]

Hmm ok I stand corrected....
I apologize and back out of this conversation before I get crushed by the pros/ LOL

It's just sad when people still seem to think the only way to grow a coral is under a halide bulb. Especially when the person only wants to have softies which will easily grow under pc's

 

[akunochi]

I see what your saying. It makes sense to me.

 

[mfinn]

You can use anything from PC to T-5 to VHO to MH lighting.
Just depends on what you want the tank to look like.
I happen to prefer mh lighting for my soft coral tank.
With mh lighting you do have a wide range of colors and bulbs to pick from.
Each to his own.

 

[spongoosee]

OK guys thanks,,,,, I should have told you guys that I put in about 150 pounds of live rock a few weeks ago. It was enough that I had to displace about 8 or 9 gallons of water. If a good part of my reef is only about 10 inches below the surface against the back,,,,Then what can I get away with in lighting. (soft corals)

 

[returnofsid]

As Finn said, you could go with anything from PC to MH lighting. However, as has been suggested, I'd recommend T5HO, for a couple of reasons. It's very economical to run, bulbs are cheaper to replace, cooler running and many different color options. All of these benefits will come in even more handy if you ever do decide to keep LPS or SPS corals. They will allow you to grow anything, and are just a much better 'all around' option...IMO.

As Finn said, many people still decide to go with MH lighting, even in a softy tank. I've seen Finn's tank and it's amazing!! MH does give you glitter lines, which to some people is mandatory....lol.

 

[fatboyt123]

how is it cheaper to run T% rather then MH.

Say if spongoosee goes with a 4' 8 bulb fixture.I will say good bulbs cost about $25 each(i dont really know cause i dont have any lights yet) so thats $200 w/o shipping.MH bulbs ill say are about $100 each i dont know though.He can go with 2 250 so thats $200 for those bulbs.Watts maybe a little less with t5 beging 432 compared to 500 with MH.

Or are you guys talking about start up cost buying a fixture compared to going retro/diy

 

[gotfish]

They aren't $25 each, most are right around $20. You are saving yourself a little energy and yes, the startup cost is cheaper. The 8 bulb fixture I posted is right around 500 with bulbs. For 2 250's, you're looking at 250-300 in reflectors unless he buys them from you. Another 200-300 for ballasts and then another 150-200 for bulbs. Then building a canopy as well. Then you still have to do some sort of actinic unless you don't mind just having the mh. There is also the issue of heat.

 

[returnofsid]

Start up cost is cheaper, although, you can find good deals on MH set ups, used.

Cost to run is cheaper.
Cost to replace bulbs is cheaper at about $20.00/bulb, for good quality T5HO bulbs.
No supplementary actinics needed.
None of the heat issues that are definitely present with MH and are even present with PC lighting.

 

[luisse25]

i have power compact before when i was starting and ive seen so many tanks from fellow reefer here on reef frontier and i would say mh lighting is way nicer than power compact..its the shimmer/glittering effect from that halide..t5s are nice too..

if you wanna grow softies power compact is ok even some LPS too..but down the road when you see others tanks that runs mh and or t5s with supplemental actinics and they look so beautiful youre gonna feel jealous and wanna upgrade coz of the colors of the corals,especially halides has 10k,14k or 20k (blue color)which enhances the color of the corals..thats why i jump in the halides right away..just my opinion..

psst excuse me im no expertits just that a lot of fellow reefer here that runs halide or t5s theyre tanks are sooo pretty so if im you i wont do power compact cause for sure you will upgrade...

oops well the problem on halides is it gets too hot..other than that i love the shimmer effect..

 

[Darthv247]

really just depends on your budget and what type of corals you want to display. Some corals do better without MH. blastos for one dont like the light from MH's.

 

[spongoosee]

Thanks guys,,,,waiting on a skimmer (remora pro). Little steps at a time here. The lights will come next. I got about 70 pounds of live sand 8 years old. Its got a lot of red worms in it. Is it safe to add with all my Rock???

 

[mfinn]

If you look around you can find some great deals on all different light setups including mh.
You can get a complete mh setup for $200 at hellolights.com
You can find great used setups for cheaper.
It's all about what you want.
Check out a few reefers tanks and see what different tanks look like.

I did some wheeling and dealing and spent under $500 for my 3x250 watt mh setup.
The deals are out there.