MH Lighting over 125g FWP tank

[taekwondodo]

I have 2x175W MH over my 125 right now and get good spot-effect, but because of the hood size (8" high, lights are at 6" above the water) and lighting layout, don't get much light in the center or edges of the tank (It was what I could afford at the time)...

Now I'm considering going to 4 x 70MH DE using this reflector (I was thinking 3 x 150 DE, but have a darn 8" glass center brace) - anyone using one of these (and if so, over what type of tank and what type of spread):

http://www.hellolights.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1400

Any input (or alternatives) appreciated...

- Jeff

 

[Scooterman]

Get you two Luminarc Minni's & hang them. My MH Lamps are 6" off the water, the reflector is even closer.

Your using the smaller reflectors & they curve the light into tighter spots, also If you have a 125 & want good light penetration for sps corals or clams & If your 125 Is like most It is 24" deep which you need at least 250W MH on them to hit the depths well enough.

 

[taekwondodo]

Is that a 6' long tank (they look SE, not DE too)? I'm using my 125 as a FWP (freshwater planted) tank - I came here because most FWP'ers use PCs and will most likely get better input (I have a small reef too)...

And I love the shimmer of MH... makes the FWP look "crisp".

- Jeff

 

[Scooterman]

Yea they are Se's & the tank is 4ft.
Now knowing what your intentions are rather using pc's I'd use T5's over them any day, many more advantages. Sorry I missed that in the title that it was FWP purposes.

 

[taekwondodo]

I would rather stay with MH (sorry, wasn't clear) - I'll get better advice on placement in a reefer forum, as most FWP-ers use PCs (most have smaller tanks). T5HO are nice, but no shimmer. That crisp shimmer feel is what I have now and want to keep. I chatted with someone over at hellolights, and they recommend 3 x 150w DE or 3 x 175W SE. the SEs are cheaper in the short run, but here in CA electricity is so ungodly expensive that running an extra 75W 8 hours a day has me concerned...

 

[91YOTA]

i would say with 2 lumenarc reflectors hung high enough you should be able to cover the tank just fine with 2x175w bulbs... youll be amazed at how much difference a good reflector makes in the spread... id say hanging the bulb ~10 to 12 inches off the water should work great if yu can do that.... another plus, you can probably use used bulbs since you wont be as worried about spectral shift as us reefers... what color spectrum are you running now?

 

[taekwondodo]

I don't have the height w/o re-designing and re-building the hood. Not a plan at this point in time. Right now, the hood allows about 8" of total clearance over the water. Wife doesn't like the "Cabinet" look that most hoods for hallides have.

 

[Scooterman]

Then you eliminated everything but the pendants you already mentioned, If your planted tank doesn't require that intense lighting then I'd get the three 150's but you still need to deal with the brace, so that is why I recommended a larger reflector but most of those you will have to make sure they aren't too long to fit in that 8" space. The Minni's LIII's are about 6 1/2" tall & the wide reflector will spread out the light farther than a tight pendant, so you will cross over better even in a tight spot. Now with a 6ft tank most reefers do use three lights to get better coverage, so now your dealing with the brace again.
Ugh no help LOL sorry!