New 125G lighting suggestions welcome

784 Views 4 Replies 3 Participants Last post by Cryptocoryne, Jan 17, 2011

Cryptocoryne

Discussion Starter · Jan 17, 2011 (Edited)

I just got a new 125 gallon setup on CL, well it's not new but it's new to me =) Anyway I am familiar with lighting for 55G tanks in which I have always used a 48'' 2x10,000k bulb fixture 1 actinic, 1 daylight. But I am out of my league here with supplying adequate lighting for this setup. I have never in cased lighting into a canopy, and as I can not raise or lower the lighting I want to be assured I am supplying a sufficient amount of light. I will be dosing EI method, and pressurized Co2 with a 5lb tank and 2 glass diffusers inside the tank when its set up. I'm planning on making a whole lot of MTS and laying pool filter sand on top, then attaching nana anubias, christmas moss, and java fern to a large piece of manzanita I got from PC1. I have 15 3'' discus that will be transferred from my 55 gallon into this tank as well. I read up on some other threads and correct me if I am wrong, but sufficient low lighted tanks allow the plants to absorb the nutrients and Co2 in the water better, and produce some of the most beautiful plants it seems. With this in mind (provided this is correct) my plan is to buy 4x36'' 2x64w T5HO fixtures and then install 2 fans into the sides of the canopy, and add some moonlighting. This should be adequate for a low to medium light setup correct? The canopy actually comes with what I would call standard 48'' and a 24'' fixtures built in, I have no idea what the wattage the fixtures are capable off as I am still pending pickup of the setup. But I am assuming (might I add I am finding when I assume I'm almost always wrong) that these fixtures can not hold T5HO bulbs... Let me know your thoughts, comments, and suggestions. I will post pictures when I get it all setup too, thanks for reading =)

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Cryptocoryne

Discussion Starter · #2 · Jan 17, 2011

No love... 34 views and not a single suggestion or comment...

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Tamelesstgr

· #3 · Jan 17, 2011

Have you read the sticky at the top of this section? For T5HO IMO I think that might be too much light for your tank. If you have them close to the top of the tank that puts you in the "High" light category. Are you dead set on keeping the canopy? For the list of plants I don't think you need high light, is there a way to break up your idea into individual bulbs so you could have some always on and do a noon-burts of light for a few hours instead of having all 4 lights on all the time? with good CO2, the light becomes the adjustment factor.

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Hoppy

· #4 · Jan 17, 2011

I assume that tank is 72"L x 18"W x 22" H. If that is correct, a single T5HO bulb, with a typical reflector, will give you low medium light under the bulb. The 18 inch width dictates that you use two single bulb lights, one near the front and one near the back, to get uniform low medium light. You could use 3 foot long lights, a 4 foot and a 2 foot, or a 6 foot long light, which would be difficult to find bulbs for. If you want to use just two light fixtures, Catalina Aquarium would make you two 3 foot fixtures, using the housings normally used for 6 bulb fixtures, with the two bulbs widely separated. http://www.catalinaaquarium.com/product_info.php?cPath=71_136&products_id=1503 You might even get them to use a 6 foot long housing, and put two rows of 4 foot bulbs in it. I think I would try for that.

If you enclose those fixtures in a wood hood, you will definitely need good fans to get rid of the heat involved.

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Cryptocoryne

Discussion Starter · #5 · Jan 17, 2011

Thanks Hoppy... I saw a thread on your calculus equation for lighting in small tanks vs larger ones, and was blown away. You know your lighting =) Was also reading into a thread where you suggested the following setup for a 125 gallon: http://www.bigalsonline.com/Fish_Li...eries-Double-Linear-Strip-Lights.html?tc=fish
You suggested the use of 4 of these fixtures to the thread starter that had a very similar question as mine. This was actually the basis of my plan of installing 4 fixtures. Would you suggest just mounting 2 of these 36'' fixtures inside the canopy then?

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