need help lighting 125 gal

[bigmike7544]

uh subject pretty much says it all haha. been looking at a bunch of diffrent halides but don't know which one to go with the 150w are quit a bit cheapier than the 250s but i was told that with the 150s if i wanted to grown sps or have clams the would have to be higher up in the tank i couldn't have them on the bottom of the tank. just asking for some suggestions. thanks

[dadonoflaw]

as a person who had a 125 who had to upgrade to a 180. same depth. if your is 24 in or higher do yourself a favor and get 250's. i am planning an expensive upgrade now because of the lack of placement options because of weak lights. save yourself some money and frustration and get the 250's

[STsONpERs]

3* 250 watt 10k xm halide ran on PFO/ICecap/coralvue ballast.

I would also run 2 or 4 6ft VHO actinics

I would look at www.reefexotics.com for reflectors.....Lumenarc seem to have the best spread.

If you are putting these in a canopy grab the minis, if not grab the large.

Definatly go with 250...why go with something that you have restrictions on...

Just my 2cent

[bigmike7544]

any specific brand i should use. i was thinking about the outer orbit are they supposed to be any good?

[GSMguy]

outer orbit is a good light twice the t5 of the competition definetly go with 250s they make a huge difference

[bigmike7544]

sweet i guess i buy them once i get $1140 to spend on lights :)

[aclos3]

If you have a center brace, I would go with 2x400w halides. Just my 2 cents, but on our 125, a 3 halide option would be a very poor one.

[bigmike7544]

how much would the 2 400watts run? and y would 3 be bad for a tank with a center brace?

[aclos3]

Because, with 3 halides, you probably want one over the center of the tank.... directly over the brace. This causes the brace to get hot and for a bit of the halides light to be wasted. Yes, I know people cover their tanks with glass, but this is typically much thinner... plus, you'd have to keep the center brace clean. Our brace is about 3 times thicker than our glass panels and it is pretty opaque at this point if I remember correctly. People with acrylic braces have actually had problems with them melting.

Bottom line is. Take a good look at the thickness, type of material, how it is attached to the tank, and the general opacity of the brace before sticking a halide inches from it.

[aclos3]

As for the price on the 2x400 halides.... probably cheaper than a 3x250 setup, but you'll have to price out what you really want... hellolights.com or oceanencounter.com probably has some good stuff for ya.

Also, at this point... I would shy away from DE 400w halides, unless enough true 400 des are on the market now. The de 400s I am aware of have been unreliable versions of SE bulbs.