Lighting query

[flashyleopard]

I have tried asking in other forums, but I am still confused as to what is best, so I am posing the question here.

My tank will be a 125 gallon that is 72''X18''X22''.
I want to keep mostly softies, clams, and maybe a dozen or so sps, such as montipora, pocillipora, and acros. My goal is to provide enough light for maxima and crocea clams to be well lit on the bottom, but not so much that I burn other corals and eliminate the possibility of shrooms and zooanthids. In short, I don't ever want to have too little light, but not so much I eliminate a lot of moderate light species.

I am not sure how well the reflectors work on the stock fixture I want to use, so lets assume they have a very average or poor reflector, that will not be replaced. I have the option of up to 4 250 watt or 4 400 watt metal halides. I plan on using the 10k bulb by XM or maybe aqualine. I am limited to a one lighting system with space and budget, so I will not be supplementing with and other lighting. I am also hoping to avoid buying a chiller and since I will be cycling within the hottest part of July and August, I can see how the tank temp goes on triple digit days, with the lights and see where I am from there.

There is plenty of rrom above the tank and it will be open topped, so I have lots of control over how far above the tank the lights are mounted.

What wattage fixture and how many to you think is best for what I described? Thanks

I am picking the tank and stand up next weekend....I am getting excited now!

[joshkennedy07]

I think you should run 3 x 250 watt, especially if you are using 10k bulbs. This will be plenty of light and will save you much grief.

Personally, I would get my halides with independent ballasts and run XM or radium 20k's on both sides of a Ushio 10k.

[flashyleopard]

I appreciate your responce.Will using different bulbs give me a banding affect witht he light colors or will they overlap and become viewable as one color throughout the tank? I have suspect 250 watts would be enough, but I have encountered threads where people are using 400 watts on 125s and I really want optimum color and growth from all of corals. Of course the more electricity saved, the better and the reduction in heat will help.I'll allow others to comment and get a general census, before I purchase my lights. They will be on seperate ballast by the way.

[Eklikewhoa]

I would probably do 4x250w but I like to over do things so the 4x400w sounds very pleasing!

[flashyleopard]

That's me in a nutshell Eklikewhoa.:D That's why I ask for advice.

[markandkristen]

i have only been doing this for 3 years so im no epert.. i have tried many bulbs over my tanks..
my favorite was reeflux 12ks with ice cap ballast..
it allowed my corals to pop as well as growth..

and it seemed that my tank was very natural looking...

i tried xm 20ks ....things popped but didnt seem real..

xm 10ks super bright but didnt really like the colors..
hamilton 14ks nice but still liked the reeflux the best..
i ran these over a 220 with lumenarc reflectors..

no actinics just the mhs..

[markandkristen]

i never ran a chiller just a $7 clip on fan from walmart...
if you use tunze for powerheads they help on keeping the water cool as well.

ran a eheim 1262 for circulation.. that was a nice and quiet pump

[flashyleopard]

Thanks for the input. I like a slight blue tint, just enough to emply some depth and take away the harsh yellow, but to me that is just what natural light would like on a lagoon, while snorkeling.

[markandkristen]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12986266#post12986266 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by flashyleopard
Thanks for the input. I like a slight blue tint, just enough to emply some depth and take away the harsh yellow, but to me that is just what natural light would like on a lagoon, while snorkeling.

that bulb has a slight blue to it not much but a slight blue...

this is the bulb im talking about ...

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-09/totm/index.php

[91yota]

i run 250wXM10kSE on M58 magnetic ballast on my 40B in a lumenarc mini... for the first 2 months it looked very yellow to me until my eyes adjusted... now i see it as a bright white, shallow water look... my colors dont "pop" like when i ran 250wP14kDE but given good husbandry and water quality to keep corals happy, the colors will come, regardless of bulb used... honestly, i think running a 10k bulb without actinic supplements has made me more conscious of making me keep up with water parameters to get the color i want out of corals rather than relying on a "blue" bulb...

[flashyleopard]

Thanks for the link, that was the perfect color rendition for me and an amazeing tank. Good input and good points about coral color not being just dependant on bulb color. I want a high enough kelvin temperature that my star polyps are neon green and not dull and that's it.

[Nanook]

[moved]

[markandkristen]

im going to add one more thing that certain ballast produce different colors as well..
like i mentioned ....ice cap with the 12ks

i used that same bulb on a m58 (magnetic) and was not as impressed ...

i like ice cap. these bulbs were supposebly designed to be used on a coralvue ballast...

[flashyleopard]

To be honest, I am using either horizontal flood lights or low bay pendants designed for warehouse lighting, to save on the pircey aquarium industry fixtures. They are rated for use in wet conditions and are perfectly safe, but I am not sure how the ballast will compare to those in the hobby, until I have them. Compare $150.00 for a 400 watt MH flood light with a polished aluminum reflector vs the cost for one from an aquarium website. I see no reason they won't be perfectly applicable and the reflectors can always be switched out. I think I'm gonna get my roack in the tank first, than purchase the lights. I can use the 250 watts over the rock formations, since they are closer to the bulb and use the 400 watts over the lowest rock work or open sand( in the middle).Thanks for your help and input.