lighting question for 2' deep tank

[nickxx4360]

I have a 120g it's 4x2x2. I have a 3" sand bed. I am going hoodless.I am planning on either a 2x150Watt hqi fixture or a 4 bulb t5 fixture. I plan to keep softies, zoo's and maybe lps in the near future. which one would you guys recommend for wht I am tryin to keep.

take into consideration heat and power consumption. as well as bulb replacement

Thanks.

[Guy340]

T5

[james3370]

t5s should penetrate the depth (especially if you use an icecap 430 or 660 ballast), but 4 bulbs won't cover the 24" of tank width....gonna need more like 8. might be able to get away w/ 6, but 8 would cover the dimension the best

each t5 bulb takes 2.5" so 8 would be a 20" area

kinda tricky area to cover.....MH will cover a 24x24 area w/ good reflectors, so 2 side by side should cover the 48" very well, but i think at 24" of depth, you'd be best to go w/ 250w even w/ the 3" sandbed

in the end, it comes down to personal choice since both will work, but each has it's trade-off that you have to weigh

[nickxx4360]

OK, thanks for the input!! :-0