Best way to light a 25x25x12 tank

[Endemion]

Opinions on the best way to light this tank without breaking the bank?

I'm thinking a metal halide pendant may be my only option. I was looking at 24" T5 fixtures from ATI and saw they had 6, 8, and 10 bulb options. Would 6 be enough? 8 and 10 fixture pricing starts to get pretty costly.

[k.tran]

I would get 1x150w or 1x250w either of those would be enough light for sps pretty much anywhere in the tank. If you go to the fishneedit website they have fixtures for REALLY cheap that comes with ballast.

[Endemion]

Interesting, thanks! I've never been to this website before. The prices are pretty cheap... Do you know if they use their own bulbs? I don't see any brands, only color choices.

This fixture seems like it would be the best option for me to get halide+t5

http://www.fishneedit.com/150w-mhl-with-2-x-2bulbs-2ft-f150222.html

But again, the bulb choices. Blue or white on the t5, and 10k or 20k on the halide. Does anyone have any experience with this vendors fixtures/bulbs?

[k.tran]

They have their own bulbs which are fine to use. I would get the 20k. Their bulbs last about 8 months, then you can switch over to whatever you would like to.

[kev24k]

fishneedit mh setup is nice. I'm using a 250w 20k one now on a 30" tank. Great light.

[phhbrown]

I've considered the Fishneedit.com products. You could also consider the odyssea fixtures (aquatraders.com). There is a lot of debate about them (some old MH ballasts would catch fire) but they are cheap and I have heard good things from others.

[Chris27]

Why skimp on lighting? It's the primary food source for your coral, so why not spend just a little more up front and get something that you won't upgrade later...

For that tank, a single MH pendant would work very well, you should be able to pick up a kit from most places for around $200.00. Here is a link to one for example...

http://www.aquacave.com/coralvue-250w-double-endedbrhqi-metal-halide-retro-kit-1192.html

[SPotter]

i just switched from a mh/t5 fixture to a 4 bulb t5 fixture on the same exact dimension tank. I am wishing that i went with a 6 bulb fixture but couldnt find one that had legs so I could mount on my tank since it is rimless. I really liked the ATI PM fixture and would go with that one. My corals are loving the new lights and I have noticed more growth with the t5 fixture than what I had with the mh fixture.