125 gal lighting

tims880

tims880

AC Members
Dec 13, 2015
28
1
3
65
I have been reading until my head hurts...lol First off I am running CO2!
Right now I have a 2 bulb T5 (80 watts each) light on my 125. I don't think it enough.
I was looking at a 4 bulb T5 setup which would be 320 watts....that scares me.
Or maybe 2 36 inch LED's if I could find the right ones. I am not paying 400 bucks for a 36 inch light.
I have read some reviews of the beamsworks but most of them were on small tanks.
They do make a 72 inch version but I cant find anyone that actually has one.
All input is welcome.
 
I know what you mean by not paying 400.00 for a 36 inch light. I have also resisted it. But i am starting to think I might as well break down because the new light are so energy efficient that they will pay for themselves.
 
  • Like
Reactions: irishspy
How about a pair of 2-tube 48" T5HOs and overlap them in the center? This would be ~220watts and cost effective until lamp change time. That's where LED shines. No yearly lamp replacements. Problem is, not all LEDs are the same. My 48" BeamsWork 6500K for instance. Had to junk it.
 
tims880 said:
I was looking at a 4 bulb T5 setup which would be 320 watts....that scares me.
Click to expand...
I wouldn't be scared by 320 watts T5HO over a 125. If you are injecting CO2 and adding ferts, I don't think you will have problem. You may need to raise the lights and/or limit the lighting period to fine tune, but you should be able to dial it in.

In comparison, I have 4 T5HO 4' bulbs over my 5' tank. You would have 4 T5HO 5' bulbs over a 6' tank. I wouldn't have any less than I have now. In fact, I wish I had 5' bulbs over my 5' tank.
 
Thanks for your input. After much thought I bought the quad T5 HO with a polished reflector.
I had already ordered some new bulbs form the marine depot. So I think this is a good choice.

I was having a brown algae problem. Probably low light but... I went to the LFS and bought 5 otto's and some nerrite snails.......
I cant believe the difference....The ottos are amazing!!
I know I still have issues.DSCN0034.JPG
These leaves are now clean....
 
So I received the quad T5 whew its bright that's for sure. So far so good.....
 
Whew, that's a lot of watts! Picture? Wonder how bright it is. :) Just curious, why did you think you needed more light?
 
Slow growth, brown dust and will be adding hi light plants.
See post 4 his tank is awsome......
A pic will be coming. I purchased the light on ebay. I could not get the timer to to function.
They are sending me a new one.
Oh not using the bulbs that came with the light, I am using Giesemann aquaflora bulbs.
 
Looking forward to seeing updates and pics.

Remember it can take a little while to dial things in, so have patience.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom