Need help with 125 gallon planted tank lighting

[Jonnyboy]

Hello everyone. I'm a new member as of today and I'm looking for some advice on what kind of lighting I should use for my newly acquired 125 gallon tank. Dimensions are 72" x 18" x 24". I want a high tech high light tank and will eventually be adding a pressurized co2 setup. I'm just not sure what kind of lighting I should go for. I like the idea of LED but I don't think it would be practical for my setup also I've heard it's relatively new technology for planted tanks. I'm leaning towards either two 36" T5HO fixtures or 3 24" T5HO fixtures. I'm not sure which fixture I should go go though. Would two bulbs be enough or a four bulb fixture? Any help with this matter would greatly be appreciated as this will be my first planted tank and I would like to buy the right stuff from the get go. I'm kind of a newbie when it comes to the planted tank but I've been doing loads of research!

 

[FrankAbagnale]

What's your budget for the lights?

 

[foster53]

I just bought an oddysea 72" t-5 ho light fixture. It is AWESOME. 312watts of 6500K light. It will give you a PAR rating of around 100 at 20" above the substrate. It was only around $180. I bought it from Bigdog sellers on Amazon.
Check it out!!

 

[Jonnyboy]

I would say budget isn't really a huge concern of mine as far as initial investment is concerned. Maybe 500-600$? Long term budget is maybe more of a concern as electricity cost is crazy here in hawaii( the only reason I've ruled out MH). I would like to be able to grow high light demanding species but am not sure what fixtures are best as far as reflectors how many bulbs ECT ECT... Up until now I've only ever had freshwater non-planted tanks with fluorescent lighting.

 

[Jonnyboy]

I was also assuming bulb selection and producers would larger if I went with two 36" fixture vice a 72" fixture? Is this true?

 

[Sillyfishies]

I would say budget isn't really a huge concern of mine as far as initial investment is concerned. Maybe 500-600$? Long term budget is maybe more of a concern as electricity cost is crazy here in hawaii( the only reason I've ruled out MH). I would like to be able to grow high light demanding species but am not sure what fixtures are best as far as reflectors how many bulbs ECT ECT... Up until now I've only ever had freshwater non-planted tanks with fluorescent lighting.

Energy wise get LEDs. They also last longer. Can't reccomend LEDs because I'm looking for some too.

 

[Jonnyboy]

Energy wise get LEDs. They also last longer. Can't reccomend LEDs because I'm looking for some too.

LED wise i just dont feel like I know nearly enough about them. Also the people at my LFS keep advising me against them saying I wont be able to grow higher light demanding species and plants with red ect ect... I love the idea of LED though and bulbs lasting 50,000 hours +, I just wouldnt know where to begin. And I believe a DIY LED fixture is beyond my capabilities.

 

[Sillyfishies]

LED wise i just dont feel like I know nearly enough about them. Also the people at my LFS keep advising me against them saying I wont be able to grow higher light demanding species and plants with red ect ect... I love the idea of LED though and bulbs lasting 50,000 hours +, I just wouldnt know where to begin. And I believe a DIY LED fixture is beyond my capabilities.

RapidLED does custom LEDS that you pretty much just clip in. Super easy.
Then you could get a few finnex ray 2s. And yes you can go high-light with LEDS.

 

[Jonnyboy]

What manufacturers are considered top of the line / high quality for T5HO? Is one fixture just as good as another? I was told it has alot to do with having quality reflectors?

 

[Sillyfishies]

What manufacturers are considered top of the line / high quality for T5HO? Is one fixture just as good as another? I was told it has alot to do with having quality reflectors?

Guinesseman I think is the name. Something like that. They're suppose to be the best u can get.

 

[Jonnyboy]

RapidLED does custom LEDS that you pretty much just clip in. Super easy.
Then you could get a few finnex ray 2s. And yes you can go high-light with LEDS.

Would you recommend this over T5HO? if I did have LEDS go out in the future are they easy to buy or replace? I was originally looking at the Finnex Ray 2 fixtures and when I brought it up at the LFS they pretty much told me T5HO is better. You know how that goes though every LFS owner only knows what theyve used and works for them and think they know everything. Hehe.

 

[Sillyfishies]

Would you recommend this over T5HO? if I did have LEDS go out in the future are they easy to buy or replace? I was originally looking at the Finnex Ray 2 fixtures and when I brought it up at the LFS they pretty much told me T5HO is better. You know how that goes though every LFS owner only knows what theyve used and works for them and think they know everything. Hehe.

I actually think guiesseman is the name of the good t5ho.

Anyway, I have no experience with rapidLed but I've heard good things about it. Next, I know a BUNCH of people on here using finnex rays 2 for their highlight tanks.

 

[Jonnyboy]

Guinesseman I think is the name. Something like that. They're suppose to be the best u can get.

I actually think guiesseman is the name of the good t5ho.

Anyway, I have no experience with rapidLed but I've heard good things about it. Next, I know a BUNCH of people on here using finnex rays 2 for their highlight tanks.

Thank you for your replies and advice. I love this site and the fact that I can ask knowledgable people like you for advice. Im kinda new to all this so its nice to get an unbiassed opinion from someone who isnt trying to sell me something.

 

[MyanRan]

I'm not as informed on the best lights, but from word on the forum, and looking at PAR charts. TEK T5HO Light Fixtures seem to be pretty great. Really high quality reflectors, for high PAR values.

 

[Jonnyboy]

I'm not as informed on the best lights, but from word on the forum, and looking at PAR charts. TEK T5HO Light Fixtures seem to be pretty great. Really high quality reflectors, for high PAR values.

Ok this may be a dumb question, so please forgive my ignorance, but what is PAR? I kinda understand I need lighting close to 6500K and wattage and all that but whats PAR?

 

[MyanRan]

PAR stand for: Photosynthetically Active Radiation. It's probably the most accurate way to determine how much light your plants are getting (or something like that). You can find data on the PAR for different depths of all fixtures and lights. It is true you want something close to the kelvin temp of the sun (6000-7000k I think) but the PAR is what really gets your plants going.

 

[Jonnyboy]

PAR stand for: Photosynthetically Active Radiation. It's probably the most accurate way to determine how much light your plants are getting (or something like that). You can find data on the PAR for different depths of all fixtures and lights. It is true you want something close to the kelvin temp of the sun (6000-7000k I think) but the PAR is what really gets your plants going.

If you were going to set up a heavily planted 125 gallon aquarium what kind of lighting would you choose? Im looking for advice on fixtures bulbs ect... I'm kind of leaning towards T5HO but LED lighting is sounding really appealing. Which way would you choose?

 

[MyanRan]

I'm no expert. It seems that you could get more bang for your buck with a T5HO Fixture, that has some good reflectors. The TEK reflectors are supposed to be 95% reflective, so really good quality. I din't know how much replacing bulbs, and energy consumption will be with a T5HO compared to paying more for a LED fixture up front. I don't know for sure, but I think it would be much harder to get a high PAR value with LEDs on that tank, and for sure more expensive.

 

[foster53]

I was also assuming bulb selection and producers would larger if I went with two 36" fixture vice a 72" fixture? Is this true?

Yes you would have a larger selection of manufacturers for bulbs with a 36" fixture. My reasoning for purchasing the 72" was less parts to fail in one fixture, as opposed to 2 fixtures. Oddysea sells 60" bulbs for replacement in the 72" fixture. Also the 72" fits the tank well.
36" will hit in the middle of the glass canopy with no support.

 

[FrankAbagnale]

I use AquaticLife T5 HO's on my tanks and have been really happy with them.

It may be worth looking into the ATI T5 dimming fixture. I've read some good things and the dimming feature makes it seem even more appealing. You can ramp up the light intensity throughout the day and ramp it down towards the end of the day. All of this is done automatically with a built in controller. This should give you the ability to keep your lights on longer by using less intensity at the beginning and end of the day.