Lighting questions - upgrade?

[Doc]

Well, it is tax refund season, and that means a bit of extra cash to spend on the tank. I have questions about maybe getting new lights. I must admit that I know very little about lighting and all of the abbreviations are Greek to me. I currently have three coralife power compacts - one that is 48" and two that are 24". Each bulb is 65 watts, which gives me 8 bulbs, well 7 cuz a ballast is burnt out on one so only half the fixture works. lets see...455 watts on a 125 gallon tank. That is 3.64 watts per gallon - not quite enough for SPS or a gigas clam, huh?

Here are my questions. Should I purchase another 24" coralife to increase my wattage by 130 or sell the other lights online and try T-5's? Here is my dilemma - I know MH are the best deal for SPS corals. I have no canopy and I can't hang them from the ceiling - MH are out. My buddy has SPS corals in his 45 gallon with T-5 bulbs (are T-5 the same as VHO lights? - see I have little lighting knowledge). How many watts per gallon do I need to keep SPS corals? If T-5's are the way to go, do they make casings that safely rest on the tank? Do the have to be raised on those little legs? Finally, how much will it cost to get enough new light to make my tank look even better? Do T-5 fixtures have one or two plugs (or more) for the power outlet?

Are there other options? different bulbs? I have 10,000K white and 7100k blue. My goal is to make the fish more brilliant and the corals shine.

I apologize for the randomness of the post and desperately need feedback before I go the the LFS, they seem to be interested is selling me anything. Thanks ahead of time for your knowledgeable feedback.

-Dr Marco

[Bifferwine]

I have T5s on mine, they are different from VHOs, the T5 bulbs are much smaller. My LFS uses T5s in all of his tanks, he keeps clams, SPS, everything in them, even on display (so they've been there long-term). The restriction for T5s for your tank, I think, would be depth. They do not penetrate the water as well, so it can be difficult to keep things more than 20 inches below the light. So for a tank your size, I'm guessing that would greatly restrict where you could put things. As for watts per gallon, from all I hear this is difficult to apply to T5s since they are very bright, but don't penetrate well. I'm going to try for SPS eventually in my tank (up high, closer to the lights), as my LFS says that as long as I kept them high up they'd do fine (and his do fine too, so I believe him).

I got mine at Champion Lighting & Supply, they have excellent customer service and I'm sure would be very helpful if you gave them a call and asked about them.

And mine rest on little legs on the tank too (I don't have a canopy either). My setup has one power cord for the actinics, one for the 10,000K bulbs and a separate cord for the moonlights and fans, so you can control each set of bulbs separately. I don't know about the options as far as bulbs go, as I haven't had to switch mine out yet. That's also a plus, (supposedly) you only have to change them once a year, and the replacement bulbs run around $15. Can't beat that.

I hope I was able to help a little bit... Sarah.

[yote]

I have to agree with bifferwine on the T-5s.I just got mine ( 432 watt nova extremes ) thursday .
Check out DrsFosterSmith.com they are reasonable on their prices and also have great customer service as well.

[Doc]

what can I expect to pay for T-5s? How many bulbs should I look to have and how much wattage to you get from them? How many watts should I look to get to make sure I have enough for SPS? My tank is only 20 inches deep, but over 6ft long. I was thinking I would need to get three 2 foot fixtures. Does that sound good?

-Dr Marco

[Bifferwine]

I have the 4 x 54 watt bulb setup (4 feet long) and I paid $250 for it. Even though it's only around 4 WPG I'm *supposed* to be able to keep SPS as long as I put them close to the light. Haven't tried it yet though. If your tank is only 20 inches deep, I don't think there would be a problem... Either three 2 feet fixtures or 2 three feet fixtures. I'm hoping someone else will weigh in here so you don't only have my opinion to go by!

[yote]

I got 8 x 54 for 432 watt 48" fixture for 400 bucks.

[AndyB4784]

i'd go with two 36" tek light fixtures (4 bulb). the 125 is 18" right? this fixture is the best you can get IMO.