Lighting for 125g 6ft tank

Duke4Life · Oct 22, 2016

Your pics don't appear to have any hint of blue tint to them. Are you running all white?

mcarroll · Oct 22, 2016

The images are a little overexposed so it's hard to tell for sure, but it doesn't look like it's too little light, even if it turns out to be on the low side. (Did I mention about lux testing yet? Free app's....handheld meter only costs <$15.)

Feeding/nutrients is the usual culprit where there'a at least a decent baseline of light in the tank.

I'm curious along with @Duke4Life about what combination of bulbs you're using in the T5 fixtures? Also that lux number.

I'll have to look back to see if you posted any water parameters.....post some if you haven't!

MamaLovesHerReefTank · Oct 22, 2016

Duke4Life said:
Your pics don't appear to have any hint of blue tint to them. Are you running all white?

Using 2 white 2 blue. I don't know the lux. White across the back, blue across the front.

MamaLovesHerReefTank · Oct 22, 2016

mcarroll said:
The images are a little overexposed so it's hard to tell for sure, but it doesn't look like it's too little light, even if it turns out to be on the low side. (Did I mention about lux testing yet? Free app's....handheld meter only costs <$15.)

Feeding/nutrients is the usual culprit where there'a at least a decent baseline of light in the tank.

I'm curious along with @Duke4Life about what combination of bulbs you're using in the T5 fixtures? Also that lux number.

I'll have to look back to see if you posted any water parameters.....post some if you haven't!

Water Parameters
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 0
PH - 7.8
Calcium - 520
KH - 214.8
Phospate - .50
Salinity - 1.025
Temperature - 80.2 Normally stays stable at 78.2, turned heat on in house for first time since last winter to get the chill out.
I just recently started testing for calcium, KH and Phosphate. The only thing I have added to the tank in the past, was Purple Tech on recommendation of previous LFS.
I don't have a sump or refuge. No skimmer. I run a Fluval FX6 and Fluval 406. I have 2 powerheads.
I'm hoping to eventually make the change to a drilled tank but for the time being, this is all I've got.

mcarroll · Oct 23, 2016

A drilled tank isn't really necessary – there are other options, such as this in-tank system from Tunze:
Reefpack 500 ($608)

Give you their premium ATO system, a media filter that also houses the ATO sensors and a very nice skimmer – and no plumbing!

Just a thought.

I would consider taking most or all of the media out of the cannister filters – especially the mechanical media, but for the time being I'd take out chemical media too. If you decide to also take out biomedia, do it slowly a little at a time over a week or two so the rock and sand in the tank will easily pick up the load of ammonia. Canisters are mostly good for flow since you already have them...they're not very ideal for saltwater unless they're very easy to open and clean. Canisters are not particularly known for being quick or easy to clean, but hopefully yours are!

(Sell them to get the Reefpack, IMO.)

PO4 is pretty high considering you have no nitrates registering.

If you do any, I would either lay off of nutrient export some (carbon, filter pads, sponges, etc) or find a nitrate supplement to dose.

Potassium nitrate (Spectracide stump remover) dosing steps is a good thread to start with.

I'm using Spectracide (detailed formula in that thread) as my nitrate source, but there are commercial preparations by Seachem and others. If you go this route, follow the directions in that thread to start small and wait for changes to start being noticeable – either in the tank or on your test kit – before you increase or decrease your dosage. I started seeing results before I registered a number on a nitrate test kit.

john.m.cole3 · Oct 24, 2016

mcarroll said:
"Pop"...ugh.
Can't decide whether to abandon LEDs has some good stuff in it, including some stuff I added about Buyer's Remorse that address your feelings on buying once. Most folks don't use very real criteria for selecting their lights....this hampers critical thinking and leaves them open to this. Read that thread.

I think you will be able to lay the whole concept of pop to rest by realizing how many people with T5's are looking to LED's for "pop"....how many people with LED's are looking to T5's for "pop"......and even metal halide users looking to LED's for "pop" and LED users wanting halides for "pop". It's beyond silly.

"pop" to the best of my reading ability, is a word used to describe a non-existent condition of someone's corals looking better than they do.....no matter how they look.

If you can find threads where people have brown corals and actually made them colorful, you will mostly see how rare that thread is. (You will need photo-documentation, of course, because no two people have the very same idea of "good looking" or "beautiful".) Healthy, growing corals under any purpose-built reef light will look really good. Beautiful. Florescent and iridescent. If you want more than that you have to leave reality for the realm of DSLR cameras and photoshop. (I hope you take my meaning here...it's a bit sharp.)

So if more "pop" is all you're after in the change of lighting, I think you can reconsider your upgrade altogether if you want to. If the T5's have been working and you don't hate them, keep using them and go after what's really preventing the corals from coloring up. Light, nuntrients and flow all come together to make a happy coral....get one or two of them wrong....or all three.....and you'll have less-happy-looking corals as they adapt and keep on surviving in the non-ideal circumstance.

I would post some tank photos online to see if other folks concur that your corals need a change first though....just get an "aesthetic sanity" check. You might get even more non-upgrade advice.

Doing a setup something like @Duke4Life has where you use the Orbit Pro along side the T5's is a very good option. You can try both out....then just the CurrentUSA.....you may decide you like the combo so well you won't change, but you can also take your time deciding if you like the Current well enough to go alone with it. And if you wanted a really bright tank (which is arguably not necessary for anything) there's nothing really wrong with using the 72" DUAL Orbit Pro that comes with two strips – it's pretty common to use more fixtures than recommended, though shouldn't be necessary. You won't have to run either strip nearly as intense that way, which will make the LED's last longer...and you'd have the capacity to make your tank much brighter than most tanks you see pictures of. (You can search out some truly high-light tanks where surface irradiance reaches >80,000 lux or >1800 PAR....nothing at all wrong with them if done right....just that it's not necessary to have that much light for most corals. 1/10th that amount or more will do it.)

The real key is to listen to your gut – which if you're smart, will be telling you do go slow every step of the way. You cannot add fish or coral too slowly. Allotting yourself extra time in between additions allows you to make mistakes and learn from them without compromising a whole tank full of livestock.

It can be hard to be that patient, but try to think about fish and corals more like dogs – as pets.

Taking Your Time
Fish and coral both have a much longer lifetime than dogs in most cases, so you're going to have a long time to spend with these critters – even the very first additions you make to the tank.

So don't get in a senseless rush to fill up the tank in the firs year or two when you still don't know jack – it is not justified.

That's the pattern that most newbies follow to their chagrin.

There would be nothing wrong with still having only one fish and a few corals at the end of your first year with this reef, for example. Adding one or two critters a year after that – you'd have a blast stocking the tank for years to come.

(My tank was full since year one....nobody to give me this advice....and it's a little boring when there's no room to add. I've had the chance to add lots of cool corals to the tank over the last 6 years or whatver, but never had room to add them. Not the end of the world, but stocking the tank is definitely part of the fun....and I could have taken my time.)

Unloading Used Gear
Online sources like R2R's for sale forums, raigslist, Bay and local reef clubs will be your best outlets for used stuff.....I agree I don't like the bother of dealing with that though.....buy once if at all possible. Not to the point of stressing over it though....just, as you are, research and take your time. If you get to the point of stressing about any of this, slow down – you're rushing! We make our worst mistakes/decisions when we're in a hurry.....personal experience, but you can read all sorts of confessions from other folks on here too. "Nothing good happens fast in a reef tank." is the most under-rated/under-used saying in our hobby.....yet it holds more keys to success than any other thing you can do.

how did it go??? "I thought pop belongs in the cooler". That's all I think of when I hear the word. sorry OP, didn't mean to derail. as you were...

Psiber_Syn · Oct 24, 2016

I have the same tank. I have 3 galaxy hydro WiFi 165w units and so far it has done everything I've needed ime

MamaLovesHerReefTank · Oct 25, 2016

I am holding off on purchasing a new light fixture for now. A friend has offered to let me try his Odyssea 72 inch quad t5 ho for a couple months to see if I like the quad over the double. I just have to purchase bulbs for it as his were broken during his move. Should I just stick to 2 white and 2 blue actinic?

I'm working on getting my phosphates down and I am looking into the Tunze Reefpack 500. Since I am in Canada, the prices are much higher here. I have set up an account with MyDetroitMailbox since I am right across the river from there. This will save me a good chunk of change as most companies have free shipping when spending more than a set amount.

Nano101 · Oct 25, 2016

If not thriving, could lack of supplementation be an issue?

MamaLovesHerReefTank · Oct 25, 2016

Nano101 said:
If not thriving, could lack of supplementation be an issue?

Could you explain this further?

Nano101 · Oct 25, 2016

Lori LeBlanc said:
Could you explain this further?

Dosing. Having your parameters perfect. (Alk, Ca, mag, trace elements, salty, temp swings, quality foods) good husbandry.

themcnertney · Oct 25, 2016

Lori LeBlanc said:
frogspawn, 2 torch, 2 ricordia, toadstool and also added an rbta

Lori LeBlanc said:
Can anyone recommend lighting that will let me get the color and growth from my corals I have? I don't need and can't afford the best of the best. I don't want all the bells and whistles. I want to have a ramp up and ramp down and also to be able to control the intensity. Am I asking for too much?

Go with something from reefbreeders. Like a couple of their value fixtures.

Nano101 · Oct 25, 2016

I'd go with hydra 52 HDs. Red Sea now uses them vs. using T5s. Red Sea does a lot of quality research on lighting.

MamaLovesHerReefTank · Oct 25, 2016

Nano101 said:
Dosing. Having your parameters perfect. (Alk, Ca, mag, trace elements, salty, temp swings, quality foods) good husbandry.

The only things I put in my tank extra are phyto or zoo plankton twice a week, twice a month I add Fuel. As far as feeding, I try to feed a variety. I had to feed pe mysis regularly for a bit for a picky anthias. Now that he's eating other foods, I feed brine shrimp, pellets, flake and I have frozen clams that I just started using. I am starting to read up on making my own food for them. I do my water changes every second week, salinity stays the same. I used to add Purple Tech to the tank (lfs recommended) but stopped.

Nano101 · Oct 25, 2016

Lori LeBlanc said:
The only things I put in my tank extra are phyto or zoo plankton twice a week, twice a month I add Fuel. As far as feeding, I try to feed a variety. I had to feed pe mysis regularly for a bit for a picky anthias. Now that he's eating other foods, I feed brine shrimp, pellets, flake and I have frozen clams that I just started using. I am starting to read up on making my own food for them. I do my water changes every second week, salinity stays the same. I used to add Purple Tech to the tank (lfs recommended) but stopped.

What do you test with? How do you keep Alk, Ca, pH in check?

john.m.cole3 · Oct 25, 2016

Lori LeBlanc said:
I am holding off on purchasing a new light fixture for now. A friend has offered to let me try his Odyssea 72 inch quad t5 ho for a couple months to see if I like the quad over the double. I just have to purchase bulbs for it as his were broken during his move. Should I just stick to 2 white and 2 blue actinic?

I'm working on getting my phosphates down and I am looking into the Tunze Reefpack 500. Since I am in Canada, the prices are much higher here. I have set up an account with MyDetroitMailbox since I am right across the river from there. This will save me a good chunk of change as most companies have free shipping when spending more than a set amount.

2x blue + and 2x coral + will give a good usable spectrum and it won't be too blue looking.

MamaLovesHerReefTank · Oct 29, 2016

I am going to start this question over again after researching and asking a ton of questions. I have a 125 g tank. It is 6 ft long, rimmed, tank rim is divided into thirds of 24 inches each. I can't hang the fixture from ceiling or attach to wall. I need something that either has legs or can can be attached to the back of the tank with arms. I don't have an unlimited budget. I looked at Orbit Marine IC. They have a 72 inch led that you can also purchase arms to attach to back of tank. I would need 2 arms. Would this give me enough depth for lighting for bottom corals? I have also looked at AI Prime HD. I think I would need 3 of those. Ecotech Radion Gen 4 seem to be out of my price range and looks like Gen 3 are discontinued. Aquatic Life Halo I can't find much info on. Does anyone have any experience or opinions on these? Both LFS that I frequent tell me different things and they both just really want to make a sale. My head is spinning trying to figure this out. Can someone please advise.

tj w · Oct 29, 2016

Lori, I have two 72" orbit marine pro strips on my 6' tank. It would be sufficient for yours I believe

MamaLovesHerReefTank · Oct 29, 2016

tj w said:
Lori, I have two 72" orbit marine pro strips on my 6' tank. It would be sufficient for yours I believe

Is there a way to hang these with mounts that attach to the back of the tank? These are what @mcarroll alsoo recommended. At the time I was hoping to stick with t5's but options for quad t5's are extremely limited it seems. Going to look at the site once again. Thanks.