Lights for a 120 gallon reef

[BenHyder]

I have a 120 gallon tank that's 48 x 24 x 24. I want to do a mix of mostly sps and some lps, and softies. I want to know what are some of the cheapest light fixtures/combination of light fixtures that I can use for this tank. I would like to keep it under $500. I really like metal halides but am not liking the cost it would be to run them. Any suggestions?

 

[gcrawford]

Reefbreeders photon 48......love mine and so do the corals.

 

[BenHyder]

Reefbreeders photon 48......love mine and so do the corals.

Thank you for the fast response. How well do they grow sps?

 

[Matthias7]

You could get a photon 48 from reefbreeders, should be able to grow what you like.

 

[gcrawford]

Thank you for the fast response. How well do they grow sps?

Extremely well.... I went back to halides for a while with brand new radium bulbs and did not like the color or the heat.

 

[BenHyder]

Thank you for the input guys. I will definitely think about those.

 

[JerSaint]

I picked these up about a month ago and I am using them on other setups.
2pcs NEW165W Dimmable LED Aquarium Grow Light Full Spectrum Fishtank Reef Coral | eBay
My plan for my 120 is the pair of these and twin tube t5ho fixture like this one.
TechBrite T442T51MRHP0000 48" 2-Light T5HO Industrial Strip - Miro4 Specular Reflectors

 

[mcarroll]

A gu10 bulb fixture like mine (DIY) but sized for your tank would cost less than $300.

I don't know of a better/cheaper lighting solution. It's also the simplest to wire up by far as the bulbs are AC powered.

Compared to the other suggestions, this will also spill a lot less light into the room and use significantly less power too.

It is not dimmable, full spectrum or anything else that brings no benefit to coral growth. (Custom bulbs are no problem, so you could make it full spectrum if you were so-possessed.)

Holler if interested in this DIY route. Link.

-Matt

 

[3dees]

I paid half that for two Chinese dimmable led fixtures for my 120. no sps but my softies and lps are doing fine. lights run at 50% so I don't think sps' would be a problem. If I ever upgrade It will be the Photon 48.

 

[mcarroll]

Technically when I mentioned "<$300" I was being conservative....in case you don't have a lot of DIY supplies and opt for any bulb upgrades, etc. A bit more conservative than I realized...haven't priced equipment lately.

At current market prices, you could spend as little as <$150.

That includes bulbs and sockets. You supply wire, connectors, something to serve as the mounting fixture, and an AC connector cable.

I always make the last two recycled items for maximum savings. One or two old T5 or power compact fixtures that are hangable can recycle into nice gu10 fixtures. A dead appliance is a good source for cords with AC plugs. Two prongs are all that's needed.

$0.02