Selecting lights for 120g tank

[CarterJ]

I'm gonna be setting up a 120g tank in a couple of months and I am lost as to what kind of lighting to purchase for the tank. I am new to the reefing world, I have a 20g fowlr right now that has been up about 6 months. I plan to grow coral, but I haven't decided what specific types yet. I really don't want to spend more than about $400 on lights.
What type of light should I go with? led, t5, or other?
Does the light need to span the entire width of the tank (60") or would a 48" fixture be enough?
There seem to be a lot of options out there, any suggestions on specific fixtures would be greatly appreciated.
Tank dimension
width 60.5"
length 21"
height about 25"
Thanks for the help!

 

[Brew12]

I'm gonna be setting up a 120g tank in a couple of months and I am lost as to what kind of lighting to purchase for the tank. I am new to the reefing world, I have a 20g fowlr right now that has been up about 6 months. I plan to grow coral, but I haven't decided what specific types yet. I really don't want to spend more than about $400 on lights.
What type of light should I go with? led, t5, or other?
Does the light need to span the entire width of the tank (60") or would a 48" fixture be enough?
There seem to be a lot of options out there, any suggestions on specific fixtures would be greatly appreciated.
Tank dimension
width 60.5"
length 21"
height about 25"
Thanks for the help!

It's going to be tough to get good lighting on your tank with a $400 budget. Not saying it can't be done, but it does limit your options. Best bet is probably to keep an eye out for used equipment.

It is important to decide what type of corals you may want to get in the future. That will really set the range on what lighting you want to go with. If you want SPS's you will need more lighting than if you go with softies.

If your lighting is less powerful, it will need to go the 60". If you have a more powerful light and can raise it higher over the tank, a 48" fixture could work. Or 2 smaller light fixtures.

Sorry I can't be more helpful!

 

[CarterJ]

Yea as I've continued to look around I'm finding that good lighting is not cheap! I wont even have the tank up for a couple months, and it will be a while after that before I am ready for coral. I think I'll keep an eye out for used lights and try to get a better idea of what coral I want to keep.

Would two 24" fixtures be better than one 48"? instead of 6" uncovered on each side, it would be three sections of 4" left open
thanks for the help Brew12!

 

[Brew12]

Yea as I've continued to look around I'm finding that good lighting is not cheap! I wont even have the tank up for a couple months, and it will be a while after that before I am ready for coral. I think I'll keep an eye out for used lights and try to get a better idea of what coral I want to keep.

Would two 24" fixtures be better than one 48"? instead of 6" uncovered on each side, it would be three sections of 4" left open
thanks for the help Brew12!

You could probably get away with 2 higher quality 16" fixtures. If lights are bright enough you can raise them to get better coverage. It really depends on exactly what fixtures you are looking at.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

+1 from above.
they also make 30in models. Brew and I both have Sbreeflights.
3 16' would be fine (100 + each) or two 30's, the only bummer depending on budget is the timers.
mars aqua is a popular ebay brand, sb is china manufacture and us distributor.
def keep an eye on the used market. Im in love with the built in timers. and ramping rules.

 

[kendavjac]

With that budget and not knowing what you are going to try and keep, I would go with some cheap Chinese LED's. You can adjust the output to match your coral and they will keep you with in budget. I have both a Mars, another ebay brand, and a couple of reef breeders. Looks like same hardware, software, and internal components, the only difference is how the LED's are layed out. The wifi controllable is nice so you can make your lights ramp on and off, but not necessary.

 

[CarterJ]

I've been looking at the Sbreef lights. It would be nice to have the higher end models, but I think I'd have to stick with the basic. That's alright for now though, I think I can live without the bells and whistles. Looks like I could get three 16" basics for about $400, would that do the trick?
I guess you all prefer the led to t5?
also saltyfilmfolks and Brew12, how do you all have your sbreef lights mounted?

 

[Brew12]

I've been looking at the Sbreef lights. It would be nice to have the higher end models, but I think I'd have to stick with the basic. That's alright for now though, I think I can live without the bells and whistles. Looks like I could get three 16" basics for about $400, would that do the trick?
I guess you all prefer the led to t5?
also saltyfilmfolks and Brew12, how do you all have your sbreef lights mounted?

I have mine rigged in a canopy.

I went with 2 of the 32" timer pro's for my 72" long tank and the coverage is great. I also did a fairly easy mod so I can now control the ramping with my Apex. So even if you go basic now you can add the bells and whistles later.

 

[European]

Do you guys think TWO of this light fixture will be enough covarage for my 125 gallon, 72" long and 18" 1/2 wide, 23" height ?

http://www.marinedepot.com/EcoTech_...xture-EcoTech_Marine-EM58601-FILTFILD-vi.html