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Gang,

I am planning the setup for my 125G tank and one of my struggles concerns the lighting. I had a post
(my very first one) a couple of months ago; it was a similar question and in case you care you can
view it [link=Here]http://www.fishprofiles.com/files/forums/Technical%20Tinkering/59688.html" style="COLOR: #ff6633[/link].

This time I want to focus the discussion on a particular aspect, except if you can steer me to an issue
that I haven’t even thought about.

First off, this is the overall plan:

I am intending to have 4 x 96 Watts over the tank (length of tank = 72” ), which will give me a little
over 3WPG. I will utilize Compact Fluorescent bulbs, placed above the tank’s glass tops (no canopy)
while maintaining a gap between light and glass based on the fixtures legs.

Next, the options:

There are various options to achieve this goal. The simplest would be a 72” light fixture with 4 x 96W.
Or, I could choose 2 36” fixtures with 2x96W each. Or, I could even add 3 24” fixtures with 2x65W
each (390W total).

And here is my problem:

I am not too wild about the idea to lift a 6’ unit of my tank when I want to do some maintenance in a
section within the tank. The whole room where the tank will be placed is just a little higher than that.
I believe the chance of banging it up is pretty high. So naturally, I tend to 2 36” fixtures. But there is
a problem with that too as I don’t know how long a 36” actually is when placed on mounting legs. If
it is any wider than 36”, I would be screwed because 2 units would not fit on a 72” tank anymore.

What do you think? Any particular lighting system you would recommend (no shop light please)?
Any other comments?

Thanks in advance,

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

A 36" fixture should be 36" so long as you are looking at the size stated for the actual strip not the bulb lengths. The only time I've run into varying lengths is with 4' fixtures but 4' tanks aren't always exactly 4' either. I've come across a few 90g tanks that are 49" and a few 4' fixtures that are 47" but I've never had a problem with any other size light strips. If anything it might be a bit short not a bit long.

Actually, you should take a close look at the top of the 125G that you will be purchasing. The All-Glass 125 is split into 3 equal sections of 2 feet. If you buy 2 36 inch fixtures the interior feet will be on glass! You will need to trim those foot tabs. If you were to use 3 24 inch fixtures, you will need to trim 2/3 of the foot tabs.

You might avoid the problem with an acrylic tank but then you have other issues.

By the way, I had responded on your original post. Since I set-up my heavily planted 125 in 11/04, I have not had to remove the 6 foot fixture. I have slid it back and forth but I have enough room to work with the fixture in place.

Last edited by Bob Wesolowski at 14-Jul-2005 16:02

__________
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research."
researched from Steven Wright

On my 125, I have 2 36" lights. I have them just sitting on top of the glass tops. No legs. They can be moved whenever I need to get under them. If you are looking at the coralife lights, with the cords coming from the lights, they don't actually sit flush against each other. So there is a gap of a couple of inches. I'm not sure with legs that they would actually fit, depending on where the legs attach.

"Constant vigilance!"
Mad-Eye Moody

covered-in-bees,

Thanks for this info. If you don’t mind, I would have a follow-up question, or two, or three

How do you handle the heat that is produced by your lights?
Do you have the above mentioned 4x96W?
What units are you using (brand-model)?
If your units have fans, did you turn one around so that one fan is not blowing into the other unit?

Thanks so much,

Ingo

PS: Bob, thanks to you too. I haven't thought about the feet on the glass.

Last edited by Little_Fish at 15-Jul-2005 14:28

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Yes, I have the 4x96. They are the 36" Coralife strips. They do get rather hot, but the fans are on top and don't blow into each other. I haven't had any problems with the water getting too hot. It stays around 78. They were kinda expensive, though. Not sure if you have a budget!

"Constant vigilance!"
Mad-Eye Moody

Hi,
I, like Bob, also have a long fixture on my 75g, 48 inches,
and all I do when doing water changes is slide it to the back of the tank, this still gives me light, but allows for me to maintenance.
I dont even take off the glass tops unless for washing, I can reach everywhere in my tank with them on.
My thought is, a fixture the full length of the tank,
would be your best option. It will provide a more perfect light, where using 2-3 fixtures would make a lot of gaps for light to escape.
Also, it is not required for you to use the mounting legs.
I dont use them for my light, and it doesnt hurt anything except really making algae grow on the glass lids.


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Decisions, decisions, decisions :%)

Sneaky_Pete: If I would have a 48” tank I would get one unit too, no doubt about that. I usually wash my glass tops during the weekly water change procedure and as such would have to remove the lighting unit(s). I actually would suggest that you do the same; in particular because you mention the algae growth on you glass tops. You loose a lot of your light efficiency if the glass in not clean (just in case you didn’t know that already).

covered-in bees: Is [link=This One]http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=24035;category_id=1875;pcid1=1843;pcid2=" style="COLOR: #ff6633[/link] the light that you have? If so, that would be in my budget . Do you have any knowledge about lights burning out faster if they are getting hotter than normal?

One of the problem with a single 72” unit is that there is only a limited assortment available through online ordering (including Big Al’s and Drs. Foster & Smith catalogs). For example, I haven’t seen my [link=Current Favorite]http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=29623&category_id=1875&pcid1=1843" style="COLOR: #ff6633[/link] in a 72” version at any reasonable price. I assume the unit would be too stocky.

Thanks so far, maybe you have more to say,

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

That's the one I have. Or actually I should say the two! I've only had them for about a month, so I don't know about how long they will last. I thought I would wait a month or two, then buy some bulbs.

"Constant vigilance!"
Mad-Eye Moody