# Lighting a 125G Setup



## vs5295

What is best option to light a 125G tank , going to be a reef in the future ?

Soft Corals, Hard Corals, LPS , SPS , all types of corals ? 

Please list, Brand and exact Model


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## altcharacter

3 x AI Sol's

If you doubt me go see Explor3r's setup.


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## Chris S

LED's are a great option - upfront cost, but long term savings.

Best three commonly available in Canada, in my opinion, are the Vertex, AI's and Ecotech's Radion.


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## vs5295

Sorry newbie question , whats the AI ? , can you post a link to it ?


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## vs5295

Never mind , Aqua Illumination , Explor3r's setup is amazing , maybe i will go with this lighting


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## sig

http://www.goreef.com/AquaIllumination-LED-Fixture/

It will be cheap ~ 1400 before taxes for 3 units + hanging kit

3 Ecotech's Radion will be ~ 2400 before taxes

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## vs5295

Would i need 2 or 3 , if i was to go with Aqua Illumination ,


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## sig

at least 3 for 72 tank, if you do not want to leave dark places on the edges.
The manufacture says 30", but it works well just for 24. thats why I am telling you to go with 48" tank.

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## Chromey

4 ReefBrites , They come in any length you want And Cost Less then EVERYTHING posted so far.

Down side, Not dimmable, YET


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## altcharacter

I had heard that AI was coming out with a cheaper solution to their lighting. I don't know when it will be available but definitely worth looking into.

http://reefbuilders.com/2011/09/09/ai-sol-phoenix-led-light-aquaillumination/


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## Chromey

As much as I think AIs are good... What will they take out to make them cheaper?

Made cheaper?
Cheaper parts?


Not to metion the 40+ pages on RC about how "AIs killed their takes"


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## vs5295

Of the ReefBrite lights , which model is best for hard / soft coral , lps , sps and such ? , and how many fixures would i need , im going to go with 36" fixtures i beleive


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## Chromey

IS the 125 the 48" or the 72" long?

Page 2 and 3 have the Reef Brites.

They also Come in 72"
The New Reefbrites are the XHO, They are 30% brighter then the Tec Reefbrites.

Im able to Grow everything with the Tec Reefbrites, But the XHO are alot nicer.

http://www.oakvillereefgallery.com/products.php?sid1=9&sid2=hardware&sid3=LIGHTING


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## explor3r

I would recommend anyone to go with AI SOL, and IMO for a 72inches long tank I would get 4 modules vs 3. 
Look at it as an investment


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## vs5295

Now , my tank is a 72" , is 2 -36" fixtures enough , just one fixture for 36" , what corals do you have growing under the tek reef brights?


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## Chromey

2,36s Would not be enough.
6-8 36s would be good.


3- 72" would be easyer.

I have LPS,SPS.

I can email pics if you like, But LED picks dont look right.


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## vs5295

How long is the life on these fixtures ? Where can i get the 72" fixtures , how much do they cost ? Thanks for the help guys !


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## Chromey

Info

http://www.reefbrite.com/

Where to buy:
http://www.oakvillereefgallery.com/

LED life span

You can read about lifespan of typical LED at lunaraccents.com.
The Meaning of LED Light Lifespan Explained

When new products are launched, figures that indicate various specs of the device are thrown around in an effort to reel in consumers. Such is the case with LED lighting, most particularly its lifespan. One of the most impressive aspects of LED lights is that they could potentially last for years upon years of use. Unfortunately, according to New York Times, claims of 25,000 hours and up of lifespan confuse consumers.

For those not well-acquainted enough with LED light specs, it's easy to assume that when a manufacturer says a bulb will last this long, the product will die out by then. After all, for incandescent bulbs, a 1,000 hour lifespan means the bulbs are bound to fail around that time. For LED light bulbs though, a 25,000 or more lifespan means that during that time, the bulb will start to fade and would emit light that's only around 70 percent of its original brightness. The problem is that since lifespan of LED lights ranges from 25,000 to 50,000 and even up to 100,000 hours, nobody can give an accurate estimation of when the lights will completely give out. Not yet, at least, since LED lighting is in its embryonic stage.

The New York Times article warns that consumers are subject to surprise bulb deaths in the future because of that. For now, having consumers understand what lifespan means remains an issue; so much in fact, that Fred Welsh, a Department of Energy consultant believes it could be "a potential black eye for the industry."


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## vs5295

Where could i find the 72'' fixtures , oakville only sells up to 48'' according to the website ?


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## vs5295

i found some on goreef.com the 72'' fixtures , what is your opinion of these fixures ?


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## vs5295

how many fixtures would i need just for the softy corals, the frogspawn, zoas, anemones, hammers and such ? , not the hard branchy stuff , ?


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## Chromey

call and order. They whats in stock listed

I still think you should get 3 to have the right colour.

1 50/50
2 All blue


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## vs5295

Since these coral are my main objective more soft corals , i may avoid the branchy hard stuff , should i just go with a t5HO , quad bulb fixture for 36" ? And get two fixtures since its 72"


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## Chromey

Whats the reason you want 2 fixtures?


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## vs5295

Lol , no reason , just wanted to make sure i know how many i need , very confused on lighting


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## Chromey

With most GOOD fixtures each zone of lights will come with its own Plug.

So lets say you get 2 36" 6 bulb fixtures, The fixture will have 2 plugs each.

Now you'll need 4 open receptacle, 4 timers.

With 1 60" or 72" fixture, youll only need 2 of each.
I know its a minor issue, But if the tank is on display, The cleaner look would be less wires, Less fixtures.

Another Option is buying a Crapping fixture, The ones you find at BigAls.
Some come with built in timers, and are avalible in a number of sizes.
This sound great and All, But a Cheap Fixture From Big Als In a 60-72" size Is still going to cost you Way more then the fixture is worth.

Understand 1 thing about Saltwater equipment, You get what you pay for.

I bought a 60" ATI 8 bulb from Oakville Reef Gallary for 750$.
This fixture is 1 Of the Top brands for Aquarium lighting, And will last YEARS.
The BigAls fixtures Ive owned, last Months at Best, Im not saying Just the bulbs burn out, The Ballist burn too.

Im sorry if other members Dont agree with me about BigAls Lighting, This is my personal experience.


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## vs5295

I think i will most likely go with 2-3 reefbrite LED , 72" fixtures


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## royy

I just switched to t5s quad and the difference is amazing! I have a 150 gallon tank but i keep most of the things in the middle and the difference is crazy. I had it on for like 2 hours and they were bigger than they had been with leds( the ones you sold me) and one t8 i had before.


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## vs5295

Cool , what corals are you keeping ?


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## royy

Exactly (hammer coral, torches, frogspawns) what you want which is why i reccomend using like t5s. My bulbs arent even that great and its working really well LOL


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## sig

Chromey said:


> The BigAls fixtures Ive owned, last Months at Best, Im not saying Just the bulbs burn out, The Ballist burn too.
> 
> Im sorry if other members Dont agree with me about BigAls Lighting, This is my personal experience.


Agree 100%

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## altcharacter

sig said:


> Agree 100%


You definitely get what you pay for when it comes to saltwater. I went thru 8 different types of lighting to figure out that you shouldn't go cheap on anything to do with saltwater.

LED's or T5HO's in my opinion


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## liz

Rapidled.com - super easy to build and amazing kit packages.


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## Chromey

If i were to do it again Rapidled.com would be my choice too./


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## altcharacter

Totally agree with RapidLed.com
I had a problem with shipping during the postal strike and since it was technically their fault they sent a full second pacakge to make sure it arrived. Super awesome customer service and very easy installation.


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## vs5295

As far as difficulty with putting it together ? since you have to build it ?


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## vs5295

For the hobbyists that used RAPIDLED , what combination of lights did you use ? how many heatsinks ? how much of each item did you use ?


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## sig

Isn't be be less headache just to get Reef Brites?

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## sig

I was thinking about future 72x18x24 and considering that I have 48" T5 fixture, I will just add 1 of ReefBrite XHO LED Fixture (15") on the sides

Do not know if it will work for the tank, but...

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## liz

Rapidled uses 3 watt Crees - I am very happy with my fixtures - so bright I have them turned down to 50%.


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## Chromey

As my lights sit Now

4-48" reefbrites
2-15" reefbrites at 1 end


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## liz

I have a whole tank build thread over on AP. This is some of the light build pics. The lights are on at 100% in these pics.
Note: this was cheaper to do then Reefbrites.


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## sig

liz said:


> Note: this was cheaper to do then Reefbrites.


For sure when you know what to do and how.

your new tank is a beauty 

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## sig

liz said:


> Note: this was cheaper to do then Reefbrites.


For sure when you know what to do and how.

your new tank is a beauty . How many drain lines do you have there 1 or 2?
Thanks

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## liz

sig said:


> For sure when you know what to do and how.
> 
> your new tank is a beauty . How many drain lines do you have there 1 or 2?
> Thanks


Thanks Sig - if I can build them then anyone can - I have zero electrical experience and every email that I sent Mike at Rapidled he responded too.

I have the Herbie method - one drain and one emergency drain - 2 returns.


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## sig

Thanks,

going to see your thread on AP

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## liz

sig said:


> Thanks,
> 
> going to see your thread on AP


Just a word of caution - it is very long!!!
The light build is on page 9 and forward.


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## Chromey

As much as i like my Reef Brites, Liz I love your Lights.

If you dont mind me asking, PM final cost please.


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## PACMAN

I would like to know the cost as well!

It looks beautiful!


also, so this setup can draw 300 watts eh? Do you know how much it actually draws at 50% power?


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## liz

pm'd you both


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## Chromey

Thanks Liz.

My reefbrites cost around 1200 for all 6.

Ill get RapidLeds for my 300G build.


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## liz

When are you building the 300gl Chromey? I didn't know you were going bigger?


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## Chromey

The 135 Was Just the start. 
Im thinking in a few months.

Im not 100% sold on a 300 or a 400 DD


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## liz

Chromey said:


> The 135 Was Just the start.
> Im thinking in a few months.
> 
> Im not 100% sold on a 300 or a 400 DD


Good for you - I don't think you will regret that move! Big difference all around from a 135 to a 300gl.


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## Chromey

Then i can get some more tangs.


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## liz

Are you going to have it built? If so, by who?


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## Chromey

i was thinking NAFB, Or Milton Aqurarium. Flavio is making some great looking rimless tanks.


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## liz

Chromey said:


> i was thinking NAFB, Or Milton Aqurarium. Flavio is making some great looking rimless tanks.


I am a big John fan - he has built 2 aquariums for me and did a beautiful job on both.


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## Chromey

He built my Buddies 150, With exturnal CTC overflow... Its Sex as all hell.


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