# Need help W/Lighting for 125gl



## kareen (Jan 18, 2013)

Iv been looking at the FinnexRay2LEDS 7000k I have plants in my 125gl with T5's right now I just set this Tank up with Drit Substrate & sand cap and have mid to some Hight light plants w/noCO2 so would the LED's be ok and would I have to put them up off of the tank top glass.Thanks for any Help.


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## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

*edit*

I just noticed the LEDs you linked are "36" Long x 3" Wide x 1" High" your 125g tank is 72 inches, so you'd need 2 of those fixtures ($300). Also, the wattage seems low 28 watts of power for a high light tank? Even with LEDs being more efficient in theory than other types of bulb they are certainly not that efficient. I'd say a definite *NO* to these lights if your goal is growing high light plants.

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kareen, the LEDs might be helpful, but honestly LEDs are so new to the hobby that they haven't really been extensively product tested yet by aquatic plant hobbyists. Therefore, the data isn't really available on how well they compare growing plants.

A few members have used custom made LED setups to grow plants with good success, but I haven't heard of people using commercial ones.

According to PAR (photo active radiation) measurements by niko, LEDs do not put out more useful light than T5 HO do (high output type). T5 HO have been extensively used and it is universally agreed that they are one of the best lights if not the best lighting type to use provided you get a quality set of reflectors in the hood.

See this link for details on LED vs T5 HO: 
http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/.../80982-par-data-collection-11.html#post656997

Power compact lighting is not far behind T5 HO (provided you have good reflectors).

If you are trying to experiment and do a bit of product testing, then buy the LEDs and let us know how they work out, if you are just looking to grow high lights successfully without worrying about wasting money then go for T5 HO or powercompact lighting.

I have a set of T5 HO lights I got off ebay, they were a quality set made for hygroponics and have individual german reflectors for each bulb. They worked well for all my high light red plants and were extremely bright. I paid $169.99 shipped for 48'' Grow Light T5 HO 4X 54w 2- bloom + 2 6700 k bulbs included. Also try www.ahsupply.com for Power compact lighting. I love their products. Their bulbs are a bit pricey though so you can buy just the fixture from them and bulbs from ebay. A mixture of 6700k and 10,000k bulbs work well.


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## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

I had a look on ebay and you'll need something with individual reflectors that says "T5 HO" not just "T5"

I think you could get 3 of these lights and do very well. You'd be in the high light range with 144 watts of T5 HO light, if you really want to torch your plants you can even keep your current T5 lights on to add more lighting. Each T5 HO light I linked below is 24 inches, so you'd have one per section of your 125g tank. At 60 bucks each (free shipping) you'll be looking at 180 bucks which roughly half what your LEDs would cost.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/T5-Grow-Lig...305?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item460ccd5279

You might also look at these lights, I think these are even better quality, but they are a bit excessive in the amount of light they are able to put out. At 6 x 24 watts per fixture (you'd need 3 for your 125g tank) you'd be capable of putting out up to 432 watts of light. However, these lights are also nice because they can be controlled to use either all 6 bulbs (432 watts), 4 bulbs (288 watts) or only 2 (144 watts) at a time, so you can simulate dawn/midday/dusk lighting, or experiment and see what your plants like. They cost $100 each so the total cost would be $300 (just like the total cost of the LEDs you listed above).
http://www.ebay.com/itm/24-GROW-LIG...485?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a2a6695a5

Using AHSupply's lighting you'd need the 6x55w reflector kit ($200), and 6 x 55 w bulbs ($107) plus whatever shipping is for a total of 307+shipping. This only buys you 330 watts of light. So already the choice mentioned above is a better deal.

http://www.ahsupply.com/36-55w.htm

Feel free to check out ebay using the search terms "t 5 hydroponic" just be sure you look for individual reflectors, bulbs included, and high output (HO) in the description.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_sacat=0&_from=R40&_nkw=t+5+hydroponic&rt=nc

DO NOT BUY ANYTHING THAT IS FROM JEBO OR ODYSSEY (same crappy burst-into-flames-fire-hazard company).


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## snichols (Jun 18, 2013)

How far from the substrate will the lights be?


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## kareen (Jan 18, 2013)

The lights will be 18" from the top of the substrate


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## kareen (Jan 18, 2013)

Im not looking to have hight lighting I just would like to have good mid lighting and I know the T5no is low light or can I add one LED W/the T5


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## Zapins (Jul 28, 2004)

Zapins said:


> I just noticed the LEDs you linked are "36" Long x 3" Wide x 1" High" your 125g tank is 72 inches, so you'd need 2 of those fixtures ($300). Also, the wattage seems low 28 watts of power for a high light tank? Even with LEDs being more efficient in theory than other types of bulb they are certainly not that efficient. I'd say a definite *NO* to these lights if your goal is growing high light plants.


Your question makes me wonder if you actually read the posts that took me an hour to research and write up.

In my opinion the LED system is useless and won't help you get your lights up to medium or even low light.

What is your budget? Is it $140 or $300?

What is wrong with these T5 HO lights? The price is the same and it will allow you to grow all the plant species in the hobby from low to high light. They would put you at the lower end of "high light" which is nearly exactly where you want to be from your description. I think these will give you what you want.



Zapins said:


> I think you could get 3 of these lights and do very well. You'd be in the high light range with 144 watts of T5 HO light, if you really want to torch your plants you can even keep your current T5 lights on to add more lighting. Each T5 HO light I linked below is 24 inches, so you'd have one per section of your 125g tank. At 60 bucks each (free shipping) you'll be looking at 180 bucks which roughly half what your LEDs would cost.
> 
> http://www.ebay.com/itm/T5-Grow-Lig...305?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item460ccd5279
> T5 Grow Light 23" 2 Ft 2 Lamp 6500K Bulbs Hydroponics Veg 48W


And one last question, what are the dimensions of your 125g tank? Usually they are a standard 6 feet (72 inches) by 24 inches by 24 inches. So unless its a custom made tank or one with weird dimensions it shouldn't be 18 inches tall.


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## Yo-han (Oct 15, 2010)

(Shaking the hive) Actually LED is not that bad nowadays. At the lfs I work we use all LED for our coral tanks. We can keep Tridacna shells and the most demanding Acropora alive with it. Corals that need way more light than any of our plants. But the difference between brands is really big. We use mainly TMC, and started a fresh water tank with HC a few weeks ago as well. It grows like hell! Over on UKAPS you can find some beautiful tanks with LED as well. Again with TMC tiles. (I should get sponsor money)

But unless you are able to test PAR you might as well get very low light with the same amount of watt from another brand. IMO a high wattage per LED is better than lots of small LEDs. This way you get light at the bottom as well.


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## kareen (Jan 18, 2013)

Thank you Zipins for your time you had ask for my tank size it's 6L X 18W X 21 w/overflows one in each corner an I will be looking at the T5HO lighting for my tank.


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## snichols (Jun 18, 2013)

The T5HO will be cheaper up front, but not in the long run. You will need to change lamps at least yearly. The LED will last 5 years or more. I went with 2 3' current true lumen pro strips and a 4' satellite plus for low light. For ,medium, I would have went with 4 of the true lumen pros. It is rumored that current is coming out with a new light soon, that will be even better.


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## niko (Jan 28, 2004)

A lighting company came to my work to give a bid to replace all existing lights with more efficient bulbs. They never suggested LEDs. I asked about it. The guy told me off the record that in their experience LEDs last way less than we all think. 

Of course - there are probably LEDs that perform best. That means one thing - more money.

Maybe one day the world will find a way around the eternal problem "Quality = expensive". Planted tank enthusiast have found many solutions to that problem already. Just read the forums. So there is hope.

Joke aside - the performance of T5HO depends heavily on the reflectors and the ballast. From what I know there is one single kind of reflectors that make sense for T5HO - the Tek reflectors. The ballast should not underdrive the bulb but also it should not overdrive it (make it hot, shorten the life, distort the original light characteristics (whatever they are because bulb companies love to lie about spectrums etc.) ). I do not know what ballast is good. I use Fulham Workhorse and I understand they are very good. Price for one T5HO bulb with a reflector and a ballast is about $100 right now. Price for two of these bulbs will be about $160. About $200 with shipping, cords, end caps, and wire to connect everything. You will need two 80W bulbs if you want more light that you will ever need without using CO2.

Your tank has the disadvantage of being a little too tall. The difference in light intensity on the surface and the bottom will be considerable. In that case it is wise to chose plants that make sense for that particular situation. But all of us want what we want and care little about what makes more sense. Because of that it will be best to setup the tank in such a way that everything runs perfectly inside the tank. That WILL make a very big difference in the plant growth possibly with the same light you have now. Water flow rate and water flow pattern and reasonable fish load are some of the simplest things to look at as a start.


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## kareen (Jan 18, 2013)

Iv been looking T5HO it's down to Aquaticlife or Coralife which is better of the two or is there a brand I missd


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## ROYWS3 (Oct 31, 2007)

niko said:


> You will need two 80W bulbs if you want more light that you will ever need without using CO2.


Not trying to hijack, but I think this is a relevant question . . . What I'm understanding is that you're saying a 6ft fixture with two 80wt T5HO bulbs would be sufficient to light a standard 125 g tank (without using CO2).

Would a comparable three lamp fixture be a good choice if I were to use pressurized CO2?


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