im setting up a new 125gal

[dadonoflaw]

im starting my first reef tank this weekend and i want to know what i need in terms of lighting and what can i expect to pay. i want the moonlights on there and metal halides. the tank is 6' long and i have no lid. i dont know about lights and they talk about retro kits and other things but i dont know about them. can anyone help me

[V]

welcome to the forums first of all! glad uv'e joined us!

lighting is a harder topic, because there are many variables. both personally, equiptment speaking, and animal focus needs! one or all of these variables can have an outcome on the quality or costs thats needed to care properly for these animals. you mentioned moonlighting, thats the easy one, simple DIY LED lights rigged up to your needs will be fine! its also cheap!

MH is a bit harder. its personal preference in some regards. u say u dont have a hood> so to hang MH u need to rig something up in most cases. then a shielding so light is focused in the tank, not scattered everywhere> including your eyes whilst viewing!
retro kits are component pieces of the same equiptment that u normally buy, just not put together and relying on you to rig it so it works for your individual needs!
once again you have to worry about suspending the lights!
making simple headway down here is the combo units, half MH lighting half VHO T5 marine fluro tubes.
heres a link (http://aquactinics.com/Store/Lighting_Systems.htm)
theres an LED buy add-on at the bottom as well

its not a site i use nor consider it cheap, im just posting it as an example!
to be perfectly honest, even though they aren't the cheapest, they are the simplist for start up purposes!
i have to leave it there, cause america is along way from here, what i suggest on price and trends are prob completely different. im sure your fellow countrymen and women can dirrect you in the most cost effective way for value!

[Amphibious]

It kind of depends on what you want to keep, Softies, LPS, SPS, Acros a mixture of all. How handy are you at putting components together? How much are you willing to spend? You realize MHs will heat up the tank, are you considering the cost of a chiller? There are a lot of considerations.

I have a 6' Aquactinics fixture (The site veriann sent you to.) it's top quality. I have $1114 in it. Are you willing to spend that much money? You can shop around on line but if you know little about lighting you can spend some money on a bargain unit and be greatly disappointed in the results. Then you have to decide on how to correct the situation. Do you pawn off that unit and buy another? I don't know what to tell you. If you are looking to cheap it out and you're handy buy the parts and put it together. If you are not then look into a finished unit. I do know this, the Aquactinic unit is a class act. Is it worth the money? Well when you compare it to the new LED fixture by PFO at $3000 it looks pretty cheap.

Now I'm the kind of guy that has to have the latest and greatest thing on the market. That's why I spent the money on the Aquactinic fixture five months ago. Now, I'm about to take delivery of the new Solaris LED Illumination System from PFO. Maybe you'd like one of those. Here is a link to more info on them - Solaris LED lights (http://www.theculturedreef.com/pfo.htm). You can read all about them before you make a decision. These are the latest thing in reef lighting. PFO just started shipping the first units this week. I'm expecting mine will ship any day. Once it's here, I'll probably sell my Aquactinics unit. I don't need two 6' fixtures.

By the way, the web site I linked to above is mine. I'm an on line source.

Good luck.

[dadonoflaw]

i would like to keep a mixed reef and i am not handy at all. i dont know much about chillers what size do i need? confused about the lights... do i need one 72" fixture, 2 36" fixtures, or 3 24" fixtures? i have three partitioned sections at the top of my tank and i didnt know if that matters. thanx for the input. also even though i am very new to this i enjoyed your idea about the dsb and i will attempt to set it up. wish me luck i may need help.

[Amphibious]

i would like to keep a mixed reef and i am not handy at all. i dont know much about chillers what size do i need? confused about the lights... do i need one 72" fixture, 2 36" fixtures, or 3 24" fixtures? i have three partitioned sections at the top of my tank and i didnt know if that matters. thanx for the input. also even though i am very new to this i enjoyed your idea about the dsb and i will attempt to set it up. wish me luck i may need help.Cost efficiency would dictate a single fixture 6' long because the MH bulbs need a ballast to start so, the more bulbs the more ballasts. The Aquactinic fixture mentioned above has two ballasts mounted in a housing. Then consider all the wiring harnesses that comes with each fixture.

As far as luck goes, I have a favorite saying,"Those that plan ahead are blessed with the most luck" or something like that. We're here to help. Remember to ask about something before the event. It's easier to correct if you haven't spent the money.

Rule number one in reefing: The only thing that happens fast in reefing is disaster". And the three most important words are, research, research and research.

There, you are off to a good start. :agree:

[dadonoflaw]

where can i find this fixture that u recommend and does it come with those moonlights? thank you

[Amphibious]

Yes, they come with moon lights and totally programmable. They are costly but worth it in my humble opinion. Go - HERE (http://www.theculturedreef.com/pfo.htm) - You can read all about them.