# Lighting for a 110 gallon tall



## inkslinger (Dec 28, 2003)

Will I have a 110g tank but my tank is 60x18x24, I put 3 pairs of t5 ho's on my canopy.
You can get any thing that you can afford. 46inch>VHO ,PC,t5's,Metal Halide lights,ect: If your going to go DIY I would go with the Ice Cap 660 Ballasts with this you can mix match the lights with the total watts provided.

http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/Parts_&_Accessories/Ballasts/Fluorescent/
http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/Metal_Halide/IceCap/

I think IMO: that the watt's per gallon does not apply when tanks are larger over 100g , I run 4 lights with my setup .


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

3-4 rows of T5HO bulbs should do the trick, especially if you've got the rows on separate switches so can experiement with the photoperiod. Many people run 2 rows for most of the day and then the 2nd bank of bulbs for just a short "noon burst."

I personally really like the Solar T5HO fixtures from www.catalinaaquarium.com.

Welcome to TPT!!


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## koyoteturtle (Jun 26, 2010)

I actually have two 250 watt metal halide bulbs and ballast from my reef tank, but i don't want to use them because of heat and money to run them, t5 seems the way to go, but I'm looking for an all in one solution. I'll check out catalinaaquarium, but I'm diy capable, so...


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## lauraleellbp (Feb 3, 2008)

Yeah, I'm not a huge fan of MHs b/c of that same heat issue (especially down where I live lol) Chillers are just TOOOOO expensive! Plus why waste all that electricity...

If you'd rather DIY with T5NOs from Home Depot you could go that route, too, and just add another row or two of bulbs. Though you can find some nice T5HO retrofit kits online if you look around.

Catalina has them, and www.MarineDepot.com often has good deals on retrofits. Also try www.sunlightsupply.com.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

Its hard to get uniform lighting at the substrate with a single light fixture above a 19 inch front to back depth tank, and it takes 3 T5HO bulbs to get into the high medium range of light at 30 inches from the bulbs. If you are willing to accept slower plant growth, but with the ability to grow almost any plants, you could use 2 T5HO bulbs, and get medium intensity at the substrate. Then, to get better uniformity of lighting, you could use two 2 bulb fixtures, spaced several inches apart. Another option would be a 4 bulb fixture, suspended about 6 inches above the top of the tank, or a 6 bulb fixture about a foot above the top of the tank. That makes reaching into the tank to do minor in-tank maintenance very easy to do, so that would be my preference.


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## koyoteturtle (Jun 26, 2010)

I'm thinking now that maybe the two metal halides with 175 watt 10k bulbs may not be so bad, if I keep a fan blowing across the top. at least everything will get proper lighting....


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