[Aristarchus]

hey i got my 125 home today (still need to buy filters, heaters, etc) but i was wondering how many strip lights i should get? it's 6 feet long, so should i get 2 at 36"? or what do you guys currently have on your setups? and should i get flourescent or natural colored bulbs?

 

[Raptor]

3) 18 inchers, 2) 36 inchers The 18 inchers would look nicer. And then for bulbs go with the natural sunlight by ge at the local lowes or builder square. It's a lot cheaper

 

[FeederFish33]

i copied my lighting setup from mattias, after seeing his tank. He had 2 36 inch lights (I'm using 1 48 inch and 1 24 inch) and in front of those he has 2 24inch (I have 1 48 inch). I have my 48 and 24 on a timer so that they turn on at 9:30 in the morning and turn off at 8:30 at night. My lone 48 inch is on a timer that turns on at 8 in the morning and turns off at 10 at night. The 48 is colored purple. It looks pretty sweet. Its the same idea as mattias, with a few minor adjustments.

 

[Judazzz]

I use one 48", 36 Watt tube with a reddish tint on my 80 gallon. Seems to be enough for the plants in there, since they do fine...

 

[Mr. Hannibal]

I only use 2 36" daily for dim light and sometimes switch on a third one!

 

[Aristarchus]

thanks guys, so mattias's lighting system is basically the same as yours but with a 3rd strip in the front? sounds pretty interesting.. i'll have to go to my lfs and see how much they want for used ones

 

[nitrofish]

I dont have lighting on my 125 gallon piranha tank

 

[InSinUAsian]

I dont have lighting on my 125 gallon piranha tank

I have lights but I never never never turn them on. Much better for the fish I believe. I think that me and Nitro are the only ones that think this way though. I like to create as little stress for my fish as possible. Bright lights an P's just dont mix.

~Dj

 

[JesseD]

id use (3) 18 inch lights

that way u can make the tank dimmer if u wanted to!

 

[nitrofish]

I dont have lighting on my 125 gallon piranha tank

I have lights but I never never never turn them on. Much better for the fish I believe. I think that me and Nitro are the only ones that think this way though. I like to create as little stress for my fish as possible. Bright lights an P's just dont mix.

~Dj

ya, theres plenty of light in the room to see the fish anyway. besides they have always went nuts with the lights on the tank, so when I bought my 125 gallon tank I just got the glass tops instead of a full hood.

 

[Aristarchus]

what i think i'm gonna do is... since i work for a solar screen company, building solar screens for homes.. i'm going to make a couple 8" x 30" (rough estimate) screens to mount underneath the lighting.. they block out a lot of heat and UV rays, and still let adequate light get through... so HOPEFULLY this will be a nice little idea if it works out as planned... i'll post pics once i get it created