new tank but no lights

[emmit]

Well i pick up my new tank tomorrow :smash:

but i have a problem i dont have a light unit for it

the tank is 5ft x 2.5ft x 2.5ft so it is rather on the deepside which puts me in the pridicament of lighting

t5's just wont cut it i dont think and led's are not as good as they are made out to be (seen the results with my own eyes)

leaves me with the use of halides but what wattage do i need for this sort of deph

also i dont like the look of the 10000k bulbs or the higher blue you get with higher kelvin but have been told the 6500k is the incorect spectrum for corals like sps/lps

also i dont like the fact they can charge you ?300 for a light fitting with no bulb (would it be like this if it wasnt a hobby)

any advice appreciated

[FishManDan]

I wouldn't discount LED's, I have seen them working briiliantly (check out Mythrax Rob's tank thread, he's had great reults with his LED's and a lot of SPS growth).

Failing that, if you are set on Halides, I think you'd be looking at 2 or 3 x 250W, 14k, but with additional T5 blues.

[boxfish]

Mate's 5ft tank has 3 x 150w halide lights with 2 x T8 actinic blue light. It best to get 14,000k which is white, less it get yellower more it get toward blue. there are great bargain in ebay for 4ft or 5ft mh lighting units. Try the sponsors on here, they might can do you a bargain.

[emmit]

edited

[Twizted Nibbz]

my mate has 2 of these
http://www.fishnreef.com/lighting/aquaillumination-led/60-5x90w-aquaillumination-modular-led-light-system-w/-controller/prod_987.html

for his sps and lps and he didnt like them 1 bit he has put them in the attic and they were replaced with luminarcs

under led's at 8mths
http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo351/lonczyk/ed225e5d.jpg

under halides straight after the swap 8/06/09
http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo351/lonczyk/DSC_0657-1.jpg

and most lastest pic 22/06/09
http://i391.photobucket.com/albums/oo351/lonczyk/IMG_0519.jpg

might try and convince him to give them to me lmao

i think his main concern was that they showed fake coulouring

i am really tempted to go for 6500k bulbs at 150w as this would give me a better par the deeper i go into the tank than a 250w 14000k also as it passes through the saltwater it removes some of the red in the light and increases the kelvin as it goes the reason for my thinking about the 6500k is the colouring of the water of the tropical lagoons where alot of the corals comes from has a green shade to it meaning it is more like 8000k

also have done some reading about growing out the corals 14000k the growth is next to nothing but at 6500k coral growth is faster and also the colouring is slightly better due to the uv rays
but all this is reading not doing tho

any body have experiance with this way of doing things

my biggest problem is the depth of penitration of the lights t5's are no good

That tank is VERY nice........

[emmit]

it is only 9mths old lol wish mine was like that after 18 mths lol