New 125gl Tank! What type of lights do i need?

I have recently recieved an offer to trade my tank (20xhigh) for a 125gl tank fully set up with sump, stand canopy, Corals, fish, live rock etc.....EVERYTHING BUT A GOOD LIGHT! I currenlty have a HID fixture that has 150w w/ 2 t5 blue lights. Love these lights, one complete unit that mounts to the tank. I am very concearned about the light in the new tank. I currently have 9.4 watts per gallon now. (a ton of light) Everything grows really well and very fast.

My question is basically asking the reefers out there to put there heads together and figure out what is the best choice for lighting. I have seen the post about LED, and have looked into the EcoXotic brand and a local store who makes these boxes. The $$ is a lot but for the long haul is worth it. I am just concearned about the longevity of health for my coral. I see stores have them on the tanks, but not show tanks, just frag tanks and such. I was also thinking about a mixture of using my old light (HID) and Led combined, just in case some corals are not doing well. My HID light is only 18" long, so i have a lot of space that needs lighting. Using the Module LED lights from Ecoxotic on the sides. Maybe two per side (4 total) Would that be Good?

My third option is going with 72" 8 Bulb T5 AquaticLife Fixtures. They are really nice and 1 plug for everything. My concearn with this is the WATTS per Gallon. Reads something like 2.4wpg. It is a big adjustment from 9.4 that they currently have. Plus i do not want limitation on what ican have in there. (mostly LPS, Soft, and have a few SPS)

If anyone has any knowledge, opinions, suggestion on light fixtures, it is all welcome. I love this hobby and really if i am going big, i want to do this right. But obviously i have a budget for lights.

Appreciate the help!

I will try to figure out how to post some pics.

FL REEF

 

Have you considered getting a nice MH setup? Or is that not an option?

 

http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/Me..._HO_-_Fixture_Only_(Black)_by_Sunlight_Supply

I would do something along these lines.

 

I would suggest 3 MH 250's if its a 6' long tank and supplement with T5's. If you have a canopy you can retrofit this for about $700

 

That's why I asked about the MH, that setup you mentioned is what I would do. LEDs are still really new and I would wait for other people to mess around with the LEDs to get the bugs out and see how they perform in the long run.

 

thanks for the response and it is a 6 ft tank

I have considered the MH and that is what I have now. I am concearned with energy consumption and heat. I do not have a chiller and trying not get one but I live in FL and summers may require it. Also sorry if I put Hid and meant MH.
I did find a full Mh set up, fairly in expensive- 3 x 150w MH with t5 and luners. Would the difference of 250 vs 150 be a huge deal fro health of coral.
So would you say the T5 lights would be a bust?

 

I was in this same spot around New Year's when I upgraded to MH. With a six foot tank you prob have two center braces like mine . A normal MH setup covers 2 feet, hence the need for three. Now originally I was going to get 3 150w MH, but I too was concerned with heat and don't want the added cost or clutter of a chiller. So I went the 250w route and keep them roughly 10" off the surface of the water. My T5 is actually a 4' NOVA fixture (was only $105) that I use the feet it came with and it rests on my braces at the very front of the tank. The t5's are still inside the canopy and they dont block the MH but they are only about 2" off the surface. I also mounted 4 clip fans within the canopy and left the back basically open with the flow of the air directed to the rear. I haven't been through a Summer yet Im keeping my fingers crossed but right now there are no heat issues. Here's some pics I took after the upgrade (T5's not in this pic)

 

Thank you very much for the pics and the advice. I have found a nice set up with 250w HD at a decent price. Has t5's and moon lights. Thinking after this convo I will stick to the MH.

I will send pics this next weekend once the tank is set up.

 

Any one else have any thoughts.....

 

T5's would work fine for you. They are much more powerful than people think and the watts per gallon rule does not apply for T5's and MH.

Just make sure you get high end bulbs when it comes time to change the bulbs.

Look at reef geek in the T5 section on the ATI fixtures and Tek Elite fixtures to see the recommendations for tanks stock and size for each of the fixtures. I believe you will see that 2.4 watts per gallon is good for a mixed reef tank like yours.