Still looking

he could probably get away with just 72 LEDs so 3x24 kits or if you arent a good DIYer talk to reefwerks they will make it for you for a little extra...i payed $500 for my 36 LED with 2 heat sinks, 2 fans with alarms, hanging kit, drivers, dimer, etc including shipping so with a fixture that you wont have to build yourself you could do ~1k maybe a little more if you would like a few more LEDs

 

some people say arguably to mix a couple neutral or even warm whites in with the cools to widen the spectrum but also you can get even more customizable with your LEDS by adding in some UVs/greens/reds/purples/just about any color

 

Cosmo you are pretty spot on with estimates ! Kinda pieced together one from rapid right in that same price range. And I got a quote from reefworks on one a bit more but is ready to go diy and no guess work since they put the kit together for me and stand behind it with a guarantee. And the customer service I am getting from reefwerks is great !
I could save a considerable amount if I went through aquastyle using bridgelux, but the general feeling I am getting is Cree is superior. So, I'm thinking getting them from reefwerks is the way to go just gonna have to save my pennies sense I had originally budgeted for a T5 fixture.
If anybody has more input on bridgelux that has used them that would be awesome.;D