Suggestions for DIY Canopy and Lighting for 125

I'm planning on slowly getting together and retro fitting my 125 gallon cichlid tank into a reef tank. I was planning on building a canopy and doing a retro to install the lights into the canopy instead of buying a pre-made fixture for the tank to save money.

The more I look the the prices of the retro kits out there I'm not following why it would cost more to build my own canopy rather than buying a fixture. For $900 I could pick up the 72" outer orbit fixture 3x150W halides and 8x39w T5 actinics.

Looking at retro kits a single 150W icecap halide ballast, socket, and reflector is running around $200 so thats $600 in the halides and then $100 for a 2x39w T5 retro so $400 for 8x39w T5s. Comes out to a total of $1000 for just the retro kits then I still have to build the canopy.

Also, would 3x150w halides and 8x39w T5 bulbs create a lot of heat? I don't want to have to run a chiller.

Thanks

 

Your question has a lot of answers.... Ill start with the Outer orbit part...
Outer Orbits are still, to my knowledge made in China. Meaning less attention to detail, cheaper components and less money spent on R/D. Ice Caps are FANTASTIC ballasts, well worth the money, esp over some no name Chinese brand. I take it you are going with a decent relector so that again will cost more coin. Take SLS's reflectors for example... Made in US, TONS of money spent on R/D and quite possibly the most reflective aluminum made!!
I guarentee you can find a retro for less than that, if not let me know, I will help you!
Next answer, I would personally go with 250w or even 175w over 150w, you won't regret it.
I would do 3x250w with 2x 60" T5s thats it.
Will you need a chiller, where do you live? OH, I see, most likely not. Everyone underestimates the power of a couple fans and evaporative cooling!! I know ONE guy in our club out of geez, 20 that run obscene MH that has a chiller and that is a back up.
If it was ME..... I WOULD do all T5, thats what I did on my 180 and couldn't be happier. Less watts used less heat generated and great growth, all I am missing is the glitter lines.

I pieced an all T5 retro out for a club member I know and it was $700 something(for a 180) and that is roughly $200 less than the 72" Constellation he WAS going to buy!

Food for thought!
Happy lighting!!

 

Interesting, thanks for the reply. I'm really happy with the T5 set-up I have on my 46 bowfront. I'll have to look into an all T5 set-up for the 125.

The Ice Cap 430-008 Ballast says it can run 4 bulbs up to 330w so if 4 39w bulbs only pull 156w thats all I can run on it. I cant run 8 bulbs on 1 ballast which is still only 312w

 

I have 3 Workhorse 7s and 2 Workhorse 3's(long story) I meant for 4 Workhorse 7s but like I said long story. An IceCap 660 cap power 3 60" lamps(I would recommend the 60") so you would need three IceCaps.
The Advance or Workhorse are like 1/4 the price just to let you know...

Happy lighting

 

So on your 180 how many bulbs are you running?

 

Just a quick look up but from the TEK II reflectors I found it would appear I would only be able to fit 6 60" reflectors in a 18" deep canopy. Running 6 80w T5 would be 480w for around $500 using the workhorse 7 ballasts.

Are their thinner reflectors that would allow me to get maybe 8 60" bulbs in there?

 

I have 8 bulbs... I was going to do 10, which I left room for but I don't think I need to add anymore, but I guess the option is there if need be..

 

Teks are now 3.25" wide or so, they tell me that they were getting complaints that the light was too thin, like a lazer beam...not enough spread...
To answer your question, Aquactinics are 2" wide, I believe Icecaps are still just a little bit over 2" wide, ATIs are I want to say still 2"

I used 2 36" Aquactinic reflectors overlapped to make a 60" one. People ask why didn't I do a 6' since thats the lenght of the tank.... Well, there are no 72" bulbs in the US!!;D

8 60" bulbs will rock your tank, I would do maybe 7 because otherwise you will have some wasted light, for example in the back with pumps and overflows and things like that. Well I guess that depends on how you set it all up!!
Happy lighting!
I can post you a pic of the frame and lights if you need...