[APD] 100 gallon tank lighting

[Elaine T <ethompson77 at yahoo_com>]

Hi, all
I've been quietly lurking for a while but I could use some advice.  I'm 
setting up my first big tank.  A friend is giving me a 5-foot, 100g (60" 
x 18" x 21") tank and I'm not sure about lighting.  The largest tank 
I've run before was a 55g.  I'm planning a heavily planted angelfish 
tank (altums if I can find 'em)  and mostly South American plants like 
swords, cabomba, and valisneria.  I'm not going to try stunts like 
riccia carpets, but I may do a Lilaeopsis lawn.  I need suspended 
lighting or a fixture on legs so the tank doesn't overheat in the 
summer.  Overheating is a BIG issue for my tnaks because I don't have 
AC.  I will be running CO2 and I know how to fertilize properly.  I 
don't paticularly want crazy growth, but I want plants to do well enough 
that algae is not a problem.  I'm considering both fluorescent and metal 
halide and I'm not a DIYer.  My options are:

-- Current USA 260W 5-foot CF fixture.  4x65W CF.  It would fit the tank 
well and the look of the fixture is appealing.  Not sure it's enough 
wattage, though.  It's expensive at about $425 to get the fixture and 
buy FW bulbs and replacements are about $80/year.

-- Aquatraders (aka Jebo/Odyssea) 322W 5-foot CF fixture.  2x96, 2x65.  
Fixture is only $250 with FW bulbs and fits the tank.  It has more 
wattage than the Current USA but Aquatraders has a questionable 
reputation (bad ballasts, noisy fans) which makes me hesitate.  
Replacement bulbs $100/year.  Anyone got a Jebo/Odyssea/Aquatraders 
fixture and like it?

-- Hydroponic 4-foot T5 HO fixture.  Energy efficient, comparable price 
to CF, cooler running with no fans, long bulb life.  IMO this is better 
technology than CF.  I can get 4, 6, or 8 54W bulbs for total wattage of 
216, 324, or 432 (yipes). Replacement bulbs are dirt cheap.  I've been 
looking at Tek-Lights because the reflectors are supposed to be the best 
available.  I only hesitate here because all the fixtures are 4 feet 
long and I would have to hang it from the ceiling rather than having legs.

-- Metal halide pendants, 2x150W.  I love glitter lines, but this is a 
$600 outlay plus $100 bulb replacements and might cook the tank.  
Probably out of my budget.  If I would need fluorescents to lower light 
intensity for part of the light cycle, the cost of the combined fixtures 
is prohibitive.

So...what would you get?  How much wattage do I need?  Has anyone 
suspended a 4-foot fixture over a 5-foot tank and how did it work?  
Anyone seen other options (like a T5 HO fixture designed for 5-foot tanks)?

Thanks in advance,
Elaine
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