120 gallon lighting

[Delibird]

Hello! 

TL;DR what is the best light for a 120 gallon planted tank. Mid light

I am setting up a 120 gallon display tank, 48 inches long, 24 inches tall, 24 inches front to back. It will be a planted discus display tank in my living room. I’m wanting to shoot for mid light, might do co2 in the future. 
 

I’m unsure of what lighting to go for. It is my display tank so I don’t necessarily want to do LED shop lights, but if they’ll do the job well I’d compromise for the price. 
 

I’ve heard mixed things about the fluval 3.0 being able to penetrate that deep (I would plan on running 2, maybe 3 in the future if I decided I wanted more)

 

I love the look of the kessil lighting. I believe I would need 2 of the freshwater a360we. I love the shimmer. I’ve heard great things about them but they’re pretty expensive, not sure if they’re worth that much and if 2 of them would be enough. This would be my first choice if they were around $200 not $300. 
 

AI Prime freshwater LED. Basically the Kissel but not as great from what I’ve seen. Definitely like the look of them still but not quite as clean looking as the Kissel. Significantly cheaper so that’s a plus. Again not sure if 2 is enough or if I need 3 or more. 

Open to current USA, but the internet doesn’t seem to like them.

Nicrew and finnex stingray not really on my radar. They won’t be enough to light the tank. 
 

Any and all suggestions appreciated! 

[Streetwise]

I like my Fluval Plant 3.0 units, but I haven't tried to light a tank of that size yet.

@Daniel swears by the Kessil A360x Tuna Sun lights, and they look great on his centerpiece tank hanging from pendants.

Edited March 20, 2021 by Streetwise

[lefty o]

i have a nicrew classic led on my 120. its fine for a mid light tank.

[Delibird]

59 minutes ago, lefty o said:

i have a nicrew classic led on my 120. its fine for a mid light tank.

The par at 12 inches is only 79 and I have to go double that. Assuming you lose half every 4 inches that’s less than 10 par at 24 inches. Mid light plants usually want 40-60 ish 

[lefty o]

1 minute ago, PumpkinWeevil said:

The par at 12 inches is only 79 and I have to go double that. Assuming you lose half every 4 inches that’s less than 10 par at 24 inches. Mid light plants usually want 40-60 ish 

im just giving you what my experience with the light is. if you feel it isnt enough, dont buy it.

[Paul]

I have a 120 planted Discus tank. I’m using a 48” Stingray 2.0 on a Wi-Fi timer with no CO2. Pogostemon Octopus, Dwarf Aquarium Lily, Dwarf Sagg, Valsinaria, Sword, Bacopa, Anubias, & Java Fern are all growing well in this tank. 

[Patrick_G]

I’m also in the process of setting up lighting for a 48” tank. I’m intrigued by the spotlights MD Fishtanks uses in his “Amazon Aquarium”.  @Cory did a mostly positive review. 
 

Here’s some screen grabs from MD Fish Tanks. I tried to show the lights and the penetration