125 gallon uvb lights?

[furbyteeth]

as an early christmas gift, i’m finally getting gnomeo his (much needed) bigger tank, but i’m having a bit of trouble trying to figure out the proper lighting for it. it’s a 125 gallon aquarium and stand combo with led strip lights, and although it’s a bit pricey, for all i’m getting, i don’t mind. however, i don’t want to have to spend more than i need to on an entirely new setup, so i was wondering if the hood for the leds could also be used for uvb lights? i don’t have the measurements for them, but i do have a picture of the tank itself if that would help any.
[Click image to enlarge]

any general lighting advice is also appreciated, and i’m sorry for the dumb question! uvb hoods are just so expensive : (

[AHBD]

That's a nice big tank ! Sorry I can't help with your question, if you're getting this from a store can you ask them ? Maybe someone else here will have more info for you, anyway I bumped this up for more visibility. I know you don't want to spend more than you need to.

[zachburnav]

I can't add much either. The best place to start in my opinion is to see what kind of socket the fixtures are. You would probably need T5 for that size enclosure. Also, look at the voltage and size. For example, a 36 inch UVB fixture from ZooMed fits a 34" bulb from what I know. I'm not 100% sure on the voltage part tho. If there's a way you can buy a bulb that fits the size and socket and give it a try I think that might be best (as long as it's safe). Otherwise, I hope this helped.

[furbyteeth]

thanks for the suggestions. the fixtures are apparently from aqueon, a sister company to zilla, and the manual that came with them advised against what i was planning, so i don't think i'll be using them any time soon. i guess this calls for a new 3-4' hood and a funeral for my bank account

[AHBD]

Shoot, did you get that 125 tank already ? If not you could go with something else.

[Claudiusx]

Yeah, a LED fixture will not run a fluorescent bulb. You will need to get a fixture specific to either a T8 or a T5. And a T5 would definitely be the suggest route in a tank that big.

Well, at least it's only a big initial investment that you make once
Lots of space to fill it with decorations too.

-Brandon