Usually follows the WPG guideline:
Less/densely planted: 1~2++wpg
Heavy/thickly planted: 3++wpg
Of course it depends on the plants that you are using. Certain plants requires very high light(mostly highly-colored stem plants), while anubias/crypts/moss/ferns does not require much of a lighting.
Looking at the 2.5ft height, you may like to consider MH as it is able to penetrate into the depth of the tank. T5HO is another options you might wanna consider, but I doubt there are 6ft T5HO tubes around.
Winston
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