PC or halide for 20L nano?

[bugmunch]

Considering starting up a 20L nano, and wanted to know how limited by livestock choices would be if I went with PCs rather than halide. By PC's I guess I mean 2X55 watt (after all, the tank is shallow), as opposed to a single 175W halide pendant. If I went with the halide, should I anticipate major heat probems in such a small tank?

Thanks for any advice

[Peabody]

Go for a halide. I have a 175watt pendant and a 55 watt PC actinic over a 24" long 15 gallon. Temp is 80-82. This way you aren't limited light-wise with what you can keep. With 2x55 PCs, there are some things you cant keep.

[bugmunch]

Can you elaborate on the types of things I couldn't keep under the 2X55 PCs?

Thanks!

[Peabody]

Most SPS corals, Clams, anemones, etc. With 2x55 you could have any and all soft corals (or course nothing that is non phoyosynthetic, as they don't do well in tanks), all mushrooms, all polyps, you could also have most all LPS. Of course, clams and SPS are advanced and require a very stable tank with close calc/alk managment. That may not be what you want!
Best of luck,
Jeff

[bugmunch]

Thanks for the help, Peabody.

It's clear I should do a bit of reading before making any significant purchase . . . .

[Yanni]

i have a 20 long reef and would definatly recomend a form of halide lighting. I use a reef optics 250 watt, but 150 would do well also. I used 110 watts of pc lighting and the upgrade to halide promoted alot more growth. The heat is not ahuge factor because i hung it about 9-10 inches over the tank. It goes between 78-82 degrees daily, mind you this tank is in my office at work so we shut the heat off at nite, its been about 10 degrees is mass. at nite and crank the heat all day, in so many words, go halide