Lighting advice

[goofball310]

I am putting together a new 65 gal corner tank, and would like a little info on the type of lighting I should use. I am currently putting in 3 75 watt VHO, but I'm debating on the Metal Halide wattage. I was wondering if I should go with 175 or 250 watt halide, and if I should use one or two bulbs?

Thank you in advance,
Mark

[griss]

Mark, what are the dimensions of your tank and what corals would you like to keep?

Griss

[goofball310]

2 1/2' each side and 2 1/2' depth.

[Russ]

I think one lamp would be enough, w/a good quality reflector. With a 30" high tank you'll need to go with the higher wattage, if your interested in keeping SPS/clams.

[goofball310]

What wattage would you recommend for keeping SPS or clams?

[Russ]

It really depends on what you want to keep! For SPS/clams I wouldn't go lower than 250 watts, but there again it depends on the PAR value of the individual bulb. Some, would throw a 400 watter over it and call it a day.

I think you need to get a better idea of what you want to keep and how deep you sand bed will be, before you start shopping for lamps/wattages. Also, you need to think about the the "look" you want? Are you bothered by the "yellow-ness" of 65K bulbs? Are you going to look at standard Metal Halide lamp or HQI (double ended) lamps? And what kind of reflector do you plan to house the bulb in? There are lots of questions here. You'll have to reach your own decision based on researching your options here at RC.

[HomerS]

Another issue to consider in a tank that size is cooling. I've seen 400W bulbs over 29g tanks, but they had some serious fans on them. The best advice I could give would be to bu the best lighting you can afford. If you settle, eventually you will want to upgrade, and will not be happy with whatever you settled for. (Well, you might not be that way, but I am!)

[goofball310]

Thank you for you previous advice. I just put in 3 75 watt URI actinic, and I've already purchased a Spider reflector. I was planning on using a 6500k Iwasaki bulb, but wattage was just my main concern. I plan on having 3-4" of SB.

[HomerS]

If you are going with Iwasaki, I'd go with the 250W. It's a good bulb, more PAR than many of the 400 watters, and a bit whiter than the 400W saki. Besides, I don't think iwasaki makes a 175W 6500K bulb. Or at least they didn't used to. The cooling issue will still a concern however, and it's not something to discount. You'll probably need good ventilation to get buy without using a chiller. If you have a sump, I'd place a fan over that, as well as a couple in your canopy.

[goofball310]

THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN FOR YOUR ADVICE!!!:thumbsup: