175 or 250W Halides?

[xraydoc]

I have a standard 90 AGA RR tank and plan to have a mixed reef. Are 175W halides enough or do most recommend the 250s?

[stevelkaneval]

i would go with the 250's that way you can keep anything you want. and you can raise a 250 watt as far as you want but you can only lower the 175 so far.

[cgh38]

250 all the way! you won't be sorry, I switched from 175W on my 90 AGA RR to 2x 250w MH and 2x 96w Pc actinics and couldn't be happier.

[Urban_Squrill]

250's for sure!!!!!!

[mg426]

If I were buying the lights and had to decided it would be 250s.

[seanb]

I had the same question one year ago. I went with 250W and for SPS I couldn't be happier. If your also planning on LPS or softies they will be happier on the sides of your tank not directly under the lights. I even had to trade-in some soft corals that were never happy with that much light. It all depends on what you plan to keep.

[BigBadBlenny]

i just upgraded from 175 to 250.. i would go 250

[rcypert]

If your not obsessed with SPS corals I would consider the 175's. Then supplement them with P.C.'s or T-5's. I have a 250 and am looking to downgrade to a 175. I will just move my high light corals closer to the bulb. I'm also very concerned about the impact of my tank on the environment and my energy bill.

[stevelkaneval]

you know when you put a 175 in then 100 watts of more light now you have 275 watts of light i dont understand rcypert. like me and most everyone will say go with the 250"s 14-20k bulb, you wont have to suppliment actinics or pc lighting. and you would spend more on a 175 plus t-5 or pc plus bulbsfor the flourecents every 5-7 months just do the 250 itl be less in the long run

[BigBadBlenny]

i had 2 175 w mh ad 2 140 w vho on my tank. now only 2 250w. so i am using less watts now and i hated ordering new 5 foot vho. the shipping costs more than mh and if one breaks its a pain in the ***. and as already pointed out, its cheaper to replace bulbs when the time comes.

[kdblove_99]

I would also get 250W

[t-bone2]

depends on what your keeping and were your keeping them