My lighting dilemma

[johnnstacy]

I have had one reef tank in my life. A 75 gallon acrylic with PC lamps. They were bright. Very bright but it wasn't just about brightness. I visited a fish store and saw the MH lamps and instantly fell in love. Now, some years later I am ready to go for a new reef tank in the 75-110 gallon class. I really like the MH look in the water. That shimmer but I am wondering at what cost? Not monetary cost but the look. The tank will likely be displayed in a high traffic area of the house and I want it to look nice. The super tall canopy looks ugly so that's out. The pendant fixtures seem to cast a lot of light elsewhere besides just the tank. Do I have any options to have MH without the top of the tank looking terrible?
I also have a side question. What is this T-5 fixture? Is it like a PC fixture? How does it look? Because of all the hassle with getting MH up and running I am almost considering a canopy again and if these T-5's look good, maybe use them but I am going to guess that I won't get any shimmer. :mad:

Thanks for the read.

[The Grim Reefer]

T5 and PC are different animals. Perhaps you can pull off off 150 DE halides if you stick to a tank that is less than 24" tall? T5 are the best fluorescent but you wont get the shimmer lines.

[Avi]

They're pricey, but you can take a look at the Coralife Aqualight Pro:

http://www.hellolights.com/coaqprohcf.html

They're a combo unit that includes MHs and they can be put on top of the tank over a glass canopu with optional mounting legs.

[johnnstacy]

Well, today I bought the tank, stand and canopy. A 150 gallon glass tank with a 16" canopy with front facing access. Now I just need to figure out what to put in the canopy. I think the tank will measure 72 x 18 x 29. Throw your lighting recommendations at me. Definitely got to have the MH's but I could use help on configuration, mounting wattage, additional lighting, etc. Thanks.