Lighting options

[luckyfish]

I am starting to love the LPS (it began as a simple crush on a candycane) and have read posts on lighting but I have a couple of questions:

On a 100 gal tank L60" x W18" x H21" would a 440w VHO setup or 2x 250wMH with VHO actinic sup. be better for these critters?

If MH is the choice, what, if any impact would 10K vs 20K have?

Thanks

[Ti]

10K as more Par, 20K is more blue

[luckyfish]

Thanks Ti. Would you suggest going with the MH over the VHO?

[51504reef]

I am running 2 (250 watt 20K radiums) with VHO actinics. LPS seems to love it. But I am setting up a strictly LPS tank and considered running VHO's or T5's only and was hoping that somebody here had good results with this?Basically I love my lights but wondered if I could run cheaper, less heat producing bulbs.
Hope that helps

[luckyfish]

51504reef,
Sounds like we are in similar boats. I'm running 250MH (10K) on a 180gal mixed reef but came by a 100gal that I would also like to be LPS dominant and am wondering the same thing; can I get healthy LPS (good color and growth) under VHO. Hope more folks chime in on the question.

[gflat65]

I'm about to set up a 120 LPS with 175W MH's and VHO's. I have 250W DE's (AB 10K's) on my mixed display and most of my LPS don't like that much light. Some are fine with it, but the majority lost color and don't extend tissue as fully as they used to... May be the bulbs, though. For sps, they make the corals color up like nothing else (except maybe 20K's, but they look the same color in the tank or under sunlight from the 10k AB's). Zoas went through some color transformations, but most seemed to like that much light.

[luckyfish]

Gary you are everywhere

[luckyfish]

Gary,
How deep is the 120?