Quote:
Originally posted by drillsar
Wait you have a 48" 4 x 54w for a 110 gal? You need at least 6 bulbs
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I think what he's saying is that he has 4x110 VHO lights driven by his icecap 660.
In my opinion, this is very good lighting and lots can be kept. While it's true the bulbs are 48" and the tank is 60", they can be staggered in a 5 foot canopy.
I have a 48" tank and I have 3x110 vho. I have space to add a 4th bulb -- a 24" 95 watt, and I will do that eventually. But my lighting is fine. I have mushrooms, softies, and a few LPS. It's not a very mature tank yet, but everything seems to be thriving.
I would not go with 4 actinic, though. The 4-bulb VHO look I like the best is 2 actinic, 1 50/50 and 1 aquasun.
You will get many opinions on t5 v. vho. Many say that t5 is more effective lighting. There's no doubt that it's easier to work with on a retrofit, because it's smaller and you can add a reflector. It seems to be the way of the future for flourecent lighting, that's for sure. I'm a VHO guy, though. I just like the actinic better.
You could go with MH. In fact, you could keep that icecap balast and drive two actinic vho bulbs to complement MH lighting. The results of MH lighting cannot be denied. But if you're talking about a retrofit, you're looking at considerable expense, plus new heat issues. I don't know what you plan to keep. But on a 24" deep tank that is 5' long, you're all set to go with that icecap. 440w of VHO lighting on a tank that size would be considered by many excellent reefers on these boards as underlit. In my opinion, it's a very nice set up to start keeping some corals. Plus, you're already all set -- you just need new bulbs.