lighting for a 46 gallon bowfront

[Duds]

hey i am helping out a friend that has a saltwater tank for a while now and they now want to turn it into a reef, i was just wondering what you recomend for lighting for the tank, i think they will end up keeping a bit of everything so lps, sps, softies, zoas, mushrooms, clams; so my guess would be some type of metal halide, im just not sure on the size so if anyone has any sugestions for what would be best for their tank please throw them out there
Thanks, and happy holidays!!!!
Duds

 

[TomD]

Maybe 2 175 pendants.

 

[Duds]

yea i was thinking along the same line, i just wanted someone elses opinion on it, anyone else have any ideas what else might work or is this good?
Thanks
Duds

 

[rtc_reefer]

That's a tough tank to light being three feet long. You may want one of those pre-fabbed halide three footers. 2 - 175 DE would do the trick with maybe one 96 Watt PC actinic? That's a lot of light for a tank that size but the sun is pretty bright too. My opinion.

 

[billm]

Aquatinics t-5 would work great, cheaper to buy and cheaper to run.

 

[Duds]

Aquatinics t-5 would work great, cheaper to buy and cheaper to run.

would there be a shadow where the center brace is? and i would be able to keep sps and clams happy and thriving in there right?
Thanks
Duds

 

[billm]

No shadow with t-5s,a lot of people are keeping sps and clams under t-5s.

 

[Chris L]

i would do duel 150 hqi de is possible

 

[rtc_reefer]

i would do duel 150 hqi de is possible

Yup that the ticket!

 

[SteveDola]

I had 2 - 175w MH se over my 46 bow before I went to a 75g. It was the perfect amount for a reef. Great coverage and I could keep anything under that lighting. Id definately go with MH in some form because IMHO if you go with T5s youll be kickin yourself for not going with MH. I dont want to hear all of the advantages from the T5 advocates because it just doesnt hold up against a tank lit by MH.

 

[SteveDola]

Im also partial to 14k aqua connect bulbs for light but thats another topic.

 

[billm]

I had 2 - 175w MH se over my 46 bow before I went to a 75g. It was the perfect amount for a reef. Great coverage and I could keep anything under that lighting. Id definately go with MH in some form because IMHO if you go with T5s youll be kickin yourself for not going with MH. I dont want to hear all of the advantages from the T5 advocates because it just doesnt hold up against a tank lit by MH.

Oh yeahttp://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-03/totm/index.php

 

[billm]

or this onehttp://www.hausriff.ch/index2.html

 

[SteveDola]

I dont want to hear

maybe you didnt read that part

I also never said that you cant keep a nice tank under T5s. I like MH better and dont think its even close when comparing the 2.

 

[Bobbofin]

A Current USA 36" Sunpod with 2-150 watt MH would be kicking. I'd lose the Current 14000k bulbs in favor of Pheonix 14000k. That's what I did with my Sunpod. Here's a link: http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idproduct=CU01063

 

[Duds]

i like the sunpods but i like the actinics and i think my friend will really appreciate the actinics, so i saw a member selling 2-175 watt mhs and 2-96 watt pcs for a really good deal so i am going to try and get them, i am going to stick with mhs i know that t-5s work and i have heard all good stories but this is not my tank if it were my tank i would experiment and try the t-5s out but i have never had any problems at all with my mhs so i am going to help them find a good deal on mhs
Thanks for all the help and Happy holidays to everyone
Duds

 

[billm]

Is he livng with his parents?They may not apreciate 500 watts of lighting on their ebill.Just putting it out there,don't get mad steve

 

[Duds]

no, this is my friends dad that wants the upgrade, he knows that the lighting upgrade will cost him more for his ebill, and the son my friend is like a helper with the tank his dad is the main keeper of the tank
Duds

 

[dz6t]

the 14K bulbs (either the Pheonix or the Current USA) will kick out more color than your average "actinic" PC or t5. Been there and done that.

 

[merk1_99]

I don't buy the halide over T5 argument. Particularly the people arguing the halide side. Most haven't run T5's. The Aquatinics T5 setup is much better than the original Teks. Look out next for the ATI fixture coming soon from Reefgeek. They supposedly put out crazy amounts of par. If etting a T5 fixture look for active fan cooling and individual reflectors....See RC for backup on good fixtures.