1000 watt mh on a 60 gallon???

[intoodeep]

i want to set my tank up as a reef flat environment. Super intense light, surge like flow and lots of volume. I have a 60 gallon cube that is 24 inches tall. I want my corals on the bottom 12 inches of tank so that they can grow and so that i don't have a huge tall pillar of rock with my corals sitting all on top. I want the rock low to the ground. I have a 250 mh with 110 watts of pc actinic but that won't cut it for corals like humillis, gemmifera, globiceps, valida, and the others i want to keep.

I talked to Hamilton and they said that i could upgrade to 400 watts by exchanging the 250 ballast and bulb. Would that get enough light down to those light fiends or do i need to go to a 1000 watt to get enough PAR down there?

The tank is 24x24x24.

 

[NanoReefer53]

You could do one 400w for most the your photoperiod then an addition al 400w iwasaki 6.5k for 4 hours in the middle of the cycle to simulate high noon with a peak in light intensity and PAR.

 

[MiddletonMark]

I'm more than happy with my 250's on my 21" tank. I'd think that 400's or 1000's would be overkill, overlighting for so many things.

Just my take, but IMO you'll have problems shading stuff enough.