Best Lighting for 24"L x 18"W x 22"H Tank

[ahchung]

I just started a new tank 24"L x 18"W x 22"H. I run a 4" DSB and there is a 1" gap between the water and the top of the tank so water height is 17". All SPS's should be within 15" from the top of the tank.

Please suggest the best lighting option.

 

[exoticaquatix]

i guess it really all depends on a few things. what type of lighting are you looking at? you tank comes out to about 40 gallons and if you subscribe to the watts/gal type of approach you could hit the 10 watts per gallon with a 400 MH watt pendant. depending on what color temperature your looking for it could be overkill or way overkill as the PAR values differ from bulb to bulb. id say a 250 watt DE pendant would be a simple and effective solution. plenty of light and good intensity for the deep tank. as far as other options t5s would be a good choice but you would have to move some of the more demanding sps up close to the top.
hope this helps a little
-nick

 

[Serioussnaps]

2 175 W MH or a 4 bulb Tek T5 fixture with individual reflectors....no more than 250 W halide though IMO...400 the temp swing on a 50g would be huge and also it is just overkill

 

[ahchung]

I plan to get a MH since it is difficult to find quality T5HO products in my region.

Would a single 250W MH be sufficient?

Bulb would be AC14K or XM20K. I prefer bulb with higher K. Which one is better? Or should I get another bulb which is better than these two?

 

[murphreef]

id say a single HQI setup would work such as a PFO mini pendant and a PFO HQI ballast keep it about 8-10" above the water and ull have good coverage ....

i run phoenix 14k's they look really ncie

 

[crypticghost]

I really like my aqua medic 250W HQI....I got it from hellolights.com for less then 300 shipped with bulb, it is hard to beat that price for a lighting set up.

 

[RichConley]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7861814#post7861814 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by murphreef
id say a single HQI setup would work such as a PFO mini pendant and a PFO HQI ballast keep it about 8-10" above the water and ull have good coverage ....

i run phoenix 14k's they look really ncie

I disagree, a almost all the DE fixtures i've seen have too narrow reflectors to cover this tank.


I'd look into lumenarc minis, and run a single 250w.

 

[tnyr5]

i run a pair of 250w xms on my 24 x 17 x 17 tank ( it's WAY overkill but that's what i had lying around from an old tank setup) I use a big fan in the sump and keep the room at 65 with the ac and i get fairly stable ( +/- 2 F) temps. realistically a single 250 w or even 175w in a lumenarc mini would be more than enough