Early planning of 260 gallon. I have a question or two.

[UrbanSage]

Good evening.

I am in the early phase of dreaming about a roughly 270 gallon primarily sps (but not limited to) reef.

The quoted dimensions are 72" x 36" x 24" with a 48" x 24" x 24" sump.
I will also turn my current 75 gallon into a refugium.

This will be set up during/soon after building our new house which the builder will break ground for any time now.

I will have a 10' x 11' room dedicated to the tank and it will be in wall, viewed from a family room.

There will be a sink installed as well as a floor drain for the inevitable floods.
The builder will install a exhaust fan of still unknown brand/design in the exterior wall as well as a dryer type vent I plan to use for hotair exhaust from the halides.

Flow is still being thought about but I very much want to add two waveboxes from Tunze as part of the setup.

My current biggest question is about lighting. I am thinking I will be very happy with 3 x 400w halides and 3 Luminarc III's

Would anyone know if this won't cover the whole tank? Would anyone choose a different setup and if so, why?

Thanks!

 

[leetdood]

I personally would go for 3x250w 10k halides in the lumenarc III's.. and a couple of blue t5 tubes for blue light.
if u place the halides as central down the length of the tank as possible, and about 12" from the surface, most of the tank will be covered.
You are on the border line as to what wattage halides u use.. 400w/250w it's up to u.. anythin ovr 24" depth i'd go with 400's, but 24" or below i'd personally use 250w's.

tony.

 

[UrbanSage]

So it won't be a matter of the spread from either wattage not covering the whole tank?

 

[vegaskid11]

I am starting a 300 right now and its dimensions are 96 x 30 x 24 so our height is the same. I went with 3 (400 watt ) halides in L3s. I did this because of a few reasons.

1) I will eventually be sps dominated and I dont want to have an issue with light once the tank fills. I want great penetration from top to bottom. (with a 30" deep and 96" long tank, I can have plenty of ledges and overhangs where lower light coral can dwell.

2) I have an in wall system and the lights will be hanging from the ceiling in the garage. This will allow me ample height to raise and lower reflector as needed.

3) I chose the new coralvue ballast with a dimmer. This dimmer knob should allow me to adjust the light as needed. (sweet)

Plus, the price diff for 400 versus a 250 is minimal. I may burn softies if I try to keep them at the top (but I wont)

If you have an enclosed canopy and will not be able to adjust your light depth then I would go the 250 DE. If you have room to movethe lights up and down between 10" and 24", then I would go with 400 SE. Good Luck

 

[UrbanSage]

The tank room will be an organized mess. No canopy, visible pipes etc.

I am very strongly leaning towards the 400's just because I don't want to upgrade in a year (again )

Thanks for the comments!
Sounds like the lights will be sufficient.