enough lighting for all clams?

quantim0

New member
i just started up a new tank and i mainly want to keep clams and some sps or lps corals. the tank is a 65 gal 36x18x24 with overflow and 20 long beneath it. 3.5" DSB and Kent Nautalis (sp?) skimmer. the lighting is; 400 watt German 10k halide in a hamilton reefsun fixture, 4 55 watt powercompacts 2 6500k and 2 actinics. is this sufficient lighting to have any clam that i want in the tank? i want mostly maximas and croceas, with a few derasas and squamosas. i read Knopps book and i thought that this would be sufficient lighting for such a tank but cruising this board i see a lot of different halide choices. mostly being the radium 20k 400 watt bulbs. would the 20k do anything better for the tank or is it mostly for the enjoyment of the aquarist? thanks for the help everyone.
 
400 watt MH? You're good to go! :) Of course, this is if your water params are all good. Be sure to control your CA and ALK.

Since you only have one MH bulb on a tank that wide, once acclimated to your light, put your clams under the MH, not to the side where the intensity is greatly lowered.
 
I have another Quesstion to add to this thread.
I currently have 2 175 MH's and 2 VHO's on my current 80 Gal (20" deep and 48" wide") Im thinking about adding 2 400W MH's along with my 2 existing 175w MH's. Is this too much light? Is their such thing as too much lighting? I guess if you had low light softies or shrooms you could build them some shade with your rock work.
 
Go for it, that would be great! I've seen softies, polyps right at the top of a 400 watt Iwasaki lit tank. Slow acclimation to the light is key, and you can always move softies and shrooms to lower, shaded locatations, of places off center from the bulbs where intensity is lower.
 
Cool. I wonder if I can get the ballasts, sockets and bulbs without my wife knowing I spent the money....:D
 
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