how much light

[nick063]

Currently i am running a 60" 96Wx2, 65Wx2 jebo lighting system but i am thinking of upgrading to metal halide's but i was wondering how much i should purchase for a 100 gallon tank thats 5 ft long, 18.5 in wide and 22 in deep? like 3 150 watts or 2 175? what would be the best combination, i am looking to start a reef system with so corals, right now all i have is live rock, but i am looking to upgrade, just wanted to here some opinions, thanks!

 

[Avi]

For a 60-inch tank that's 22 inches deep, you could most likely be satisfied with the results that you'd get with three 175-watt metal halide bulbs (plus actinic supplementation.) That's premised on the idea that you intend to keep coral that isn't particularly light demanding. I wouldn't go with the 150's. I do think a still better alternative would be three 250-watt metal halides. That would give you even better growth and probably color of even soft coral like zoanthids, pagodas and leathers.

 

[nick063]

what about 2 400 watts?

 

[Therbligs]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6640953#post6640953 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by nick063
what about 2 400 watts?

Rule of thumb for MH's is 2ft max coverage. In your case (5 ft) you would need 3 MH's. 150HQI's with actinics would be the way to go.

 

[TippyToeX]

What kind of coral will you be keeping? Can't recommend how many watts of MH without knowing that IME.