i NEED HELP WITH LIGHTING

[MYTEDYPAWS]

I HAVE A 46 BOW FRONT REEF TANK. IF I PUT POWER COMPACTS AT 96WATTS X 4 ( 2 BLUES 2 WHITES ) WOULD THAT BE GOOD? IT WOULD COME OUT TO BE ABOUT 8 WATTS PER GALLON. ALSO WHAT IS THE HIGHEST TEMP THAT THE WATER COULD GO TO ? IS THERE A MINI CHILLER TO PUT ON A 46 GALLON ?

PLEASE HELP !!

THANX

 

[dugg]

If you are planning to buy new lighting and haven't already purchased it, do yourself a favor and don't buy PC lights. Go with VHO, T-5, or even beter metal halide. Metal halide is actually the cheapest to buy and maintain in the long run. PC bulbs need replacing every 6 months, and can get pretty expensive. They also won't allow you to keep a lot of corals that you most likely will be wanting in the future. I would look into a 2x 150W or 2x 250W MH setup.

 

[MYTEDYPAWS]

I ALREADY HAVE THE LIGHTS

 

[theevoys]

I used to have only 4x55 watt PCs on my 55. They worked decent for lots of softies (zoos, leathers, mushrooms), I had healthy lps too (frpgspawn, hammer, and candy cane), I had one sps (monti cap) that maintained color, but never grew though. You would be having 2x as much lighting as I did, so I think you would be fine, especially since you already have them.

 

[six.line]

I agree with dugg.

(Oh, and, the all caps thing is a tad too much... I don't want to argue internet etiquette, but it would be nice if you typed without using all caps, please.)

 

[Swanwillow]

ok, since you have the lights already:

you won't have to worry about temp with PC lights: but the temp should be around 82* F (can't remember C)

you can't keep the higher light loving corals, but softies will be just fine.

 

[MYTEDYPAWS]

Sorry about the caps didnt even realize it. Anyway what about the 36 inch Outer Orbit 1x150W 10K HQI-MH 1/ 2x96W Dual Actinic & 4 Lunar Lights? Would these be better then just the pcs alone? would it be possible to do a few lower end stoneys or anything?

 

[theevoys]

Those would definitely be better. The MH make a big difference for sps, looks, and growth. But, like I said many, many corals will live, look good, and thrive under your current lighting if your water quality is good. I now have 1 x 150w MH 20K and 2x 96W PCs and am much more pleased than with PC alone. But, my PC alone was half of yours and on a larger tank. If I was just starting out I would go with the MH with PC/T5/ or VHO for sure. But, since you already have the lights you can use those just fine.