Light intensity question

[rustypixel]

I'm about to make a light purchase for a tank that will be 24" tall and will have a 2" - 2.5" deep sand bed. I plan to keep a couple of clams and a few SPS. The light will be a 150W and I plan to run a 14K bulb. Is the 150W enough for this setup? The tank width is only 24" so I'm mainly concerned with light penetration as apposed to light coverage.

 

[PiNaPLeX]

If you want to keep clams on the sandbed, even with a 2.5" sandbed, that gives you about 22" still to reach the bottom, you should take into consideration running 175W or even better a 250W for that depth, especially when running a 14K bulb since there will be a little less PAR than a 10K bulb. 150W would work, but it's not the best choice.

As for coverage, 1 bulb with a proper reflector should cover a 24"x24" area, so you are fine in that respect.