Lighting for 30x30x12

[iMob]

My upcoming build will be a sweet starphire rimless cube 30x30x12
I'm stuck on lighting,I would like led but it would cost me alot to light a tank like that but I can still go for it.
Would you guys recommend mh?if so what kind?i want to keep SPS,lps,and zoas
Don't forget about clams and a small haddoni
I love t5's but that's out of the choices because bulbs=$ and I don't want to be replacing 8 t5's.

Mostly leaning on mh with a 20k bulb.
Would I get away with a 150 watt?

 

[moondoggy4]

I just read that someone witha 30'' cube got rid of a 8 X 24'' ATI for lack of coverage. SO I would think a MH with a good reflector

 

[ganjero]

At only 12in deep, 150 could be enough but you might get low PAR on the sides since you'd have to hang it fairly high to get enough coverage. I would do a lumenarc or the lumenbright "wide" pendant with a 250w.

 

[rainmkr07]

2 Radions would rock that tank and look awesome above it too! You could grow absolutely anything in that tank with them as well.

 

[Crooke]

My tank is exactly those dimensions. I use a LumenMax III with 250w phoenix and have to be very careful with coral placement. The only spot acans, caulastrea, and ricordea are happy is tucked into the corners where the par starts dropping off. High light corals do well pretty much everywhere.

 

[sirreal63]

Go with the 150's and a LumenArc III Mini. I run this on my tank, and one will cover a 30x30 area perfectly fine. Bulb and ballast come into play here as well. A higher PAR bulb and the correct HQI M81 ballast and you will have no issues at all. Stay away from spotlight reflectors such as any of the LumenBrite ones, they do not have adequate spread for a 30x30 area without having to raise them very high. With only 12" of height you don't need any more than 150's. My tank is 40x40x17" and one lit it fine. I am currently using two 150's in the LAIII Mini's because of the aquascape but for a 30x30x12 area, one will suffice if the rest of the equipment is correct.

These are PAR readings on my tank, the aquascape was 30x30. The first number is a 150 watt Radium, the second a 10K XDE. The Radium was more than enough PAR to keep things happy. IIRC the base of the fixture was about 7" off the water.

Pic is overexposed to show the numbers in darker areas of the pic.

With the 12" height you would be rocking some serious PAR with 150's and the Radiums and a M81 ballast.

This is the current setup, dual 150 watt Radiums in the LAIII Mini's.

FWIW, this is a correct usage of 150's, and you could actually have a 250 watt setup that produced less PAR and spread than a 150 watt. The key is equipment selection. I hope that helps a little.