lighting...

[meklo_h2o]

I am switching from my current lighting to a metal halide 175 watt 10,000K fixture. Its just a reflective fixture that I will screw to my hood (which I will build in the next couple of days) and has a cord which runs to my ballast. Just wanting overall opinion on whether or not this will allow me great lighting to keep pretty much everything in great condition. I know this will be a great improvement over what I have now, but wish to know if this is good enough or if I should just get a better bulb or not. LFS says this should be good enough for my tank.

Meklo

 

[Fat Surgeon]

IMO, you should be fine. Here are some important questions to ask yourself;
1. What do I want to keep? SPS, clams certain inverts, etc, require higher lighting. In most cases 4-5 watts per gallon or higher.
2. DO I want fast growth rate or a more controlled rate of growth? This is where it gets tricky. Just because you have more watts per gallon does not necessarily mean higher growth rates. For instance, a 6700K-175 watt bulb will yield nearly as much growth as a 14K-250 watt bulb. However, your 6700K will be very yellow compared to the 14K bulb. Higher Kelvin ratings will be more in the blue spectrum. Blue is a much more desired color by most hobbyist. Your 10k 175-watt should yield a good amount of growth and sustainability for just about anything you want to keep. Keep in mind though, that you would have more flexibility with a 250 watt Ballast, only because of your tank size (i'm assuming 55 gallon?)

And finally, because this will be a big improvement over what you have now, everything in your tank will thank you and you should be happy with that. Good luck and send us some pics of old/vs/ new lighting.

 

[meklo_h2o]

My local fish store supplied me with my current light as a part of my setup. I atm only have 60 watt lighting (15 watts per bulb, 4 bulbs.). I have come to the understanding that while they assured me this was fine it still needs to be upgraded. I can keep most things alive with my lighting, but nothing seems to thrive. I really expect to see things grow and spread more now, hopefully. Anything thanks for your input.

Meklo

 

[Fat Surgeon]

If all you had was 60 watts before, you will notice lots of growth now!

 

[graveyardworm]

Make sure to properly acclimate everything to the new lighting.

 

[meklo_h2o]

I was planning on setting everything near the bottom, then gradually moving some of them upward. Is this a good way to go about it?

Meklo

 

[graveyardworm]

A better way would be to leave everything where it is, unless you plan on moving things anyway. Go to a home improvement store, and get some eggcrate ( usually found in the lighting area, also called light diffuser panel ), and get some fiberglass window screen, it comes in a roll and is inexpensive. Place the light diffuser over the tank, and 5 or 6 layers of screening. Then every few days remove a layer of screening.