proper lighting? need help

[jarrod13]

My tank is 30" long, 12" deep, and 21" from the top of the sand bed to the top of the tank, its roughly 36 gallons. I currently have a pc 2x65w. I want to upgrade to a t5 or mh. The problem I see with the mh fixtures is my center brace would get in the way, i think? Most of the coral is close to the substrate, so i need a light that can penatrate to the bottom. The corals are soft and lps. All advice is welcome, if you know a link to a light that fits the criteria, please post, or just the name of the website. Also please list the amount of watts that is appropriate for this setup.

Thank you

 

[tkeracer619]

As an auto tech you can surely DIY with the proper setup. In this situation I would go T5.

something like this would work well and you get to build a canopy for the tank. http://www.reefgeek.com/lighting/T5...5_High-Output_Retrofit_Kit_w!_Bulbs_by_IceCap

 

[fufu]

I have a center brace on my 200g, its a 3/4" thick piece of glass. Metal halide went right through without much loss of light. Just keep the brace it clean from salt creep.

 

[jarrod13]

theracer: I am planning on keeping it open top (if I can), but thank you

fufu: my brace is black plastic