Trying to decide on the type of lighting

[ReachTheSky]

I'm having a really tough time deciding on what type of lighting I'll be needing for a 90 gallon reef tank I'm planning on building down the line. The tank is going to be 48" wide and 25" tall.

I plan on having a wide variety of corals - both LPS and SPS - and a clam or two as well. I have researched a lot of different types of lighting, both T5's and metal halides but really confused as there are SO MANY OPTIONS available and all seem to have their pros and cons.

I have looked at quite a few T5 fixtures - ones that caught my eye were the Nova Extreme Pro, IceCap Reef Illuminations and Sunlight Supply Tek. These have 6x 54 watt bulbs, but it worries me - will these provide enough lighting for the SPS's and clams? There are also a few 8 bulb fixtures I've seen but my tank is 18" from front to back and most of them seem to overlap it by an inch or two - wasted potential IMO.

Another option I looked into was retrofitting a couple of metal halides (and maybe a T5 tube or two later on) into a canopy, approximately a foot above the water and keeping them air cooled with intake and exhaust fans on each side of the canopy. Given the depth of the tank, it seems as though I would need 250w (according to the sticky here), but I've also read about a couple of 175w bulbs when paired with the right ballast provide lighting that's just as intense. I'm also very worried about heat as I would really prefer NOT to invest in a costly chiller.

I would really appreciate some of your guys' advice.

 

[Reddog170]

With my 90 I had two 250 watt pendants and 4 54watt T5,s. Worked out excellent. Shaun

 

[Octoman]

I have kept a clam and sps under T5's in an 18" deep tank with excellent growth. I just moved everything into a 90 gallon (25" depth like yours) and kept the same lighting and so far things look great. I would recommend investing in a unit with high efficiency reflectors rather than one with lots of bulbs crammed in. A good reflector dramatically increases the output of a single bulb, I've had great results from Icecap reflectors.

Halides put too much heat into the tank for my taste, they are more expensive to replace than the T5s, and the bulbs don't maintain their spectrum as long. You also have much more to work with on color spectrum when you mix and match T5s. However, if you just have to have that sparkle, there's really nothing else like a halide.

 

[BigAl07]

IMO 175w isn't a very VIABLE option. The drawback to 175w is the bulb is so big that it literally is in it's own way!

I have a 90g Reef tank (Softies, LPS, and SPS) all thriving (and GREAT coloration) under

2x150w MH, 4x54w T5's

Ideally LED is the way to go but it's going to cost you dearly.

If I had it to do over and I was NOT doing LED I'd go with one of the VERY hig-end fixtures (Not Current etc) with Individual Reflectors and Over-Driven ballasts.

 

[yungreefer2410]

If I was you I would do am 8 bulb ATI t5 fixture for that tank. IMO, ATI makes the best t5 fixtures you can buy

 

[ReachTheSky]

Is 150w going to be enough to penetrate the 25 inch depth? I visited my LFS today to get his opinion and he said that if I was going to use halides, I'll need to get 250w because of the depth of the tank.

 

[yungreefer2410]

8 or 10x54w bulbs in an ATI fixture IMO would easily be enough light for all your coral needs

 

[ReachTheSky]

Holy &#$* man, those ATI fixtures are INSANELY expensive!

Seriously for the $1,300 they want for that fixture, I could get a chiller and metal halides. I'm not exactly on the tightest budget ever, but I can't afford to go balls out with things like that.

 

[Uslanja]

Hi ReachTheSky! We are not lighting experts by any means but one thing we have continually re-learned in this hobby: Buy the biggest, brightest, most intense lighting you can get. It most likely will be the lowest overall cost by the time your done. Tracy and I have listened to how we can "get away" with a lower end item just to end up supplementing it and then replacing it a few months later. You can get everything to survive under intense lighting but not everything will survive under weaker lighting. Your tank will also evolve and change over time, we started out wanting low flow and low light softies and now we're wanting SPS and clams as well. And of course our lighting has all been upgraded along the way. It would have been a lot less costly if we just went for a Metal Halide/T5 combination right from the start. And as a side note, we are really liking the idea of LED's and now we're looking at the overall cost on those. Dollars to donuts we'll be changing lighting again before another year goes by.