I've been thinking about this new tank. I really want to make it a reef tank but I keep seeing dollar bills burning fast. I've been thinking about the lights, it's a tall tank, t5's and pc are just not gonna cut it IMO. However if I have 3 halides on there is heat going to be such a problem that I'll need a chiller? More flaming dollar bills. LOL I guess I just need some lighting ideas. I'd like to keep anything from a mushroom to some easier sps.
What wattage MH are you thinking of? In my opinion even w/ 3 250 watts as long as you have a strong fan system blowing across the top you won't need a chiller. However you will go through top-off water extremely fast.
There are a lot of issues to consider, I think the highth of your canopy using MH lights would be a factor in heat, but I agree with slugger that with 3-250's and a good fan system you could get along with no chiller. I have 2-250's and 4- vho's on my 135 in a pretty closed up room and I can control the heat to tolerable levels. I would prefer 3- 175's to allow for better light distribution. This summer will be better because I installed a celing fan for better circulation. I think 3- 175's with 4 vho's would allow you to have any corals you choose.
How many braces did they put in the top of your tank? I was thinking a 60" tank might just have one brace in the middle.
If you get the halides and setup the canopy with a good fan setup, you should not have serious issues with temp. If you have a sump on this system, you will be able to have a fan blow across the water in the sump, but like mentioned before you will have to top off a lot.
thanks for the replies and ideas. the tank has two 2" braces on top. I like the idea of using three 175w halides. not sure if I would want vho or pc to go with it. i've got a while to think about it though.
