150W/250W? Which one to get?

[rustypixel]

OK, I'm going to purchase the 24" Coralife Aqualight and would like to know what wattage to go for. The tank will be a total of 17" tall with a 2.5" or 3" sand bed. I will keep mostly zoas, shrooms and Rics. There will be a clam (Crocea) that I want to keep on the sand and I might try my hand at an SPS. Can I get away wiht 150W or do I need 250w? By the way, the tank will have a chiller.

Thanks for any and all suggestions.

 

[bc_slc]

I think it is a tough call. I would personally go with the 250s because if you ever decide to upgrade, they would still be useable on a deeper tank. You probably could get away with the 150s for those animals, though the clam may need a bit more light. However if the tank gets much deeper or the demands for light much higher, you may be limited.

 

[Jeff]

150's will be fine for what you want to keep. You may have to move some clams and sps higher up in the tank for best color. If you do decide to go with 250, will take more chiller oomph, there seems to be more choices of bulbs to choose from and you will probably not be thinking about going bigger anytime soon.

 

[bradreef]

I would vote for 250's as someone who at one point had to upgrade halides. 250's will bring out the best color in your zoa's and rics also. the little you could pay more would be worth it to start.

 

[Maxx]

I would also suggest going with the 250's. Its cheaper to buy it the first time, so if you even think you'll upgrade in the future, go with the 250's. You will also have many more bulb choices available to you in the 250's. If you have too much light, go to a 20K bulb...

Nick

 

[rustypixel]

Thanks to all that replied. I went ahead and got the 250W model (as was heavily suggested) .

Thanks again