Lighting recommendation for 90 gallon reef.

[Crack31]

I am upgrading a 30 gal cube (250 MH w/actinic sup) to a standard 90.
My issue is that the canopy is not very tall (8-10 inches).
Originally I wanted to go with 2 250 mh w/t5 actinics. However, not sure if the canopy will allow it.
The store I bought the tank from is recommending a 6 bulb Wave Point T5 retro setup.
The tank will be mainly SPS with a lot of acros.
Any recommendations on lighting?
Thanks.

 

[BigAl07]

Since mainly SPS and "lot of acros" you need as much light as you can get into the tank.

MH would be your most bang for your buck but I'd worry you would have a heating problem since this is going to put the light very close to the water's surface.

If you go T5 I'd try to get as many bulbs as I could and use high quality Individual Reflectors on them. Also if possible you could over-drive the standard 54w bulbs up to about 80w to push some extra power into the water. of course this would come at a cost of reduced bulb life.

LED would be GREAT but unless you're willing to do some of the labor yourself it's going to carry a significant price tag.

 

[BigAl07]

Also on a side note.. I ran a 90g setup with 2x 250MH, 4x 54w T5 and I had to be mindful about where I placed HIGH light demanding coral in the tank. I feel like if it's going to be SPS (with lots of acros) you'll want 250W MH or the T5, or LED option.

 

[estanoche]

this is a stock canopy right?? those dang things are worthless for keeping a MH under - too shallow for a quality reflector, and not near enough air flow to keep them from heating up your tank....

The way I see it, you can a) ditch the canopy, and make your own that will house the metal halides appropriately, with a custom exhaust system, or 2) go with the T5s - but do a retrofit system that way you can get good ballasts, even better reflectors, and heck, maybe even fit 7-8 bulbs in there!!

T5s will keep your SPS just fine, you just have to be a little pickier about where you put your corals rather than just smacking them down wherever you see fit!

 

[BigAl07]

Also on a side note.. I ran a 90g setup with 2x 250MH, 4x 54w T5 and I had to be mindful about where I placed HIGH light demanding coral in the tank. I feel like if it's going to be SPS (with lots of acros) you'll want 250W MH or the T5, or LED option.

I see I made a TYPO in this post above. I stated 2x250w MH when my fixture had 2x150w MH. Big difference especially when talking about deeper tanks. I just wanted to get my facts correct

 

[returnofsid]

Unless this is a duplicate post, I swear I posted on this, yesterday...lol

T5HO, with ICR (Individually Contoured Reflectors) and Advance Electronic Ballasts, will allow you to grow anything you want, including high light demanding Acropora. You'll want to keep your Acropora corals, especially those that demand more light, in the upper 2/3s of the tank. Lower light demanding Acropora, such as A. valida, A. millipora, A. nana, etc. can even be grown on the sand bed.

 

[Crack31]

Thanks for the feedback.

Yes, I also posted this issue on another site Sid (you aren't losing it).

 

[nemeth27]

I'm running a 6 bulb T5 ATI Powermodule. I can place acros anywhere in the tank. Infact, I need to becareful where I place LPS. The lights can be too strong for them.