!!!!Light Wattage!!!!

[casey]

I need 450 watts of light for my 75 gal tank I think. But when i look at light I don't understand the wattage. Do I add the wattage of each light together to get 450 or what. What Light should I get if I want to keep clams, elegant, buble anenomes and other corals?

 

[david s]

as far as watts yes you add each bulbs watts together for a total I see you have a 75 gal so it is not a deep tank vho lights may work on it, but 2/175 metal halied would be beter watts per gallon is not the best way to think when setting up a tank there are many factors first is intensity then heat range (or color) most agree that 10k with atinic suplements work best (some will disagree tho lol ) your tank is shalow so you could go vho but if you want to keep what you are saying I would rcomend 2/175 10k metal halied with 2/55 7100 atinic. the way you do metal halied is 1 bulb every 2 feet of tank shallow tanks use 175 or 250 watt deeper tanks do 250 or 400 watt (so the deeper the tank the higher wattage

 

[casey]

An good places were I can get these. Also If I have a 75 gal tank don't I want 2 250 wat for 7 wats per gal.I have other lights too. I have pc's. Should I keep thpuse if I have 6 wattsper gall anyways. But I wanna get a clam so does that mean I need a mh. For the hood for a mh do I get a bowl lokking one or the tube?

 

[wamp]

Well... that is a dificult question. Some clams have been sucesfully kept under VHO and PC. MH are a more intense light which is what they require but......
If it were my tank, and I wanted to setup without having to upgrade in the near future, MH would be the way I would go.
175w Halides will be plenty over that tank with supplemental actinics. A 6500k or 10,000k bulb would do well.