Lighting advice for 45 gallon Pentagon

[reddleader]

I am a bit confused on what type of lighting I may need to support a reef style tank that will support both hard and soft corals. I am converting my fresh water tank which is about 45 gallons and is 20 inches deep to saltwater. I have two 18" bulbs. They are a 8500K "Flora Sun" by Zoo Med, and a 18000k Power Glo. I do have room for a third if need be. First, will they work and do I have sufficient luminosity and are these bulbs the ones that are also called "VHO" lights? I have seen the prices of those metal halide lamps and I am shocked at the prices and hope I can get by with what I have. Any tips, advice and sources would be helpful.

 

[ky]

I had a similar tank about 5 years ago. I used a metal halide light that hung from the ceiling. The light hood and cord are white so it wasn't obnoxiuos or anything. It provided more then enough light for a 55gal hex tank filled with inverts. It still sits in my basement (both the tank and the light) if interested. Both in perfect condition.

 

[nm reef]

Sounds to me like the lights you have are standard no floresent....even with a 3rd you will only be around 120 watts ......I'd suggest you use a search engine and research vho or pc lighting....there are some retro fit set-ups that you could look into for well under $500..........actually you could stay with what you have but as for corals you'd be restricted on what you could keep.....more lighting and your options increase....hope that helps ya....*_^

 

[y2says]

I have a 35g hex and I'm running 2 55w PC from JBJ. So far, both my soft and hard corals are fine. For your tank you can get a light set-up for around 250-300 that will give you enough for soft and maybe hard corals.

 

[k.lee]

I just set up a 45 hex. I crammed two jbj's on there. Soft corals on the bottom eact negatively when I place the 4th bulb on (ie.burn). I've got two actinics and two 10k bulbs in there. The fourth bulb seems to be too much for soft corals at the bottom in this setup, although, obviously it will depend on the light within the dealer tanks.
4 pc blbs @55 watts should be more than you want for softs on your bottom.
HTH
Lee
ps// these are new bulbs tho

 

[keitho]

you could get a 250W, 12000K metal halide from
<a href="http://www.aquaticlight.com" target="_blank">www.aquaticlight.com</a>
for $185 (excluding shipping). not only would that be enough light, but you wouldn't have to supplement with actinics. just a suggestion...that's would i would do if i had a tank like you and didn't want to compromise on what i could keep. hope that helps
P.S. you could also look at
<a href="http://www.hellolights.com" target="_blank">www.hellolights.com</a>
or
<a href="http://www.ahsupply.com" target="_blank">www.ahsupply.com</a>
and see what they offer