Lighting, More = Better ?

[tyrant]

Can a reef aquarium have too much light? I have been told (LFS) that in a 55 gallon tank, an ideal setup would be a metal halide/VHO flourescent Combo, the MH 5500-6500K 250W and the VHO Actinics 110W. Does this sound reasonable? What about 175W or 400W MH?

 

[reefrat]

Tyrant,
I do not think you have worry too much about exceeding the 100,000 + lux of natural sunlight at the equator.

You might create a heating problem, but 80 to 84F would be fine.
Another concern might be excessive UV, especially in the shorter wavelengths. Check your manufacturer for the amount of shielding their particular envelope maintains.
The combo you gave sounds good--it will create high lighting directly underneath the mh, but this fall off rapidly from the center, leaving less highly lighted areas.
rr.