Lighting questions...

[sailfin tang]

I have an 80 gallon bow front 48"
I still have the original hood that came with the tank, 2 48' lights no fan.
I upgraded the original bulbs to 40 watt 6500k.
As I get my reef tank going it sounds like I better upgrade...but to what??
I want anemonies, feather dusters, maybe some easier corals, and a few community fish with shrimp and a clean-up crew.
Anyway to get by with stronger bulbs for the hood I have?
Would a pc like this work better or is it even brighter than what I have?
Wattage: 2 x 65W
No./Color Temp: 2-SmartPaq 10,000K/460nm
No. of Lunar Lights: 2 (with separate power supply)
Fan: Yes (with separate power supply
No. of Switches: 1 (for PC bulbs)?
Do I have to spend the larger dollars on a metal halide?
Thanks in advance for any help

 

[wangotango]

you wont have too much luck with pc's if you want to keep anemonies (which are very hard to keep btw), but pc's will work for a lot of other corals. personally i would go T5, you get just as much light as halides with fewer watts and less heat. good brands are tek, aquactinics, or if you want to go with a retrofit look into an icecap. depending on your setup, you will be able to keep clams, sps, lps, and anemonies with no problems.
-Justin

 

[sailfin tang]

Thanks Justin
If I go with the Aquactinics TX5 what would be the best bulb combination?
Kev

 

[wangotango]

Originally Posted by Sailfin Tang
Thanks Justin
If I go with the Aquactinics TX5 what would be the best bulb combination?
Kev
maybe 1x 10k, 2x 12k, and 2x actinics? geisemann, ati, and uvl bulbs are good.
-Justin

 

[sailfin tang]

Ok getting ready to order the Aquactinics TX5.
Thanks for the direction.
I want to order the bulbs @ the same time.
Can you tell me about the different bulbs?
What are their purposes and why that mix?
Thanks
Kev

 

[wangotango]

next to each bulb there should be a description of its color (kelvin). 10K bulbs will have the most par and penetrating power, where as the higher kelvin lamps, 14K and up, will bring out colors in the coral and look bluer. alone, 10K bulbs arent that pretty, so if you add some "bluer" bulbs you can balance it out. there are two power switches on the TX5, one for rows 1,3,5 and the other for 2 and 4. you could put the actinics in rows 2 and 4, and the rest in 1,3,5.
-Justin