Lighting

[casa]

I'm running a 35g tank that has been up for almost 2 months now. I would like to make it a reef tank and have an anemone for my clowns and other corals. I'm looking at purchasing a light source that will be able to keep anemones and such but do not want to spend a lot of money.
The guy at the LFS said he runs a 35g tank and has a PC 96w that will let him host almost anything but clams and some hard corals. Is this true? could i get by with that little lighting? is 96w going to be enough? or what else can i buy without spending a fortune?

 

[v8eater]

I have a 130 watt on a 30gal. I would at least try and get 4 watts to every gallon of water. that is my opinion.

 

[sula]

I have 96w on a 20 gal - enough for softies, but really not for an anemone.
On my 29g I have 225 watts of VHO, and have kept an RBTA for over a year.
A lot of your options will depend upon the dimensions of your tank, and whether you have an existing canopy you can install something into. Retro kits aren't too bad for $$ if you can figure out how to make them work with what you've got.
Hope this helps :happyfish

 

[israel p]

I have a 44 gal. how much should I expect to spend on lighting? I have a FOWLR and want to get into corals and anemones. This is off the subject, how much importance does a leveled tank have. By leveled I mean physically leveled, slate, etc.