Marineland Super Systems?

[reeferjoe91]

Hi all,
I'm new to the forum, but not to the hobby. Since the time I was twelve years of age I had a FOWLR 120 up until three years ago, when my family had moved. I sold all my fish and live rock, etc. I plan on rejoining the hobby, but this time into the reef aspect of it. I have done a considerable amount of research on the topic. To the point where I am reading reef hobbyist articles at least 4-5 hours out of my day.
My question has to do with the tank that I plan on purchasing in the upcoming week or so. Below is the link to the page from the site I will be purchasing from.
http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.co...2&pcatid=21462
The system I would be purchasing is the 200 gallon pro model.I would like some responses to the sufficiency of the lighting that comes with the aquarium, due to my concerns to the width as well as the depth of the tank.
Here is the link to the lighting system that comes with the system. The 48"inch model.
http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.co...4&pcatid=20394

 

[reeferjoe91]

I guess I'll just double the lighting, to be on the safe side.
But if anybody feels differently, please comment.

 

[garick]

To much lighting can be just as bad or worse than to little.
It's usually better to figure out what you plan to keep and then research that to figure out what is required.
Usually, if your going by wattage. I would say 4-6 watts per gallon to be able to keep ANYTHING. Though if you know what you plan to keep you can easily work around that to make it happen. Often cheaper to.
You need to be able to penetrate the depth of those tanks and if you use normal lights you probably wont be able to.
also if your gonna blow 2-4k on a tank. I would not bother with a prefab like that especially if your thinking you need to upgrade the lighting already.
There are many "normal" 100-200 gallon tanks you can get for less and add in things alot cheaper than those prices plus the fact you are blowing another nearly a 1000 just to get it shipped which is money burned that could buy you /great/ lighting for a normal 125 200 gallon tank.

 

[ibanez]

Paying that kind of money for a fish tank, I would assume it is set up to be top of the line and needs no modification. IMO

 

[reeferjoe91]

Thanks guys, for the replies. The reason for purchasing the tank is the dimensions, I like deep dimension aquariums. I really want to stray away from the norm 24" width. Rectangular aquariums aren't really appealing to me. My concern for the lighting is because the tank itself is 27" deep as well as 36" wide. So I am think of doubling the lighting, putting one towards the back side and one towards the front. I plan on keeping mostly SPS and LPS, with some softies thrown in the mix.

 

[jimmyr1rider]

I would be concerned with the HQI's it comes with-- I wouldnt worry about the number of bulbs but the number of watts and PAR. I know for a 24" deep tank they recommend 250W HQI's I have a 65 thats 24 tall I had 400's but those were too much and are recommended for 28"+. I downgraded to 250's. I'm not sure if 150W HQI's are going to give you the proper PAR for the depth of the tank.

 

[ibanez]

Visually, deep aquariums are appealing to me, but I don't like them because they are very difficult to work in and clean and can be challenging for lighting and flow. But if you have a long arm, or arms, or scuba gear, then your good to go.

 

[reeferjoe91]

Thanks for the info Jimmy. Can you give me some companies or even models preferably that make fixtures with 250W HQI's that combine T-5 actinic? All the 48" inch models I am finding only house 150W HQI's. Thanks in advance.

 

[jimmyr1rider]

No problem at all----Im the wrong one to ask on that one-- I got separate IceCap pendants and then an IceCap 660 ballast for my 2 actinics but it can handle up to 4 then I have my moonglows that are actually 10 separate LED's- 2 strands of 5 that I drilled out holes in my canopy and hot glued each in place- Im sure with the size of that canopy you can DIY something real nice with basic woodworking to house your lighting exactly how you want for the same if not less than most fixtures cost. I love the dimensions of that tank by the way....

 

[reeferjoe91]

Wow, thanks again for the great information Jimmy. I like the lighting setup you got, very well thought out. Yeah, once I saw that tank and its dimensions.....it was love at first site. Yeah, that site is great for the lighting I need, thanks a bunch. Maybe we can trade frags one day when my tank matures. I live on Staten Island, so its not too far from Long Island. I'll give those guys a call tomorrow, to see if we can work something out for my setup.
Thanks again.

 

[jimmyr1rider]

No problem at all and good luck with getting it and the whole shibang