Too much light?

[number1gsxxr]

Hey guys, I've been lurking for a while and figured I would join up so I can post. Anyways, I have a 24-gal Aquapod that I've had for over a year now. I recently got a 46-gal bowfront and I'm slowly amassing all the new equipment I will need to switch over from the 24-gal.
For light I am leaning towards a metal halide with T5 setup. I like the Current USA Current Outer Orbit fixture. I see they make a 36" with about 456 total watts. Keeping to the 3-5 watt/gal rule is this going to be overkill? I don't have any corals yet but I don't want to burn them out when I eventually do get some.
They also make a 24" with about 246 total watts which would be more in line with the 3-5 rule but I don't think it will fit across my tank (which is 36" long). I'd like to refrain from hanging any light from my ceiling if possible.
They also make a 36" with PC bulbs instead of the T5 but I'd like to stay away from PC due to the shorter bulb life/replacement costs.
What do you guys think? Too much light? Is there a better or similar setup I should know about? TIA

 

[scsinet]

First, YES

... it's great to see someone who understands the big picture of total cost of ownership versus initial purchase price. Stay away from PC!

The 465w fixture is certainly going to be a lot of light. Too much? I'm not sure, but you need to think about cooling if you go this route. You may be buying a one way ticket to chillerville with that kind of light. Plus, to someone who clearly understands cost... I like to put it as "Every watt of light you have above what you need amounts to wasted energy."

Plus, if you buy a chiller, you are wasting the energy 3 times. Once to generate the light (and heat), again for the chiller to remove it from the tank, and a third time for your home AC to get it out the house...
As for the smaller one, most fixtures come with little legs that let you place them over tanks that are a bit wider than the fixtures. You should be able to dig up manufacturer specs on what the maximum "span" of this fixture is.
If not, you could always mount it in a canopy.
Many manufacturers also make 36" all T5 fixtures which would fit the bill perfectly. A 6x54w system, yielding 324w, would let you keep absolutely anything you wanted and shouldn't cause any heat issues.

 

[number1gsxxr]

Excellent. Maybe an all T5 setup is the way to go. I'll keep doing my research and try to dig up some manufacturer specs. Right now I need to get some sleep as I have been reading all the posts on refugiums and I think my head is going to explode. Thanks for the help.