Too much lighting

[macjmc]

Would two 175 W lights be too much for a 55 or 60 gal reef setup?

 

[some1fishy]

depends what you are keeping or plan on keeping, how deep your tank is. Too many variables to list. You did not specify.

 

[macjmc]

I guess all I was really wondering is if you can have too much light?

 

[emperor11]

Yeah..I consider over 10 WPG overkill, at least 10 WPG of MH. 10 WPG of pc, or vho might not be so bad, depending on what your keeping.

 

[duong780]

I was also wondering that. I have a 33gallon tank with 400w MH. Too much?

 

[gtiguy]

I def think that 400w MH on a 33g is overkill and would def burn corals placed in direct high lighting.....but on the flip side you prob could have a killer hard coral tank under those lights if they dont burn up ....

 

[fishwilly1]

TWO 175'S ON A 55 GALLON IF THEY ARE HALIDES IS JUST GOING TO BOIL YOUR TANK. UNLESS YOU PLAN ON USING A HANGING SYSTEM OF ABOUT 12" OFF THE TANK WITH THE LIGHTS OR RUNNING SOME TYPE OF COOLER YOUR NEVER GOING TO KEEP THE TEMP DOWN.

ALL RESEARCH POINTS TO YOUR TANK AFTER ABOUT 4 HRS. OF LIGHTING HITTING BETWEEN 84 AND 85 DEGREES WITH HALIDES AT 6" OFF THE TANK!!! ONE 175 AND A COUPLE 65 WATT BLUES WOULD DO YOU JUST FINE TO HAVE WHATEVER CORALS YOU WANT IN THE TANK. AND YEAH THE 400 WATTS OF LIGHTING IN THE OTHER POST SOUNDS CRAZY!!!

 

[jessecnc]

2 175MH on a 55 is definitely NOT overkill. Yes you may have some heat to contend with, but it can be easily managed with a fan or two. Look at it this way, your 55 is just a deep as a 75 and 175W MH are just getting started, especially if you would like to keep SPS. And nothing less will effectively work for clams.
1 MH bulb over a 4' tank is definitely not enough, not to mention it will probably look bad due to the uneven lighting. 1 MH per 2' of tank length is recommended.
I say go for it. You may regret it later if you have to upgrade.