What lighting will I need??

[fishgirl]

In the future as a bunch of you know from other posts, I'm setting up a 46 gal bow front. It won't be a full-fledged reef, but I want to set it up so that option is open for years to come. Anyway I was told I should get one white and one blue actinic bulb by my LFS. I'm starting out w/ LR and a bunch of cleaning inverts (crabs, snails and shrimps) and three fish (a clown, tang, and pygmy angel). If I want to have anemonies and possibly corals later on how much lighting should I get??? Thanks so much,
-Jean

 

[mr . salty]

My tank is a little smaller (40gal) and my lfs guy reccomended cost efficiant CORALIFE 20,000K high intensity fluorscent bulbs. It's all he uses in the store. He even keeps live rock and coral under them. Thats what I went with in my stock PERFECTO hood. May make some of you yawn, but he assures me it's good enough. STEVE
[This message has been edited by MR . SALTY (edited 06-24-2000).]

 

[kmr]

I started with a Ice Cap ballast, 1 50/50 URI 110 watt 46 inch, and 1 Blue Atinic URI 46 inch. I now run same ballast and bulbs but added another URI 46 inch Blue Atinic. When it's time to replace bulbs I will use 2 Blue Atinics, and 1 Daylight (white). As VHO's age they produce more red color so more people are going alittle more blue than before. It also looks really cool. Oh ya, I like at least 5 watts a gallon. I have a 55g reef and 6 watts a gallon which works well.
[This message has been edited by KMR (edited 06-25-2000).]

 

[clownfish]

I will, because of money constraints, get one actinic and one trichromatic or maybe two 50/50s. If I had more bucks, I would get a 250w or 400w MH system. This tank will be a 55. The guy at the local reef store uses the MH for his more demanding corals and sea anemones. I like the effects produced also. I don't know much about VHO, but I hear they cost a ton of money because of those electronic ballasts.