lighting a 220 with mh?

[coryjones]

What would be a good way to go i am looking to spend $300 to $400 right now it is 30" deep tank was looking at t-5 but no 6' bulbs so that is to pricee buying a bunch of 36" bulbs. Would 3 175w mh bubls work? like 14k if so what is the cheapest wa to go and to get stuff. For right now i was thinking t-5 antic's and one mh I have 3 96w pc ballists now. Are they good for anything should i use them instead of t-5?

[bertoni]

Three 175 K bulbs might be fine. The bottom of the tank might be a bit dim, though. What are the other dimensions of the tank. T5 would do the job, too, for either actinic or the whole deal, but I like the look of VHO actinics much better than the T5 bulbs.

I don't think $400 is going to be enough, not with good reflectors, but you could light part of the tank and add more as time goes on.

[BurntOutReefer]

I'd go DIY with 3 250's MH's and 2 t5 actinics......try hellolights.com...or the for sale forum on this site......

[coryjones]

tank is 6' long 24" deep and 30.5 tall Dont have my canopy mad yet what kind of clearence do mh need?

[bertoni]

The clearance depends on the reflector that's chosen. The PFO parallel reflectors are okay. I would go with the Lumenarc Mini, but they're very expensive.

I think three bulbs should be fine if they're chosen carefully. 175 W could do the job with an efficient bulb and reflector, although with the bottom perhaps being a bit dim. 250 W would give more variety in your bulb choices.

[coryjones]

I found some 6' bulbs about $54 each not to bad but they are t 12 160w vho what do you think of them coralife bulbs could you use vho menards fixtures and get them for the ballasts? I have some in the grage and they are 110w i think.

[bertoni]

VHO would be fine for soft corals. I don't know about high-light animals, though.