55 gal lighting

[bigfishtoo]

Hello, I have a 55 gal saltwater with corals and fish and have a vho light system with 330 watts the light is 48" long x 12" wide, my question is I want to use halide for better coral growth. Do I use one 400 watt or do I use two 250 watt light fixture or two 400 watt lights. please give me some advice for my tank. sorry new to this!

 

[hackteck]

i have an Outer Orbit HQI fixture it has 2x 150 mh bulbs and 2x 130 watt pc bulbs check into one of these units i dont think you need 250 or 400 watt bulbs for a 55g aquarium

 

[BillyZ]

exactly what lighting you want will depend in some extent on what types of corals you want. Most 55's have a center brace. If you go with a single MH and hang it over the center of the tank this brace will block the brightest point of your MH and cast a noticible shadow in the middle of your display. For that reason alone I would suggest a two-light setup, whichever wattage you go for.

 

[AquaReefer]

I have a 492 watt MH / PC fixture. 2x150w HQI 2x96w Actinics. You would need 2 halides since they only have a span of about 2 feet and your tank is 4 feet long.

 

[bigfishtoo]

Thanks for the replies, I have in my tank now,
bubble coral
candy cane coral
frogspawn
zoanthids
mushrooms
green star polyps
leather coral
fish and shrimp, snails, hermit crabs, star fish, feather dusters, live rock

I just get confused on total watts, like if you use 2x150 halide plus 2x130 = 560 watts or is it 2x150 plus 2x130 = 280 watts being total used.
Please help shed some light, so I can buy the right set up for my corals the first time.
yes my 55 gallon has a brace in the middle, about 3/4 inch wide. I would like to use two pendant lights if possible. thanks....

 

[ZivioRR]

whats the max watts per gallon that u can have?? is there no limit as long as the temp stays in range?