trichromatic and a 50/50

[guitarded]

i will order my LR soon. will a 40watt trichromatic and a 40watt 50/50 be sufficient for my 75gal tank? further, is this sufficient if i decide to start a reef later?

 

[theatrus]

For LR, its sufficient. Won't get great growth of coraline algae though.
For reef, definetley not.

Look into CF/PC, or VHO lighting. Or MH. If you have an existing canopy, you can save a few dollars with a CF or VHO retrofit kit.

With fluorescent, 4-5Watts/gal should let you keep soft corals and such. I'm not familiar with MH lighting so you'll have to ask someone else.

 

[guitarded]

ok, so i would be better served with PC of VHO for a FOWLR tank... can anyone give me links to vendor's pages that show these lights and the light hood that would fit my 75gal tank. i would like to see examples of what i can use.

 

[guitarded]

would this be what i would need...

http://www.marinedepot.com/aquarium_lighting_fluorescent_pfo_polyplight_fixture.asp?CartId=

 

[steve-s]

If you already have the bulb set up mentioned in your first post, I'd see how well that does first. As stated by theatrus, your not going to get alot of coralline growth but it should sustain what you get in the beginning. Coralline is quite good at adapting to lower light and there are many types/colors of coralline that will grow in your tank.

If this is to be a FOWLR (at least for now) I wouldn't go to the exspense of upgrading the lights just yet. Once/if you decide corals are in your future then I would definately opt for a better set up. For now though you don't need much more light. The filtration benefits of the rock are not light dependant.

Cheers
Steve

 

[guitarded]

steve, big thanks for your advice.