90 gallon tank. which light?

[leesanhua]

am going to have a 90 gallon tank. i was wondering what kind of light should i go for... MH or compact florescent?

 

[lando]

It depends on what you want to keep. If you are interested in corals, clams or high-light anemones spring for the MH. If you are just planning on simple soft corals CF will be just fine. Look at the Coralife Aqualight Pro MH fixture as a suggestion.

 

[leesanhua]

can anemone survive under CF?

 

[lando]

Some can, depending on species. Bulb tip anemones may do fine depending on the amount of CF ighting

 

[leesanhua]

what about sebea?

 

[lando]

Not really enough light for a sebea. Light penetration will be the biggest issue, especially in a 90gal. They tend to like to be at the bottom of the tank where the substrate meets the rocks. CF light will not reach it very well.

 

[leesanhua]

all right. i know what to do.
so how much watt per gallon do i need?

 

[leesanhua]

what is the diferences between MH and T5?

 

[lando]

so how much watt per gallon do i need?

Do not worry about watts/gal, it is a bad bad rule. As I mentioned, penetration is what matters. MH create a much more intense light from a single point so it will reach the bottom of the tank much better.

 

[leesanhua]

so.. for 90gal. how many watts should i get?

 

[lando]

Do you plan on building your own system or buying a fixture that is already put together?

 

[leesanhua]

which one is chaper?

 

[lando]

You can save some money building your own system. When you figure in the price of the canopy and time it is pretty much a wash.