Lighting for tall 55 Gal Tank

[paulhlee]

Looking to get proper lighting for my tank. It is a 55gal, approx 20"W x 21"D x 35" tall.

Currently I have freshwater fish with some live plants and a crappy 17W fluorescent tube.

Ultimately, this tank may get re-built as a saltwater tank with corals so anything I do today I would ultimately like to be able to use down the road if I do switch to salt.

I was ready to get a 150W metal halide setup (Sunpod 1060 or a Viper clip-on)... but I'm not sure if 150W is enough, given the tank is so tall.

Looking for recommendations here... please help!

 

[ccCapt]

For a tank 35" tall, you would need 400w MH if you plan on keeping hard corals, or 250w and keep everything higher up in the tank. 35" is alot of water for light to penetrate.