Finally got off my butt and took some recent pics. Here's a couple of my 58. As you can see, I really dig ricordea and odd colored mushrooms. The lighting on this is 1 250w 20k bulb, it has 180lbs live rock in the main tank, another twentyish in the 20 gal sump, my macros are gracilaria and ulva, and a small bit of feather caulerpa (the yellow tang that I had in the 55 ate all of the caulerpa prolifera). I have it stocked with the small sailfin (motivator/excuse for the new tank), a spotted mandarin, and a HUGE FAT jeweled blenny. For those of you who remember, I had a TERRIBLE algae problem when my tank crashed (on TDY/Army duty to Texas and my tank sitter wiped out my tank) and it has been six months fixing the tank. I still have a bit of hair algae, but it finally doesn't grow quicker than the blenny and tang eat it. No worries of that blenny starving though, I have a very established wide variety of macros. And it eats gracilaria!!! I think its color has improved immensely since I picked it up from LFS, so has the tang's.
The new tank (135gal) is coming along, I got a guy to build the stand and canopy for $425, which is a steal around here. (Other quotes ran from 1000-1700$.) He's buildin it oversize to fit my 75L under it, + equipment. It will also be 36" high, giving me enough room to cram my skimmer under there (I hope... this might end up with me trading skimmers). So, now I'm at the point of ordering my lights. I was thinking (in respect of my power bill) of doing a PFO triple 175w metal halide ballast, and adding 2-4 (depending on what I can cram in there) VHO's. Keeping in mind that the only stonies I'll have will be on the top of the rock, and the main brunt of my corals are ricordeas and some future gorgonians, do you guys think this would be enough lighting? I really like low light corals... carnations, gorgonians, deep pigmented mushrooms. I figure with the 3x175w's + VHO's I'd be able to have stonies near the top, medium lights on the slopes, and my low light/cave critters in the bottom and in the caves. Am I smoking crack? I really want to avoid going to 3 250's but I will if I have to.
The new tank (135gal) is coming along, I got a guy to build the stand and canopy for $425, which is a steal around here. (Other quotes ran from 1000-1700$.) He's buildin it oversize to fit my 75L under it, + equipment. It will also be 36" high, giving me enough room to cram my skimmer under there (I hope... this might end up with me trading skimmers). So, now I'm at the point of ordering my lights. I was thinking (in respect of my power bill) of doing a PFO triple 175w metal halide ballast, and adding 2-4 (depending on what I can cram in there) VHO's. Keeping in mind that the only stonies I'll have will be on the top of the rock, and the main brunt of my corals are ricordeas and some future gorgonians, do you guys think this would be enough lighting? I really like low light corals... carnations, gorgonians, deep pigmented mushrooms. I figure with the 3x175w's + VHO's I'd be able to have stonies near the top, medium lights on the slopes, and my low light/cave critters in the bottom and in the caves. Am I smoking crack? I really want to avoid going to 3 250's but I will if I have to.