Help with lighting....

[Heineken]

First off, thank you to those who have replied. They have been most helpful.

Well, I've decided on getting LR, sump w/ protein skimmer and about 3-4 inches of aragonite LS. I will probably not get coral or plants anytime soon (FOWLR). So what do you guys and gals recommend for lighting? I know what I want the tank to look like ( that crystal blue effect you often see in SW tanks) but I am more concerned about the overall health of the tank. In my current FW system, lighting was never a big issue. Now that i'm converting it into a SW, lighting changes need to be made. My tank measures 72" across, so i'm guessing I need two 36" housing fixtures??

I'm pretty overwhelmed with all of the lighting terminology and lingo.. like VHO , actinic, CF, etc. Hopefully with the help from everyone here, I can make some sense out of all of this. I'm hoping to not spend a fortune on lighting, but if need be I'd be willing to if it's that important.

[austinsdad]

Sounds to me like you may get corals someday. Should consider that for this purchase anyway. IMO, you don't wanna get lights for fish now and later spend more to get better lights. I don't know too much about lighting, but it's not going to be how long your fixtures are - whether 2 36" or 1 72" (if that is an option), but more about watts per gallon to sustain healthy corals. There's literature all over the place about that.

I will probably not get coral or plants anytime soon (FOWLR).

Sounds like you might someday, so I think you should decide before you do any purchasing. I'd recommnend you go for it. After you get fully stocked with fish, corals can be quite fascinating.