75g reef lighting

[Speakerman]

the 75g tank I have has a center brace made from glass. I got a compact fluorescent fixture for free that I'm going to use. Since the center brace is glass, could I get away with using just 1 metal halide in the center?

would be like 130w fluorescent w/50/50 bulbs+ a 250w halide w/ 14k bulb.

[melosu58]

Moved to General Hardware and equipment discussion.

If the brace is glass then I`m thinking you`ll be OK. It should not send too much or a shadow.

[ccCapt]

You can, however keep in mind, depending on what type of reflector you use and how high it's mounted, 1 bulb is usually good for a 2'x2' area. The last 1' on each side will be significantly darker. You would also be limited on where you can place certain corals.

[Speakerman]

I'll try out having just the one bulb, then if I don't like it I can always set another one up later down the road. but I imagine, since I'm just going to run the tank with rock for several months before I ever get any fish or coral, I'll be able to make up my mind slowly.