Need advice on lighting...

[Mighty]

I'm a noob. I received a free Custom SeaLife fixture, along with the tank, and am wondering if it's a good choice for my reef tank. I replaced the previous bulbs with the ones pictured below. It's a 24 inch, 55W set-up, sitting directly on top of my glass. I'm not sure how to calculate the total wattage. My fish seem to dislike the intensity when the actinic light is on. My questions are;

Is the lighting adequate for a reef tank with LPS and softies?

Should I raise the fixture off the glass? If yes, how? Since the company went under, accessories, etc., are hard to find.

Should I consider getting a newer fixture that covers the length of the tank?

I would like night lights. Any suggestions?

 

[melosu58]

They should be Ok for some softies and some LPS corals. They are in the range of low to medium lighting.

 

[gimincorp]

I had this issue. This is what you should do:
Check your temperature before the lights go on. Look if it is within desired range.
About half day through your light cycle check your temperature again to see if the lights are really heating up your tank. - if no affect (which I doubt) - no action is needed. Check your temperature the last time right before the lights are scheduled to be off, once again - no change in t no need to raise. If the temperature goes up like in my case - raise the lights. Can you make custom legs? If not, we´ll come up with something together. I´m crurrently thinking of using two pairs of PC fans to support the lights and at the same time blow the air below them to keep the tank cool.
This is a project to be done, so no pictures are available yet.

 

[Mighty]

I keep a good eye on my temp. I've never seen it rise due to the lights. They don't seem to put off much heat.
Considering that the fixture is 24", and my tank is 36" long, is this a big problem, or should I see it as a way to accommodate mushrooms and such that need lower light?