If you have pics, please post them or E-mail them to me. But at the moment, I'm leaning towards new equipment, cuz I have little idea of what item is in good working condition.
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Anyways, I think the frame around the tank idea is inevitable if I go halides. Time to work on the budget again and think of ways to raise funds :frown: .

Thanks for all your help. And I should go with 175w for LPS and 250w for SPS and clams right? Or is the 175w good enough for SPS and clams already?

I would go for 250W if at some point you want SPS or Clams, but I would think with a tank hight of 18" you could get away with 175W (sorry Last post I didn't read tank spec).
I have my MH on a canopy that I had the guys at Animal House commision for me. In hind site I could have built it myself but I'm very please with the work. My MH site about 14" above the water (2X250W)

J

Lighting
 

IMHO, 175W MH are OK for low light requiring LPS, but for sps and LPS needing more light, then 250W or more are needed.

One advantage of pendants is that they do not heat up the tank as much.

Have you considered a double ended MH bulb in a pendant - the amount of lumens produced is higher than with a mogul style bulb of the same wattage, and with some of them the color is satisfactory without the use of PC's.

J & L Aquatics has a large section of lighting choices at good prices.

MH gives the most natural and deep penetrating light.

You'll find it cheaper to buy the ballast found a electral distributor. Any bulbs they sell will be industrial grade 2700k to 4500k if your luckly so you'll need to buy a bulb somewhere else. Thats assuming you can wire it all up yourself and you aren't looking to buy a fully complete canopy.IF you decide on MH.

I still think 175w MH w/ 2x 65w or 55w Actinic is good for the tank size. 250w MH could be over kill.

While 250w isn't overkill, I would agree that 175w is good enough for anything you would want to keep in there. I ran 175w on my 75g and kept lots of SPS and clams.
If you ever decide to go to a bigger tank, having the bigger lights now might not be a bad idea, so assess your needs now AND for the future.

Thinking hard on whether or not I should upgrade the tank now to a 72 gallon bow. Really want to get the 48 inch hood with double MH, cuz it's only $100 more. Anyone know if King Ed does Christmas or Boxing Day sales? Still need to learn an awful lot, so waiting a few more months won't hurt. Gives me time to save more as well.

I had one of those, and found it to be a truly horrible light. :rolleyes:

I have found the only suction cups that don't quit working are the Maxijet ones. My 600, and 900 MJ's have been in the tank for more than six months, and have yet to give problems. :biggrin: