halogen lighting
 

Can I use a 500W halogen lighting for my tank w/ soft corals.

I think you will find halogen lights run far too hot to use on a reef tank.

Have you tried touching a 400w halide fixture after it's been running for ten hours lately? :razz:

I have a couple of halogen worklights in the shop. Even from 10 feet away I still find the heat uncomfortable. So I can only imagine how they would affect reef temp.

The question of halogen lights has been well looked into in the planted tank forums. The bottom line is, halogen lights produce much more heat than light, compared to MH or cf lighting.