Best Kelvin for reef lighting

[Skimmerking]

I hope I didnt make it sound like to put 400's over your tank..... if Its me go for 250's or 175's .. or you can always go VHo over a 55 gal with 4 bulbs 3 white and a actinic. its lots of light too for clams and sps.. if you got that route or even go with the T_5's

[marcingo]

Sounds good. What I want to do is be able to grow anything I find that looks very cool. Sounds lame I know. So basically if I go with the metal hallide do you guys think 14k MH would be the way to go for my tank(if I dont want to supplement with other lighting). I will go with 2 250 watt 14k I think. Anyway thanks for all the advice everyone. If you think my choice of lighting should be different let me know.

[Skimmerking]

Excellent choice I love the 250's and I would go with the reeflux if you can they are a nice bulb. IF I was you get the electronic ballast Ice cap.

I bought a pulse start ballast and now Im paying for it. I can only run a certain bulb. european bulbs.

[marcingo]

so with the 250's do you see any potential problems in my tank regarding too much or too little light? Or is it perfect lighting for this tank. Like I said I want to have anything from zoos to clams. (not that I will buy clams or sps but I want to have the option should I want it) Thanks.

[marie]

for a 21" deep tank I would go with 175w bulbs, if you have 250w bulbs it's good for clams but unless you have lots of caves it will be too bright for a lot of the lps corals.

!75w will give you enough light for clams and sps at the top of the tank
Here is a picture of my old 75g, it was 20" deep and lit with 2 175w 10k xm bulbs

[marcingo]

Marie.

Were the MH 175s the only lights you were running? Because from what I have seen with 175s they are usually kinda yellow but yours are nice and blue. Did you supplement with actinic or other lighting?

[marie]

They were supplemented with 2 40w actinics, I don't think it made a big difference whether they were on or off . If you wanted bluer get a 14k bulb

[mark]

Have 2-250W PFO mini pendents with 14K Hamitons over a 145g, 24" deep with a couple of 40W fluorescents (daylight and 50/50 I had around) for dusk/dawn.

Don't really want to give up the NO fluorencent as in the evening find I enjoy looking at the tank without the brightness off the MH but believe supplementing with actinics would be the way to go.

Seeing other peoples tanks that use actinics, (and my old 75g with a PCs) mushrooms and LPS just have that extra pop.

Have been planning for a while but after seeing another tank tonight with actinics, tomorrow plan on at least buying a couple NO actinics.