Need lighting advice from my fellow reefers...

[Beverly]

Originally Posted by bulletsworld

I was thinking for the 77 gal I would start with dual 175w and figured that was all I would really need as long as I stayed away from SPS corals though, hey.

With a 20" high tank, you can have SPS corals with 175w bulbs The actinic PCs are a bonus, imo

And don't let those DIY guys get you going on a project if you don't know anything about electrical and woodworking stuff. The idea of having a reef tank is that the whole package looks great, lighting included. I've seen pics of DIY lighting projects that look, well, crappy, even though they might work like a charm.

Hamilton light fixtures look great if they've been well cared for. We currently have two of them and have used them on past tanks. The fixture you describe sounds great, but I wouldn't buy it used unless you can knock the price down considering you'll have to replace bulbs and tubes shortly. Also, don't buy it unless you can see it to make sure it looks new and is in good working condition.

Edit: Don't worry about an increase in power consumption. This is our hobby. It's supposed to cost money