PC or VHO?

[Arctic blue]

Hi all,

I enjoy browsing thru the posts and gleaning as much knowledge from the many experts out there as I possibly can!

I'm setting up a reef aquarium, but will probably not go with any sps's - at least for now. Tank dimensions are: 60" long x 18" deep x 24" high (approx. 120 gal). I've got 100 lbs of live rock, another 40 lbs of base rock, on top of 1 1/2 inches of fine coral sand. For filtration I've got a canister filter (Rena xp3 - loaded with ceramic rings) and an aquaclear 500 (also loaded with bio-rings). Combined they give me 850 gph filtration. The tank has been up and running 3 1/2 weeks and the water tests fine in all areas. Now I'm ready to add lights and start with some inverts (algea eaters?).

I have pretty much decided to go with VHO (4 - 140 watt 60" tubes on an icecap balllasts). But I'm still not sure about whether VHO is a better choice than power compacts. Most info I've seen online seems to support VHO as a better choice than PCs -- any opinions?

Also -- I am thinking that since my budget is limited, spending a little less on lights and adding a quality protein skimmer is a good plan -- comments welcomed!

-Thanks

[Ninong]

If you do not want to consider metal halides, then I would choose the four 5-ft VHOs over the power compacts. There are arguments to be made for either but I just seem to prefer the appearance of VHOs.

[Arctic blue]

Well . . . I have been thinking about MH, but have several problems: No way to suspend the lights (my wife is definitely against a fixture being mounted to the ceiling) and I'm concerned that a hood with halides will generate too much heat (I definitely don't want to spend for a chiller!). I talked with a sales rep. at Champion lighting and he said that VHO would do the job even for sps corals, if they were not placed too far down the tank.

The thing is, I don't want to spend $600 on lights -- only to decide two years from now that I really DO need those halides and have to shell out another $300 on an upgrade.

Will 4 5-ft vho s give me the light for most corals, anemones and any clams?

[Ninong]

Will 4 5-ft vho s give me the light for most corals, anemones and any clams?

It will give you adequate light for most corals. Be sure to position SPS as high as possible in the tank and not at the far sides of the tank. Many SPS species will be more colorful under metal halides but they will still do OK under VHOs.

Most anemones will do OK with VHO lighting although halides would be preferred. If you select a species like Entacmaea quadricolor it will choose its own spot in the tank provided it can find someplace to anchor its foot under an overhanging rock or in a large opening in the rock structure. It likes to keep its column shaded while the rest of it is well lit and receiving moderate flow. It is not necessarily a sand dwelling anemone like some of the others.

Clams are another story. Tridacna crocea and T. maxima clams do best under metal halides but many people keep them successfully under VHOs. You should not attempt to keep either of these species on the sand bed but you should be able to keep them if you place them high on the rock structure and not towards the sides of the tank. T. derasa and T. squamosa are usually kept on the sand bed and both species can adapt to less light than either crocea or maxima; however, I would avoid both of those species in your size tank because they get too large.