Mh?

[Bobby]

I'm kicking around the idea of getting some MH for my tank. Its a 55gal. I would really like to get into a few clams. I have pc now ,260 watt. I'm thinking about 2x250 ,what do you all think? I really don't want to run actinics. Would a 14000k or 12000k setup look like the the setup i have now(2 10000k+2 actinics)? Thanks

[Poseidon]

I think that is a good choice, especially for Clams. Depending on what ballast you get you may want to consider the "new" XM 15K bulbs. My LFS has a tank with 1 20K and 1 15K XM on it, and I really like the look of the 15K. The reason I mention ballast is some of the electronic ballasts (IceCap) don't put out the same PAR with that bulb as some of the older magnetic ballasts do. (From Sanjays testing anyway.)

I think the halides will be a little less blue, but still very pleasing to the eye.

[Steven Pro]

It depends on what clams you want. Both derasa and squamosa would be fine under your current lighting, but both get rather large for a 55 gallon tank.

If it were me, I would go with 150 watt DE lamps for the 55. They have high PAR values with lower power consumption. Plus, they come in sleek fixtures that would not look monsterous on a relatively small aquarium.

[110galreef]

I have had CF before and swithched to MH last year. The MH is such a nicer looking light. Huge improvement.

[Bobby]

Thanks, all of you. I'm sold. Now I just got to get the money.