[zach.attack6]

I need help!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I currently have Orbit Extreme Compact Fluorescent 4x 130 total of 520 watts on my 90 gal reef, I want to know if I would be better of with the Aqualight Pro HQI/Compact Fluorescent with 2x 150 watt HQI and 2x 96 watt Compact Fluorescents total of 492 , which one would be better for a full variety of corals and clams, and do you think the 696 watt aqualight would be way to much for such corals as mushrooms and soft to LPS even. please write back as soon as posible I need lots of help, thanks

[Ninong]

Hi zach.attack6,




Are there any other choices or is it that one fixture or none at all? For a 90-gal tank, 250w metal halides would probably be better than 150w halides. That's not to say that you can't get by with the 150w halides, because you can, it's just that the 250w size would be better if you want to keep a lot of SPS.

Don't worry about the mushrooms, they can adapt to the increased light. Remember that whenever you increase the light, you have to go slow for the first three to four weeks. You can do that by reducing the daily photoperiod or by raising the fixture higher above the tank. Raising the fixture is by far the better way to go if that's possible.

If your choices are not limited to that one particular fixture, you might want to consider going with all T5 HO lighting. It would work very well for a 90-gal tank. However, to answer your original specific question, I believe the 150w halides with actinic supplementation would be slightly superior to what you have now.

If you don't want to go with 250w halides, then I think all T5's would be much better than what you have now.