Please help with Light

[Feems]

I am about to upgrade lighting, thank god i have read a bunch of threads first because my local pet store was trying to sell me oddysea MH which from what i have read is garbage. Can anyone help me in my journey on the new upgrade? I Have a power compact now.
My tank is 30 inches long and 19 inches deep.
what is best and why?
has anyone heard of: Outer Orbit HQI/Compact Fluorescent/Lunar Fixture

[SIZE=16px;]HQI Metal Halide, Compact Fluorescent, & Lunar Lights in one!?[/SIZE]


I have a 50 gallon Tank with 50 pounds of Live rock and 50 pounds of live sand as well as

yellow tang (1)
sailfin tang (1)
hippo tang (1)
maroon clown (1)
manderin (1)
yellow watchmen gobby (1)

I have alot of assorted polyps,
I also have 3 kenya trees,
1 elegant,
1 sun coral,
1 rock full of mushrooms,

[charlie]

Look into T5 lighting, you could probably make due with a 2' 4 bulb fixture, and be able to grow close to anything. The fixture you ask about would be nice, but you would save yourself a few headaches with T5, like heat issues for one!!!!

One question tho, why do you have 3 tangs in a 50 gallon tank????

[returnofsid]

Charlie's absolutely right. T5HO would allow you to grow anything you wanted, in a 19" deep tank, AS LONG as the fixture has either individual reflectors, or reflectors that are molded to wrap around each bulb. Sunlight Supply Tek5 would be great. You'll play heck trying to find a 30" fixture, in any type of lighting, so a 24" fixture would be your best bet. You can get a 24" T5HO, 4 bulb fixture, for $330.00, including bulbs, from ReefGeek > Lighting > T5 Fluorescent > Sunlight Supply > Tek Light Fixtures

You won't have to deal with the heat issues of MH lighting. IF you do decide to go with MH lighting, a fixture with 1X250W would be your best bet. I have the Corallife Aqualight Pro fixture, with 150W, over my 40 breeder, which is 18" deep and it's not enough light.

You did good by researching oddysea, before making a purchase. Although they're much better fixtures than they used to be, there's better options out there, in the same price range.

Oh and as Charlie also asked, why 3 tangs in a 50? I'd go further and ask why ANY tangs in a 50? Not only is that way too small of a tank for a tang, let alone 3 tangs, BUT, if you're upgrading your lighting, in the hopes of establishing a better reef tank, that's WAY too much bioload to keep the prestine water quality you'll need for a successful reef tank.

[Feems]

DAMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU LIVE AND LEARN!!!!! THE STUPID ASS FISH STORE GUY WAS JUST TRYING TO SELL ME **** AND HE GAVE ME ALL KInDS OF BAD ADVICE JUST TO SELL ME STUFF!! BUT NOT ANYMORE I DO MY RESEARCH FIRST!! My water quality is pretty good thou, i have a wet dry with a uv sterilizer and a protein skimmer and pre skimmer and i do my water changes every 2 weeks with RO water and reef crystals, i test once to twice a week and my nitrates are between 0ppm and 5.0ppm. I messed up but you live and learn, how can i move forward with what i have in the tank?

[charlie]

Do you have bioballs in that wet dry???? If you do, I would lose those slowly over the next month or so. They will be a source of nitrates in your sytem if you don't, OK?
Is there a chance you could lose maybe 2 of the tangs? There WILL be aggression between them, count on it.
Is your maroon clown kind of nasty??? Just wondering cuz those little buggers can get mean, and possesive.
Sorry for all the questions, but any type of info helps us help you.
Look into the T5's, your corals will like that choice.
Oh, I notice that you a sun coral, do you feed it often?

[Feems]

Beleave it or not the fish all get along, there is no agression in the tank. I put microvert for the corals< and i have bio balls and i took out a hand full the other day, i will take out a handfull twice a week till there all gone.

[charlie]

If you have said this before, I am sorry, but how long has your tank been set up?

[Feems]

6 months