46 gallon reef lighting suggestions needed

[willia75]

I've decided to give the corals in my nano tanks a little more room in a 46 gallon bow front when I move in a few weeks. I've been looking into different types of lighting, and from what I can tell, T5's seem like the best route. I'm not entirely comfortable moving to just LED's, and metal halide seems a little expensive. Also, the tank I have has a plastic cross brace in the middle, which seems like a bad idea under a metal halide unless I had two mounted on either side of it (increasing the price even more). I've been giving some serious thought to an Aquatic Life 36" T5 fixture. I really like the built in timer (controls white, actinic, and moon lights separately), it has individual reflectors on each bulb, and the price seems reasonable. However, the light comes in a 4-bulb or 6-bulb configuration, and I'm not sure if I'd really need to do 6. All of my corals are softies (lots of zoos and some ricordeas) and LPS; I'm not really interested in SPS, but I may like to leave the option for a clam in the future. I think with these guys 4 bulbs would be sufficient, as they're currently just under power compact and doing well. My questions are:

-Is a purely T5 setup enough? I'd really rather avoid the expense and heat of the MH, but I'd like to be able to get pretty much any LPS corals I want. I've been getting some of the hardier species for my tank, and they're fine, but I wouldn't mind some nice brains or acans. I've had my little reef setup for a few years, and never had interest in SPS, so I can't imagine starting now.
-Any thoughts on this particular light? I've heard the stock bulbs aren't great, and I'd be happy to replace them with ATIs or something better. The fixture itself looks pretty nice though. I'd leave the tank open, so I don't care if the legs would impede a cover or anything.
-Would you recommend the 4 or 6 bulbs? I'm leaning towards 4, but I'd hate to wind up adding more lighting down the road. I'm thinking 6 would be too much, actually.
-Any suggestions on replacement bulbs, as far as color? I know it's more personal preference than necessity, but I've got some gorgeous zoos that I'd like to show off!

Thanks for any tips!

[FoMoCo Master Tech]

Willia75. Welcome to Reefland! A 4 bulb fixture will be plenty for zoas, LPS and even SPS/ clams. You should have no problem there. I had a 48" 4 bulb fixture over my 75g (upgraded to a 6 bulb unit though). I ran ATI bulbs. 2x Aquablue special and 2x blue+ and I thought it looked pretty good.

[Reefing Madness]

Your 4 bulb will be fine for what your looking to keep. No worries there.
Lights. 2-10k 2-460nm Should really pop those colors.

[willia75]

Great, that's what I was hoping to hear! I'm really looking forward to the new set up, and I think this light is a perfect fit. I'll see how the stock lights look, and upgrade to the ATIs as needed. The aquablue special/blue+ combination is exactly what I was thinking of. I'm sure anything will be a huge improvement over my power compacts, I'm just hoping the corals adjust without too much stress. Thanks for your help!