[melancthon]

My wife recently purchased a 27 gallon Perfecto hex tank with stand and canopy and we're debating whether to use it for a seahorse tank (she currently has a 10g hex that is housing just over a dozen dwarfs) or to rig it to be a reef tank. My primary issue with this is the fact that it is not drilled and, as everyone knows, a hex tank doesn't have a lot of room to put anything over the side of it. This one is 10" on a side, 18" across (flat to flat) and about 20" across corner to corner.

The other issue that concerns me is that it is around 24" tall and has (currently) a 15" regular old hood on it with a single 15" fluorescent bulb. I replaced that with a powerglo model at least so the light makes it to the bottom of the empty tank as opposed to the old and dying bulb in there when we got it (used, obviously). I've been looking into retrofit kits and I see a 13" CF that is reasonably priced, but it's only 28W. I just can't get anything bigger on this thing I think.

Should I give up on the reef approach? Obviously I'd need to build some sort of eggcrate/PVC contraption in the tank, but that's not a problem. A sump would be a bit of a problem since the stand is, well, hex-shaped and doesn't lend itself to anything down below. Any advice?

[zhenya]

If you want to make it into a reef tank I don't think lighting should really hold you back. There are 150w DE clip on fixtures available that would be more than enough to light it.
This is what I'm talking about...
JBJ K-2 Viper HQI Clamp 150W Halide Pendant - Includes 14k lamp: Premium Aquatics

If anything, I think challenges would lie in aquascaing more than the lighting, although I had seen some really pretty set ups with this type of tanks.
Single island comes to mind, with different corals growing from the sides of the isle....