Question?

[orbit]

Hi

I was wondering if a 150watt Metal Halide is sufficient enough for a 90 gallon tank..I am thinking about upgrading soon, so I'm just gathering some information, and I also want to keep my 150w light

so what is the biggest tank I can get?

I went by my LFS today , and one of the worker recommended that if I plan to upgrade to 90, i have to upgrade the light as well b/c the lighting that I am currently using is not strong enough to penetrate to the bottom. He suggested getting tanks that are not more than 20 inches high, if I plan to continue using my 150w Metal Halide. Is this true?

He also recommended a 75gallon tank...

My thinking was that if I am going to use the same lighting, even though the lighting wont be that strong in the bottom, i can keep soft corals on the bottom surface, and SPS on the top portion of the tank..I'm not sure just a whole bunch of thinking.

question...how will i know if my floor will support a 75 or 90?? Im planning to have the tank where my current 45L freshwater fish tank is located (there isnt much fishes left, and plan to give the fishes to relatives).. plus the center brace for the tank broke in half for a while now (2 year ago n the tank has been around for almost 18 years..lol)

I was thinking of upgrading my saltwater tank from 20L to 45L, but i realize, that isnt much of an upgrade, why not go bigger lol

Thank
Orbit

[cpl40475]

it should be able to penetrate to the bottom. It will not how ever be enough to cover the entire tank. The sides will have some shadowing to them

[cpl40475]

As for the weight on the floor how are your floor joists situated and is this on 1st floor or in basement etc. How old is the house is also a concern. If you have a crawl space you can go under and brace the joist for extra support if needed. Its a fairly easy thing to do.

[orbit]

thanks...but i forgot to mention that i would need to buy one more lamp for the other side..lol..so a 150w on each side


this is the first floor..i think the house is very old maybe close to 50ish..i am guessing..., i don't think there is any crawl space underneath the floor

[rjsilvers]

My old house was built in 1932 and had a crawlspace and never had any problems supporting two 100g tanks + stands on it.

If you don't have a crawlspace, do you have a basement under your tank or something? If you're on the first floor of a slab foundation it will for sure support the weight of the aquarium. If you have a crawlspace or basement under you you'll want to position the tank perpendicular to the joists and add extra bracing if you need it.

[kau_cinta_ku]

i would suggest switching to 250's if going to keep sps

[orbit]

i already have the following : touch, mushroom, zoas, star polys, sun coral, and xenia, a plate and some sps

so i guess my new tank will have the same kind of coral

[tmz]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11749234#post11749234 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by kau_cinta_ku
i would suggest switching to 250's if going to keep sps :) Your lfs is giving you the rihgt advice. A 24 inch tank needs at least a 175w preferably a 250w. A 75 gal will give you the same footprint ,less heigh and more efficiency on lighting. Even then 2x 150w will be low at the bottom but strong enoughg for leathers and some lps.